Water Filtration and Softening Systems

10 years ago

My husband and I just purchased a new home in High Springs, FL, and we need to replace the existing (and very old) water softening system. We had the water tested by three different companies. There is definitely sulfur in the water as the smell is almost unbearable. Other than the smell, we have concerns that the water is not potable and even made my husband sick for over a week. Our main goal is to be able to drink and cook with the water. But we also do not want to have to continuously replace plumbing or water heater elements. Here are the results of the water tests:

Home Depot (Source Kitchen Sink)
TDS - 355ppm
Hardness - 25gpg

Plumbing Now (A local plumbing company) (Source Well)
TDS - 763
Iron - 0
Sulphur

Culligan (Source Well)
Alkalinity - 180
TDS - 975
Nitrates - 0
Turbidity - Yes
Iron - <.5>Sulphur - >2ppm
PH - 7
Hardness - 54gbg
Taste & Odor - Yes
Also noticed a film on top of the water and black residue in the tanks of the toilets. Corrosion on all faucets in the house. Stains in sinks and showers. Possible bacteria in the water from the sulphur.

That being said, we have received 3 quotes from 3 companies. (Home Depot would not give a quote as they deal in Rainsoft equipment and their quote would be higher than the one we received directly from a Rainsoft dealer.)

Rainsoft $3600
Would take existing old Rainsoft equipment as a trade-in and replace it with
-EC4
-Oxytech
-Reverse Osmosis system under the kitchen sink.

Instead of using chlorine to treat the water for sulphur, they will use oxygen.

Culligan $6500
-Culligan CulClear System with Reverse Osmosis under the kitchen sink.

Will use chlorine to first treat for sulphur, then remove chlorine using carbon filtration system. Then will use brine system to soften the water. Will not charge to remove the existing system. Also gives us the option to either purchase and replace the salt and chlorine ourselves, or will deliver them and do the maintenance for us at a minimal charge. Offers a 10yr to a lifetime warranty.

Plumbing Now $2850
Will use something similar to our existing unit. Chlorination system with stenner pump and flow switch, carbon filtering, and brine. We will have to replace the chemicals and salt ourselves. Offers a 2 year warranty. Will use Clack dot matrix parts.

If I understand correctly we absolutely need each of these parts to remove the sulphur and hardness from the water. My questions are:

1. Should we go with an aerator system or a chlorination system? We do have concern that there is bacteria in the water.

2. Which of these companies have the best reputation?

3. What is the average life span of each of these systems? (Rainsoft vs. Culligan vs. Clack) We need something long term.

4. What is the average cost for the type of system that we need?

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Comments (3)

jcalhoun
10 years ago
Most water systems use aeration to treat sulfur and hydrogen sulfide. Aeration also works on most iron and manganese issues too. Potassium permanganate can also be added then removed by filtration.

How far away are you from a municipal water system? If you are fairly close it might be less expensive to get a water service.
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User
10 years ago
Living on a well is more complicated than living on a municipal water system because youe have to make the water SAFE and then decide whether to make the water nice. Nice water gives you longer service life of plumbing, appliances, and fixtures and costs you less in soap and detergent.

Water tests from companies that are trying to sell you water treatment equipment can be dubious to say the least as you can see from the varied results you've already received.

In order to discuss water treatment intelligently we need the results of tests from a certified independent lab. You want to test for...

hardness, iron (ferrous and ferric), manganese, pH, TDS, chlorine, sodium, and arsenic at minimum. If on a private well you'd add tests for nitrates and bacteria.

