What water softener system do you guys use?

by Devon07 Thu Apr 09, 2015 6:14 pm

Im looking at one from the company im buying my equipment from but in the past Ive just hooked up a culligan system.

by Davey Cracker Thu Apr 09, 2015 6:17 pm

I bought a long time ago, just the type you recharge by adding salt....and it's worked well I think. I'm really not sure what it's called or the type, but it's a yellowish colored fiberglass tank about 30" tall and I'd guess 8-10" in Dia.

by Devon07 Thu Apr 09, 2015 6:31 pm

Yep...thats what Im getting.... does it hellp keep your system pretty clean?

by Davey Cracker Thu Apr 09, 2015 6:35 pm

Yes, it's much better with than without. And it helps keep carpet from being "crunchy" once it's dried after cleaning. Which as we know, is a fairly common customer complaint they have about the "last cleaner" they used.

by Devon07 Thu Apr 09, 2015 6:39 pm

That was my next question....could you tell it helped with the cleaning? I know where we live the water is extremely hard and I have a system in every home I ever lived in....as a mater a fact im buying a new one now....also getting the charcol system for better filtered water.

by milspec6 Thu Apr 09, 2015 6:45 pm

We have gravel for water in this town, so a softener is a must and you can tell the difference....by miles! The carpet is softer and rinses out so much better.

I have a manual tank in the van (built a clone to the Prochem tank with a higher grain rating). Works out pretty well, re-charge it weekly with salt, but again the water is off the chart hard in this area.

And yes, your machine and tools will be much happier. You can buy the tank and heads from a lot of places and just assemble your own for around $125.

by Devon07 Thu Apr 09, 2015 7:01 pm

Thanks milspec....im going to research this more.

by milspec6 Thu Apr 09, 2015 7:04 pm

How hard is the water in your area? You should be able to obtain the water report on-line. From there, you really need to evaluate how many grains you will need to soften your water.

Most companies sell a 35,000 grains model, but that didn't cut it in this area so I had a 45,000 grains model built for me from a guy in Phoenix. I think it was $140 shipped to my door.

by Devon07 Thu Apr 09, 2015 7:13 pm

I think I read somewhere where here it was 20 grains per ??? I dont know...need to read up on it.

by milspec6 Thu Apr 09, 2015 7:18 pm

You can go to a pet store or pool supply store and buy a bottle of test strips which test ph, alkalinity, pesticides, hardness, etc. It will not give you the exact number, but will give you a ball-park.

by Devon07 Thu Apr 09, 2015 7:19 pm

20 grains per gallon?

by milspec6 Thu Apr 09, 2015 7:24 pm

20 grains isn't too bad, you should be able get several weeks out of a tank before recharge. Mine was off the chart somewhere over 42.

The best part is that my competition comes mostly from Omaha where the water is pretty soft so they don't carry softeners. I hear the complaints all the time about how crusty the carpet are when they are done.

That tank makes me a lot of money every year.

by Devon07 Thu Apr 09, 2015 7:25 pm

I feel a little better now...thanks!

by milspec6 Thu Apr 09, 2015 7:51 pm

The guy I have worked with is ABC water llc on ebay. He can supply you with any custom set up that you need...did it pretty cheap too in the past.

At 20 grains, it is considered pretty hard, but that really isn't a level that would cause rapid pitting of copper or heavy scale build-up in my experience. Still, I prefer cleaning with softened water for its benefits.

Also, don't be fooled, you need an ion exchange to soften water...that means sodium. I have never seen a good salt-free softener when you compare the outputs.

by Mo Thu Apr 09, 2015 8:09 pm

milspec6 wrote:We have gravel for water in this town, so a softener is a must and you can tell the difference....by miles! The carpet is softer and rinses out so much better.

I have a manual tank in the van (built a clone to the Prochem tank with a higher grain rating). Works out pretty well, re-charge it weekly with salt, but again the water is off the chart hard in this area.

And yes, your machine and tools will be much happier. You can buy the tank and heads from a lot of places and just assemble your own for around $125.

Only 125 I have to check it out. My local Habitat for Humanity thrift store always have thise water softeners for sale

by Davey Cracker Thu Apr 09, 2015 11:35 pm

Mo wrote:My local Habitat for Humanity thrift store always have thise water softeners for sale

Huh? What is that?

by Mo Sun Apr 12, 2015 9:34 am

Forgot to answer this one Dave. It's Thrift store were builders. contractors donate building supplies usually old stuff from rehabs, windows ,cabinets, appliances lot of different stuff

by ACpower1 Sun Apr 12, 2015 5:12 pm

seattle has soft water

7.4pH usually and about 50ppm, how low does ppm get after your softner systems?

just wondering if you guys have tried testing it

by milspec6 Sun Apr 12, 2015 5:31 pm

I haven't tested it in awhile after the softener. I have a device that tests for softness and it gives you a yes / no response. I use that most of the time in the field, which is calibrated to water standards.

by ACpower1 Mon Apr 13, 2015 12:44 pm

any hanna meter should work well, but dont use hanna meters for pH testing... their probes suck

Milwaulkee makes the best water meters and will send you out a probe no questions asked, hanna's probes cost as much as the unit to replace.

by milspec6 Mon Apr 13, 2015 6:07 pm

I liked the Extech pen testers, but they can dry up pretty quick on you.

Never tried the Milwaukee...something to shop for this week.

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