A 1 cubic ft softener will do nicely. It will regen frequently over holidays (every 2-3 days) but will regen weekly during normal operation. There will be no problem re-using your existing brine tank as you should only use about 23 lb of salt each month. There are a few other things you want to keep in mind: 1. A Fleck 5600sxt controller or equivant 2. gravel underbed 3. top distributor basket 4. High quality resin, preferably American or German made for better size distribution Once you have a softener, I can help with programming to ensure it operates as efficiently as possible. Just add a post to this thread so all the information will be in one place.

Eureka....it's not just a nickname...lol Well or water system? - Well Need to know the water conditions.... hardness, iron, manganese, TDS, PH, and bacteria and nitrates if well water. - Just noticed the guy who tested only left me a copy of the Volatiles and not the standard 9 point test results. I just requested and will post. I have a UV light on the service line, so "should" be no bacteria. Bulb was replaced when I moved in (and annually before that). # of bathrooms and # of people in the home? - 3 BR, 2 baths and currently 2 adults in home. (this was a rental property before a divorce landed me here temporarily. Will become a rental again in the future and likely family size would be 2-4 people). Any high water use appliances like a Jacuzzi? - nope, standard appliances - Washer, DW A second contractor is coming on Friday and he said he uses Clack and Autotrol equip, when I asked. Family owned local water treatment/well company.

Since the cost difference between the two sizes is small, I would go with the larger softener. The size of your home, number of bathrooms, and your indication that you will have a large number of guests at a time make the 2.0 cubic ft softener a better choice. When it is just the two of you, it will go up to 12 days between regenerations, which is fine with your water quality. The following requirements are for an industry standard softener. If you are looking for a non-electronic softener, Kinetico offers the more reliable options at a premium price (and you would need to deal with a local Kinetico rep). Any decent softener vendor should be able to provide the following: High quality American or German made resin. This will provide a tight size distribution for optimal flow within the resin Since you have CITY WATER: 10% crosslinked resin. The oxidizers that city water treatment plants use, such as chlorine or chloramine, are harmful to softener resins. Higher crosslinking will resist chemical attack longer. Top basket. This serves two purposes. It sets up a proper water distribution during normal operation and prevents resin loss during backwash. Gravel underbed. Since you will have a larger residential softener, this is very important. The gravel underbed is there to set up proper flow patterns, improve backwash, keep the bottom basket in place, prevent basket failure, and prevent channeling. Many softener sales companies like to leave this out or sell softeners with a vortex system instead. Vortex systems weigh less than gravel so they cost less to ship. In addition, they are a more expensive item that adds profit for the softener salesperson, but provides no additional benefit to the homeowner . It simply adds another piece of equipment that can break. Fleck or Clack valves. If you choose Fleck, get the 7000sxt. These set the industry standard. Be aware that you will not be able to purchase Clack valves online. This is not a problem if you purchase locally. The valve should regen based on water usage, not time. Noryl bypass. Most softeners are available with either Noryl or stainless bypass valves. Both are good valves, but the noryl tends to be more reliable when not used for long periods of time. Install the softener with a three-valve bypass. This will make it so much easier if you ever need to remove the softener for repairs or wish to take it with you when you move. Use full-port, quarter-turn valves. This post was edited by aliceinwonderland_id on Mon, Mar 31, 14 at 10:31

I ended up with a Clack WS1 48K softener, and a backwashing carbon filter with 1.5 cube of carbon and KDF55 media for it's bacteriostatic properties, and because it will help prolong the life of the carbon. Ended up at $2400 total with the install, a little more than I wanted to spend, but not the $3600 of the Kinetico, and I think I have an excellent system. Not only did the Kinetico cost more, but having to go to the one and only dealer for service and the cost of their carbon replacements, etc. just didn't seem like it was worth it. Only regret is I wish I would have read about the Vortex technology ahead of time, I might have done that or gone with the Watts 3 stage that has all this media in one tank, not two and has Vortex. Installer came by and tested the water, no more chlorine/chloramines, and definitely have soft water. Will be interested to see the change once all the hardness is out of the pipes, fixtures, and it's gone through a regeneration or two.