Sediment filter before or after declorinator? new softener install

[Lucky]

just had the new kinetico 2030 installed using their dechlorinator. street water goes to dechlorinator then to the sediment filter then the softner. the sediment filter was there from the last installation so i'm not sure if it was easier to plumb that way. or if it really didnt matter. is there any chance that sediment from the street can hurt the declorinator? changing the 4 dollar sediment filter isnt a biggie so i doubt it's put that way to protect that filter.

also now that im studying it more. when it's on bypass it goes from street directly to faucets. i confirmed with pics of my old unit that it was like this before. but even when you bypass (i do fill up a 5 gallon jug once a week with unsoftened water) wouldnt it be a good idea to have it run thru the sediment filter before going to faucet? or heck wouldnt it be nice to go street to sediment to declor then faucet for when i bypass the softner?

 

[Bannerman]

Assuming your 'dechlorinator' is actually a carbon filtration system that is equipped with a backwashing control valve, a pre-filter is not usually required for municipal water unless the water contains sediment and debris that is obvious to the naked eye. Smaller particles that enter the filter during use will be flushed to drain each time a backwash cycle is performed to reclassify the media.

It seems your entire water treatment system is equipped with one bypass valve so if there is a problem with one device, all 3 devices will then be bypassed, resulting in no treatment whatsoever until the problem device is repaired/replaced. It is always advisable to install separate bypass valves for each device so each may be bypassed independently without affecting the other devices.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Lucky]

well it does turn brown and cruddy after about a year. i dont know if that means it's 'actionable' or not or needs a filter, but something makes it brown. but truly i dont think theres really anything that could go wrong with the sediment filter. i guess the O ring could leak. so it sounds like he may have done an acceptable practice by bypassing it all except i just dont like the idea of 'anything' getting into my expensive declor tank. and it would have been nice to get bypassed water still go thru the declor for me to drink but like you said if something goes wrong i guess it needs to be bypassed.

i guess if they assure me that sediment doesnt harm the declor they are ok as is. but for what i paid i wanted everything the best it could be. there also is very limited space for piping so even i dont think bypassing every single thing would be practical there. based on my less than 2000 gallons a month he said 5 to 7 years before the declor needs rebed. im just paranoid about something clogging up the system since the reason i needed this one was because the old system blew out resin beads to every pipe in my house.

i actually dont know how the declor works but are you are saying it gets backwashed and i have nothing to worry about anyway?

this is the declor:

Dechlorinator

Removes chlorine from water and protects a Kinetico water softener installed on a chlorinated water supply.

www.kinetico.com

 

[Reach4]

1. Don't use cellulose filter cartridges for non-chlorinated water. Use polypropylene or polyester.
2. When you change cartridges, you may not be able to get the old o-ring back into place. At least keep a spare o-ring on hand.
3. If your carbon tank (dechlorinator) has a bypass, let that be in bypass enough to sanitize your downstream plumbing including WH. You could consider sanitizing your plumbing with a more intense sanitizing. I think a way to introduce the sanitizing solution, and a utility pump to circulate the solution, would be helpful.

 

[Bannerman]

The 'dechlor' carbon filter tank shown, is not equipped with a backwashing control valve, but a simple In/Out head is shown. Those types of filters are relatively inexpensive to build, and they are typically configured as upflow so the incoming water enters at the bottom of the media and will flow upward through the carbon to cause the media to be constantly 'backwashed' by the water flowing to the home's faucets and fixtures.

While any type of carbon filter will be better than none, because upflow will lift and loosen the media whenever water is utilized in the home, the carbon will not perform as effectivly as a downflow filter since the carbon media will not be compacted but instead, the spaces between carbon granules will be expanded, thereby allowing higher contaminant leakage through the media with leakage further increasing as the water flow rate continues to be increased.

Since the water usage flow rate within most homes is usually fairly moderate, there is usually insufficient flow to ensure the media is regularly expanded and reclassified so channelling is more likely to occur in an upflow carbon system. Assuming your carbon filter is equipped with a 10" diameter tank, the usual recommended flow rate to sufficiently reclassify the carbon media would be 6.5 GPM for a constant 10-minutes.

Because elimination of sediment and debris cannot be ensured without a backwashing control valve, then a large capacity sediment cartridge filter would be advisable before the carbon filter, to prevent sediment and debris from entering the carbon media from the incoming supply.

Another benefit of a backwashing control valve is to eliminate small and broken carbon granules (fines) as they would be regularly backwashed out to drain. With a non-backwashing system, those small 'fines' are more likely to flow onward into your softener system and may reduce flow through the softener, so locating an additional sediment filter in-between the carbon filter and softener will prevent carbon fines from entering the softener.

You mentioned resin escaped from your old softener, thereby creating a mess within the plumbing throughout your home. The most common cause of resin escape into the plumbing is a broken bottom screen within the softener as the bottom screen in most softeners, is the only barrier to prevent softening resin from exiting the softener. If you are concerned this may occur again, you could install another sediment filter directly after the softener.

 

[Lucky]

so i've been studying the plumbing...it seems rather difficult, expensive and they likely wouldnt want to replumb the existing setup so all water goes thru the existing pre filter, but wouldnt placing a new prefilter right above the salt tank solve my issue? the line coming up behind the salt tank is the main supply line. but then i worry about clearance for taking the old filter out and even the new one running into the salt tank because it would be low.

alternatively, if i just want a prefilter before the declor but not worried about the bypassed water being filtered, there could be a prefiler in the square space above the middle tank..i think?

also down the road ill need to tap in for a fridge for unsoftened water . it seems like the only existing place a tap will fit in the existing setup is in the upper most line above the prefilter. . he had mentioned it could be after the declor line but before the prefilter and i didnt realize at the time that was not a good idea because i want it thru the prefilter. so then we are back to the prefilter being added above the salt tank as the easiest solution. and then a tap immediately after there. or maybe that line right after the declor so i get declor water to drink. yea thats best. ..head is spinning with alternative designs

 

[Lucky]

so i actually read the fine print on my receipt. says hardness 16 , tds 111 chlorine 1.1 but i dont remember anyone testing my water when they were here. so unsure where he got those numbers. maybe the installer did it while i wasnt watching lol.

is TDS an indicator of how 'dirty' my water is? research i did online says under 500 is ok. and actually 300 to 500 is ideal.

the local water report says 356 TDS and 1.35 chlorine are in the city system

my gut still tells me the sediment filter should be on the main line so that any water is filtered there first so ill call monday and see what they say about adding one. hopefully at no cost

 

[Reach4]

TDS is Total DISSOLVED Solids, and things we call dirt usually don't dissolve.

 

[Lucky]

so it's undissolved things that make the filter dirty then? would a brown filter be proof enough that the filter should be before the declor? i dont wanna be griping about something that means nothing. but not being a science guy i dont know what is what. just what i believe. so how hard to i push for the filter to be put on the main line before everything, given my current setup.

my unscientific mind has to admit that since 08 when i had the other softner, i really didnt realize that i was drinking water that didnt go thru the filter. but since this is a new install i just thought it may be wise to do it and protect the carbon in the declor. i dont want it being clogged up prematurely