Oversize Water Softener for Better Flow Rate?

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

Hello--

We are in the process of moving into new home and want to buy a water softener. We are a household of 3 people, 3 bathrooms, no pool, no hot tub and have a water hardness of ~10gpg. Plumbing is a mix of 1" and .75". I like the idea of a Fleck control valve and have been looking mostly at systems that have a 5600sxt.

Originally I was looking at a 1.5 cu/ft system based on what I thought we might need from a capacity perspective...

https://store.afwfilters.com/water-softeners/48000-grain/48k-water-softener-with-10-resin-and-fleck-5600sxt-controller/

However, I noticed the above model was advertised with a Service Flow of 6.5 GPM and a Peak Flow of 9.8 GPM. In our house it is not uncommon to run the dishwasher, washing machine, and shower at the same time. This got me concerned above flow rate so we started looking at a 2 cu/ft model...

https://store.afwfilters.com/water-softeners/64-000-grain/64k-water-softener-with-10-resin-and-fleck-5600sxt-controller/#tab-reviews

This seems oversized from a capacity standpoint but the Service Flow of 10 GPM and Peak Flow of 15 GPM makes me more comfortable. Have no idea if this pertinent but I tested how long it took to fill a 5 gallon bucket from the hose bib attached to the main water line and it worked out to 12 GPM.

Given the above there are some questions that come to mind...

1) The downside of the larger system seems to be less efficient salt usage. Are there other downsides I'm not thinking of? I've read resin channeling can be an issue with oversized systems, but as long as we are forcing a regeneration every couple weeks I've been told that shouldn't be an issue.

2) I've read the internals of the 5600 are .75". With a mix of 1" and 0.75" plumbing in the house is that a concern? I don't really know what I'm looking at, so take this with a grain of salt, but it looks like the plumbing coming off the main line is 1" but it quickly branches off to .75".

3) My understanding is that 2 cu/ft of resin and a 12" tank is the recommended upper limit for a 5600. Is operating at that limit a concern?

Up until a week ago I knew nothing about water softeners...still don't know much but have done enough reading online to thoroughly confuse myself :)

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

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Comments (3)

Jake The Wonderdog
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
You can do some quick flow rate numbers:

shower = 2.5 gpm

standard tub = 4 gpm

kitchen sink = 2 gpm

bath sink = 1.5 gpm

diswasher = 1.5 gpm (for a short time)

Laundry (front load) = 2.5 gpm

So... it's possible but unlikely to hit the max flow rate. It's more likely that you would bump into the top end of the service rate.

Oversizing the unit will risk channeling and wastes a lot of salt and water.

You are looking at 3people x75gpd x10gpg =2250 grains per day. If you target days between regen to be 7-10 and forcing at 14 you would be looking at about 19,800 grains between regens (2250x8) + 10% reserve= 19,800. At a salt dosage of 7lb per cubic foot of resin, a 1 cu ft unit would have a capacity of about 23,000 grains and should get you right in the 7-10 day window.

Please check my math - but I think you are looking at a 1 cu ft unit with a 5600sxt head.

I have a 1.5 version of this and it has been great (different vendor).

I'm all about doing the math - but the reality check here is that this is a small family with not terribly hard water and no exceptional uses.

Let us know how it goes and what you decide.
formulaross20
3 years ago
Ditto Jake. It's un-needed overkill to oversize for your flow requirements.
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Hello again! I wanted to thank you both for your help. Although it has taken me longer than I anticipated before, I have purchased and installed the 2.5 cuft softener with the Fleck 7000SXT valve. The installation went well, and the unit is up and running. I have set the programming parameters, but wanted to check my programming against your opinions. I have set the following: DF GAL VT dF2b CT Fd C 50000 H 21 RS SF SF 15 DO 9 RT 2:00 B1 10 BD 60 B2 5 RR 10 BF 40 (the unit has a .125 gpm blfc) FM t1.2 I basically used the defaults except for capacity at 50000, hardness at 21, safety factor at 15, day override at 9 and Brine Fill at 40. I arrived at 40 for brine fill by calculating that I need 6 lbs of salt per cuft for a total of 15lbs, 5 gallons of water which dissolves 3lbs of salt per gallon, and 40 minutes draw at .125 gallons per minute. Also, I set the day override to 9 days which I think with our water usage pattern will be close to when the unit should regen based on capacity. Is 9 days OK, or too long? Does the rest of the programming sound correct to you? Thanks again for you help!
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You will see closer to a 5% reduction using a twin system. The only way you would see close to a 15% reduction in salt usage is if somehow you always hit the cutoff right as you used the last drop of water for the day. Close, because twin tanks use softened water for brine make-up, which increases salt usage by a bit. You will save 2-3 lb potassium chloride per month using a twin vs single-tank system, assuming you regen with 4 lb salt/cuft of resin. It is possible to regen with an even lower salt dosage, but not successfully in a standard softener. For that you would need a packed bed softener, such as those offered by Kinetico. They are mechanically operated by water power, rather than electronically controlled. Although they come at a premium price, they are very reliable. If your chief concern is environmental, they are worth a look. The 2x1cuft twin system you have quoted above should work fine for your purposes if you prefer a Fleck softener. Alternately, a 1.5 cuft single tank would work. For watering outdoor plants you may wand to consider alternating between raw water and softener effluent. The effluent will have a very high TDS. Coupled with your already high pH, it could burn your plants if it is their primary source of water. There is a big difference between watering with potassium-softened water and watering with potassium chloride saturated water.
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Keith
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks guys, really appreciate the info. We are still about a month out from making out purchase but this helps a ton.

Oversize Water Softener for Better Flow Rate?

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Jake The Wonderdog

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Oversize Water Softener for Better Flow Rate?

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Jake The Wonderdog

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