With that data and water use info (# of people, # of bathrooms, diameter of plumbing at softener, and SFR of the plumbing) we can recommend correctly sized and configured equipment .
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Since you have city water, you can skip the arsenic and copper tests (unless your waster pH is very low coming from the city). You are entitled to a copy of the city water report - some even post them online - which will give you a great deal of information about your water. You can also leave off sodium, but add sulfates and total alkalinity. Once you have water analysis, in order to properly size a softener, you will need to provide the following information: # of people in your home (or average and peak water usage if you know it) Any high water-use fixtures, such as a jetted tub or multi-head shower? As to water taste - it is subjective. Gather 100 people in a room and have them all taste the same water and you will get 100 differing opinions. For that reason, unfortunately, filtration for taste is either guess and check or just filter everything even though it may not be necessary. The filtration unit you have chosen will likely give you what you want, but be aware that since it is a proprietary unit with proprietary filters cartridges, you will spend a lot more maintaining it. The unit itself is pricey, plus cartridge replacement will cost over $200 annually.
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As far as water treatment the first question to answer is well or municipal water system? If on a water system the water conditions will be more consistent and usually less expensive and complicated to treat than well water. If on a well there will be some education and maintenance required because you want to make the water nice and you have to make the water safe and monitor that it continues to be safe. The next thing is a comprehensive water test by a certified lab. If a softener is required then you need a location at the main water service with a drain, an electrical outlet, and we need to know the diameter of the plumbing (3/4", 1", 1.24") at the softener location.. Some people choose to plumb treated water to the house but untreated water to the kitchen and outside hose bibs. Some people choose to plumb treated water to everything including hose bibs cause they like how their car washes with soft water (just like at the car wash). Depending on water test an undersink RO can be installed in the kitchen for cooking, drinking, and ice maker water. Then we need to know # of bathrooms, # of people, SFR of the plumbing,
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Living on a well is different and more complicated than living on a water system. You have to make the water SAFE and then decide whether to make the water NICE. NICE water gives you longer service life for plumbing, appliances, and fixtures and can save you money in soap and detergent use and your clothes will last longer. You need to get a comprehensive water test from an independent certified lab. Labs usually know what to test for in well water in their areas but at a minimum... hardness, iron (ferrous and ferric), manganese, pH, TDS, nitrates, bacteria, sodium, copper, arsenic. With those test results we can intelligently discuss what is in your water, in what amounts, and how best to treat it.
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I assume you do not currently have a softener in place. Please confirm. I will try to go through your questions in order. Conductivity: This will always be higher than TDS. It has to do with they types of ions in your water. Your conductivity is on the high end of the scale based on your TDS, but not out of line. Other analysis: Do you have any rusty, brown, or black staining on fixtures? If so - test your water for iron and manganese. Sediment filtration: Two cartridge filters is certainly a viable option. Install them in parallel so that one cartridge may be changed without interrupting water supply to your home. Make sure to use 4" diameter, not 2". Big Blue is a very reliable brand. I like the clear housings for a visible indicator, but that is just my personal preference. All cartridge filters are a pain to change. If you currently have to make frequent cartridge changes you may wish to consider a backwashing sediment filter instead of cartridges. It would be similar in appearance to a softener, but pretty much no work on your part to operate. Softeners: Kinetico softeners are very reliable, but expensive (as you mentioned). If you are willing to spend the money up front and like your local dealer, they would be a good choice. Regeneration time is not an issue with any twin-tank softener, whether Kinetico or Fleck, since one tank is always available to provide soft water while the other is being regenerated. A Fleck of Clack twin tank softener would take up significantly more space than a Kinetico because you would have to purchase a larger softener to accommodate the higher flow rate for your jacuzzi tub. Sprinkler system: Yes, bypass the sprinkler system. There is no sense paying to soften all that extra water. RO: Any RO system will last longer if fed softened water. The minerals you get from water are in minute quantities - even heavily mineral laden water would be insufficient to provide the minerals your body needs. Additionally, your water has nitrates. If you want them removed from your drinking water, RO is the only reasonable way to do so. Why do you want a carbon filter? What, specifically, do you want removed from your water? Certainly two would be overkill. Once may be as well, unless you have a specific contaminant in mind. Softener bypass: Here is a picture of what a three-valve bypass should look like. And a drawing of a setup:
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Priscilla151
10 years ago
We have high sulfur and high ph in well water. We went with Culligan chlorination system. There are two different kinds of sulfur in well water. Ours has sulfur bacteria. A harmless nuisance bacteria. Aeration will not work on sulfur bacteria. It looks like that is what you may have since each company is suggesting equipment that kills bacteria.
You don't mention a retention tank which goes before the carbon filter. Research online from my experience and from each water co. we had come to our house says retention tank is needed.

Sulfur in well water is difficult. Problem is getting the correct dosage. As chlorine ages it deteriorates, our well water the sulfur level changes so getting the correct dosage of chlorine takes work. You use a pool test kit to check the chlorine level before it goes to the carbon filter. We got a backwashing carbon filter. Cartridge carbon filter clog to quickly. Our equipment is 10 years old and we haven't had a problem. Get it right the water taste good and no smell. When the dosage is off you may not notice the smell ( you get immune to it) but those who visit will notice. We get our drinking water from a natural spring nearby that many people from all over come to. However, I will occasionally taste the water just to be sure everything is working good and as long as the dosage is right the water taste good.
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Water Filtration and Softening Systems

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jcalhoun

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