Originally Posted by Cujet
Originally Posted by The_Eric
The raw water line will have a double spun poly filter to remove any calcium and lime that may be in the water (well guy said it may take some time before it shows up) ahead of the softener.
A water softener uses ion exchange process to pull calcium (hardness)(and generally a modest level of iron) from the water and replace it with sodium ions. Hence the "soft" water. The "size" of the softener is related to how many ions can be exchanged before it needs to be recharged (60,000 grain) . Small tanks vs. large (at a glance) are a pretty good way to know. BUT, unscrupulous companies could use a large tank and only one bag of resin... (I've seen this)
A spun poly filter will help remove particulates above a certain size, not calcium. It's just a filter.
A carbon filter will help remove chlorine, tannin's, and other organics (VOC's) and some metals (lead) that a softener can't remove. If you use one, it must come after the softener.
Of note, some softeners have low flow rates, especially if they are small/cheap units. If you have a large house or higher water flow needs, I suggest a full sized unit with good flow capacity.
My preference is the "old school" softener with a mechanical valve, and a separate salt tank. Very tolerant of lightning strikes/power surges, easier to service and very reliable. The quality of the water is the same, but the price of digital (or flow meter) equipment can be double or triple.
Let's put it this way, you can purchase a good flowing, full size, ultra reliable mechanical timer, 64,000 grain system (large enough for a modest family) with mechanical valve, for $650.
https://www.discountwatersofteners.com/water-softeners/fleck-5600-timered-water-softener/
https://www.discountwatersofteners.com/fleck-5600-sxt-on-demand-water-softener/#compare
I was just parroting what my well guy said when I asked about calcium/lime - I'm relatively sure he stated that the filter he sold me would remove them, but I very easily could be mistaken.
I hear you on the flow ratings - I'm almost always suspicious of claims made in consumer grade equipment and this is no different. The Morton units were claiming 15-20 gpm, but that's at 30psi, our set up is 50.
You stated the filter must come after the softener - why is that? To ensure sufficient water flow for regeneration cycles? On that note, the filter is a 20", 5 micron blown microfiber spun polypropylene unit. (p/n 14-GSP2-05)
That Fleck 5600 Timer set up you linked looks good, but I couldn't find how it regens. Does the timer just count down X amount of days, then run at the time you set it to?