Friday, May 11, 2007

What Brine ( Salt ) Setting Amount to Use?

Question: Does the adjustment for the salt dosage need to be adjusted based
on the hardness of the water?
I haven't changed it from where it was set but didn't know if I needed too.
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The amount of salt needed is mostly based on the amount of resins being
recharged.
3/4 cu.ft. resin = 6 - 9 lbs.
1 cu.ft. resin = 8 - 10 lbs.
1.5 cu.ft resin = 12 - 15 lbs.

Typically,
9 lbs for 8 - 9 inch tanks,
and 12 lbs. of 10" tanks is average.
If there is a lot of iron ( over 2 ppm )
or if the water is really hard ( over 25 grains ),
then 2 - 4 lbs. extra should be used.

So, typically a residential system will use 6 - 12 lbs of salt per regeneration at least once a week. Very hard water, or water high in iron, may require regenerating every 2 or 3 days. The result is you will be using at least 30 - 40 lbs. of salt, and more common you will be using 60 - 100 lbs. of salt per month. Simply multiply the pounds of salt per regeneration times the number of regenerations in a month to calculate your monthly average usage.


P.S. If you run out of Salt, don't expect to have soft water after a few days. And it may take more than one regeneration to get the water feeling soft again once you've added salt.
I recommend keeping the salt level above the water level in your Brine Tank.
When you start seeing the water level ( normally between 6 - 12 inches ) then it's time to think about adding more salt ( 40 - 120 lbs. ).

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