How long does a softener last ?

[haileysdad]

I have a 12yr-old water softener.

I've noticed lately that the water quality just isn't the same every day.
I get about 4 days of slimy soft water and then two or three of hard. I'm going to change my system to clean every 4 days, to see if that works better, which will obviously double my salt consumption. Reading your attrition article, it seems the resins must be suffering "attrition".

My questions is, should put more resins in it or just buy a new one ?

[greg-cws]

Softeners do indeed wear out over time.

Everything can be fixed with enough time & money, but sometimes it is just better to upgrade to something new. I usually tell people that after 10 years, it's better to replace than to repair for the following reasons:-

1. Your resin will have suffered a minimum of 30-50% attrition, which
necessitates a full resin bed replacement.
2. Your control valve assembly will be worn enough, that if you haven't had
repairs done to it in the last 5 years, it's time for a mechanical overhaul
also.
3. Technology has improved significantly in the last 10 years. There are so
many new features available now that didn't even exist a decade ago.

I hope that's helpful to you.

[ion_avenger]

Isn't that a little presumptuous, greg-cws ?
What if the poor guy can't afford to replace it ?

haileysdad, are you at all handy ? - It's not that hard to fix a little residential softener.

[haileysdad]

thanks guys, I'm not handy at all and it sounds like upgrading might be the best way to go.
What brands are the best ? We have a culligan dealership here locally - are they worth the money ? or should I just get something from Home Depot ?

[ion_avenger]

Home depot sell disposable softeners. If you want it to last more than 3years avoid Home Depot. Culligan makes a good machine, but you could probably do better buying from your local independent water dealer.

The features you need are- electronic metered control, upflow brining, fractional/proportional/variable brining, resin protective additive feeder or injector, high crosslink solvent free resin.

Oh, and avoid anything with a autotrol valve.

[haileysdad]

Point taken on home depot.
Why is upflow better than downflow?
What is fractional/propotinal/variable brining?

[greg-cws]

Downflow regeneration means introducing brine at the top of the tank in the same direction as water flows through during the normal softening process. Since the top dome of the tank doesn't contain resin, the brine is diluted in the top freeboard of the tank and then pushed down through the resin, moving contaminants down through the bed and then back up the riser an out to drain. The problem with this is that you're forcing dirt onto clean resin, diluting the brine and of course losing capcity in the process. downflow is old-fashioned technology. Many sellers push it, but IMHO the only reason they push it is that downflow control valves are cheaper.

Upflow regeneration means that the softener is cleaning with brine injection in the opposite direction from where the service water flows. Since the dirty water enters at the top of the bed, the upflow brining occurs from the bottom of the resin bed. By introducing the brine at the bottom of the bed, you move it over relatively clean resin and concentrate ionic contaminants towards the top of the tank and then out the drain. This means that the brine is used very efficiently and the net result is higher softening capacity per lb. of salt used, lower hardness leakage and cleaner resin.
Upflow is the best way to clean a system.

[haileysdad]

OK very informative-I'll go with upflow.
What abt controls - Autorol,Fleck,Clack or Erie?

help me understand this fractional/prop./variable brining - why do I need it ?

thanks

[greg-cws]

Proportional Brining - Autotrol's method of modifying the brine fill time in proportion to the amount of capacity remaining.

Variable Brining - Fleck/Pentair's method of varying the brine fill time in relationship to the amount of capacity remaining. This is my favorite method of "industry-standard" methods, you have more installer-level flexibility than Autotrol's method.

Fractional Brining - Intermountain's method of modifying the brine fill time in relationship to the fraction of capacity remaining. What makes this method of brining unique is that the software also takes the following into account:- Programmed hardness, average water consumption, interval since last regeneration. Fractional provides all the benefits of proportional & variable but is MUCH smarter. This method is my absolute favorite since the software views the entire operating situation holistically and there is significantly less chance of under-brining which is a common problem with other methods.

***FAIR DISCLOSURE - I work for Intermountain Soft Water so I might be slightly biased - I have significant experience with the other controls though and whenever an Intermountain control isn't suitable for the task at hand- I always specify Fleck/Pentair ***

[haileysdad]

OK, so choose upflow with variable brining or fractional brining - makes sense

I called the county and they tell me the following about our water in my area - calcium carbonate hardness=250ppm, calcium sulfate hardness=10ppm, iron=1ppm, sulfate=140ppm, nitrate=2ppm

Does this help to figure out what system I need ?

[greg-cws]

250ppm is very hard water.

You have a small amount of "permanent hardness" - The water will never be totally slick & you'll have minor buildup on dishwasher element & in water heater.

1ppm of iron is more than enough to cause staining and accelerate failure of a water softener.

140ppm sulfate is not a huge deal, it does have a minor laxative effect though.

2ppm of nitrate is higher than I like to see, but still within Federal limits.

How many people live in the home and what is your water pressure ?

[haileysdad]

Well pump switch is a 40-60
6 people in the home

[ion_avenger]

Iron filter, softener, anion filter, and RO for drinking water

Do it right or don't do it at all !

[haileysdad]

My local plumbers mostly carry fleck systems and one carries a proflow eliminator which he says is the only softener that's legal here in Wyoming. Is that realistic ?

[greg-cws]

My local plumbers mostly carry fleck systems and one carries a proflow eliminator which he says is the only softener that's legal here in Wyoming. Is that realistic ?

I've heard that pitch before, but it's just not true at all. - Check with your local building inspector.

The key aspect to softener legality in Wyoming is that your piping inlets & outlets on the the softener match those of the largest distribution lateral in the home.

Fleck is an excellent valve manufacturer. I'm particularly fond of the 6700 and 7000 series controls.

What size system are they recommending ?