# Sizing water softener for best efficiency



## gembob (Nov 30, 2012)

So I'm hoping to buy the proper sized softener to use salt efficiently. Hardness is 23 GPG, on city water, 2.5 bathrooms, 2 people in the house and pretty much never have guests. I've attached my actual water usage for the past 3 years below. Average has always been under 3,000 gal. per month, but there have been spikes. The Sept spike from this year is when I needed to use the hose to help water some small sod patches, so that is a rare occurrence. We also got a new more efficient washer late last year and have recently upgraded our dishwasher as well. not sure what specifically, if anything, caused the usage spikes in the past. I was looking at the Fleck 5600 SXT 40,000 grain w/1.25 cu. feet of resin. Thanks in advance for any help.


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## Wuzzat? (Nov 30, 2012)

Try 
http://www.qualitywatertreatment.com/water_softener_sizing.htm

100 gals per person per day is normal according to some handbook I once saw at Border's but our water company tells us it's 70.


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## gembob (Dec 1, 2012)

Thanks for the link. So since I have actual usage numbers, should I size this based on averages or based on the rare spikes in usage? It would appear that I would be safe using 3,000 gals month as a starting point, so when the usage would spike at 4k gals would that ust mean i would use more salt during that particular period?


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## Speedbump (Dec 1, 2012)

Most quality softener heads of today use some sort of gallon counter, so they know when it's time to backwash.  Most of them are preset to backwash while your sleeping.  On some this time can be changed.  The Clack that I sell is very programmable and probably the best head on the market.  Your water usage isn't important, the unit can handle all the functions automatically when needed.

Most households get along just fine with a 1 to a 1-1/2 cubic foot unit.  I wouldn't recommend anything larger than that.

Be aware of these units that claim they don't use salt. They are the same units we sell.  The difference is, they recommend using Potassium Chloride instead of Sodium Chloride.  It's at least double the cost and less efficient. 

If you want to get pricing, IM me.


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## Wuzzat? (Dec 1, 2012)

From the link I get about 1700 grains/day to be removed.


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## nealtw (Dec 5, 2012)

Wouldn't you by-pass a softener for outside water?


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## Speedbump (Dec 6, 2012)

I certainly would.  Especially if your filling a swimming pool or watering the grass.  The one cubic foot is only good for removing approximately 36,000 grains of hardness before another backwash.  So at 15 grains per gallon, you only have 2000 gallons to use.


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## Wuzzat? (Dec 6, 2012)

Check out the pie chart in the link below.
http://www.southwestpropertymanagement.com/documents/Water Survey.pdf
I'd have thought lawn watering was a much smaller percentage.


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## Speedbump (Dec 6, 2012)

One of my largest pet peeves is these bureaucrats telling the citizenry that we are running out of water.  I always ask:  Where is it going to go???


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## Wuzzat? (Dec 6, 2012)

Speedbump said:


> One of my largest pet peeves is these bureaucrats telling the citizenry that we are running out of water.  I always ask:  Where is it going to go???


They must have meant desalinated & potable water, free of perchlorate.


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## nealtw (Dec 6, 2012)

Where is it going to go???

The better question is "where does it come from?" Leave this one for when you have time to read forever. 
http://mygeologypage.ucdavis.edu/cowen/~GEL115/115CH18miningwater.html


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## Speedbump (Dec 7, 2012)

That was a long read.  

There are instances where farmers mostly tend to draw the table down, but we gotta eat.  My main complaint is the way the govt presents it to the general public as if we are actually going to run out of drinking water.  It's cyclic and that's about all there is to it.  Except in the case of over population and the water dept's take the water from wells or inland water sources and dump it into the ocean.  If they would let it percolate back into the ground like we did years ago, things wouldn't be so bad.  But hey... there's money in sewage disposal and water.


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## Wuzzat? (Dec 7, 2012)

Speedbump said:


> in the case of over population



The book, The Arithmetic of Life and Death, says we are already at the tipping point as far as world population density.

How Math Can Save Your Life is another good read.


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## Speedbump (Dec 7, 2012)

> The book, The Arithmetic of Life and Death, says we are already at the tipping point as far as world population density.


Wow, I hope we don't tip over like that Senator said was going to happen to... I think it was Guam.


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## gembob (Dec 7, 2012)

I wasn't sure if that was an option, but I guess that's the point of the bypass valve, correct? In other words, a1.25 cu foot capacity (resin) will be more than what we need and leave room to grow?


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## Speedbump (Dec 7, 2012)

I'm not too sure what option your referring to since we sort of got off topic a bit with my rant.  Sorry!

You can basically get a 1 cu ft or a 1.5 cu ft.  I have never seen a 1.25 unit.

I once had a home that had 46 grains of hardness.  I put a used commercial unit together just so I could get through an entire day before the unit had to backwash because of running out of capacity.  They do make two tank units that take turns backwashing while the other is in service for that kind of water.  23 grains is pretty hard and I think a 1.5 cu ft would be a better option for you.  That is 1 and 1/2 bags of resin which come in 1 cube bags.


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## nealtw (Dec 7, 2012)

If we saved 1000 gallons of rain water to water our lawns in Aug. we would save alot of water when it is at it's shortist supply.


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## Speedbump (Dec 7, 2012)

> If we saved 1000 gallons of rain water to water our lawns in Aug. we would save alot of water when it is at it's shortist supply.


If you were on city water, you would have about 13 gallons per minute to use for watering. So your 1000 gallons would give you almost an hour and a half of watering time.  But (and I don't want to do the math because my eyes would probably start bleeding) how long would it take to replace that 1000 gallons  and how would you obtain it?  I'm just asking because I'm curious.


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## nealtw (Dec 7, 2012)

I was just looking at the chart above to see how much water he used to water his lawn. I don't beleive people should water their lawns and if you just water plants and flowers a 1000 gal. would go a long way. Up here we build alot on hills and mountain side and then we gather the water from the roof and perimeter drains and even surface water drains and dump it all into a city system. Most of our flat land below is reserved for farm land which often gets inundated with run offs that damage farmers fields. As we live on hills we often build foundation deep on the high side and fill garages with 3200 cubic feet of sand where water could be stored and gravity feed garden areas on the low side. We get lots of rain here but I beleive grey water systems should be the rule not just a cute idea.


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## itiswhatitis1 (Dec 8, 2012)

Do you have a gray water system?


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## nealtw (Dec 10, 2012)

No I don't, like everyone else I'll waite for it to be a rule.


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