#12
Anyone do their own annual maintenance on their water softener resin tank system?  (We're on a well)  I have a local company come in annually to exchange/recharge the resin, replace the UV light bulb, etc.  It takes them a couple hours to do this, and costs me $500.  Their bills are well itemized and the invoiced cost of the media and UV bulb are not much more than what I'm seeing online.  The real cost is in the service visit which is a little more than half.

I don't know if this is one of those things where it's just easier to pay someone to handle it, or if I should start DIYing it.

Thanks,
Paul
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#13
Water softener resin lasts for years until it is just so fouled that it can't be recharged any longer. Absolutely no reason to change it annually except for the profit of the servicing co. As far as the UV lamp, well, there's plenty of jokes about changing a light bulb...
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#14
I would be really interested in knowing exactly what they are doing to the resin bed.
Blackhat

Bad experiences come from poor decisions. So do good stories. 


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#15
It's something (the annual recharge/replace thing) I've never heard of. I know resin can go bad but I though it was more like many years, I'm getting ready to replace my 24 year old softener now and it's never had anything done to it.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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#16
The system was installed in 2013 and I just kept up with the annual service like the previous 2 owners.  I had renters for the past 2 years (the time we've owned the house) so it was a business expense, but not anymore.

I have a bit more research to do.  The water goes through an acid neutralizer tank then the resin tank.  I definitely see now that resin doesn't need to be replenished yearly, but don't know how the neutralizer tank affects things.  More googling.

It's been almost a year since the last service and the water definitely feels soft.  I'll just pickup some pH and water hardness test strips and periodically monitor it.  The service tech also washes out the brine tank (which I can definitely do).  Going to look into replace the UV bulb myself, too.  It seems where people get into trouble there is breaking the quartz tube that goes around the bulb.

Thanks for your feedback.

Paul
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#17
(09-15-2022, 07:40 AM)atgcpaul Wrote: The system was installed in 2013 and I just kept up with the annual service like the previous 2 owners.  I had renters for the past 2 years (the time we've owned the house) so it was a business expense, but not anymore.

I have a bit more research to do.  The water goes through an acid neutralizer tank then the resin tank.  I definitely see now that resin doesn't need to be replenished yearly, but don't know how the neutralizer tank affects things.  More googling.

It's been almost a year since the last service and the water definitely feels soft.  I'll just pickup some pH and water hardness test strips and periodically monitor it.  The service tech also washes out the brine tank (which I can definitely do).  Going to look into replace the UV bulb myself, too.  It seems where people get into trouble there is breaking the quartz tube that goes around the bulb.

Thanks for your feedback.

Paul

They are either stealing from you or replacing the spent calcite.

The acid neutralizer is probably a calcite tank. The calcite is probably crushed marble. The tanks generally have a threaded plug on the side of the tank near the top.

Take some pictures of you valve head, your tank and the associated plumbing behind the tank. If you intended to replace spent calcite yourself, put the tank in bypass. I can help you with that if I see some pictures. Putting it in bypass takes the pressure off the tank. Unscrew the plug at the top of the tank. This gets messy. Have a 5 gal bucket and rags ready.

I use a 1/2" hose about 6ft long to siphon out the water from the top of the tank through the hole where the plug was. I siphon it down to the top of the existing calcite. Then add the calcite. The tank should be 3/4 full of calcite. You can see the level in some tanks without opening it up if you put a light behind the tank in a dark room. I mark the outside of the tank 3/4 of the way up. When it falls much below my mark, I add some. Takes me about an hour.

They make funnels to help add calcite without spilling it and getting it into the threads or you can make one. I used an empty catsup bottle with the bottom cut off for years. You can also use one of those long thin automotive funnels and cut off the narrow end so you have about a 1-3/4" inch opening.

Put the plug back in and take it out of bypass.

I pay about $40 for a 5 gal bucket of calcite. It lasts me about a year.
Neil Summers Home Inspections




I came to a stop sign and a skanky tweaker chick in a tube top climbed out of the brush and propositioned me.  She looked like she didn't have any teeth so I counted that as a plus.


... Kizar Sosay





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#18
The neutralizer tank will need to have media added periodically as it is sacrificial. Mine takes about 1 cubic foot of calcite every 3 years.
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#19
Generally the resin in a water softener lasts the life of the equipment. I question the need for such frequent replacement. A UV water purification system bulb needs changing every year. I looked into those systems but couldn’t find any scientific data proving it’s claims. Everything I saw on UV purification was put out by companies selling these systems and not an independent laboratory. Again, I question the usefulness of the UV light as a device capable of doing its intent under fast flowing water.

Your water system is really at the end of its expected life. Putting anymore money into it might be wasted. Soon the valve head will need rebuilding or replacement. I would suggest shopping around for a different plumber or water service company who uses proven and quality NSF certified filtration, softeners and installation of a true water purification system like a reverse osmosis unit. I would also insist on a RO system that utilizes a mineral cartridge to put calcium and magnesium back into the purified drinking water. You will have bottled water quality on demand without the transportation of heavy water bottles.

This remineralization cartridge is best for not only your health but the longevity of the RO water storage bladder tank. RO water can eat away and dissolve the black rubber bladder in the tank and send it to the faucet. This cartridge will change the pH of the water so it’s not acidic from the process and it will also put a very light calcium coating upon the bladder and the rest of the inside works. This will further protect the purified water. RO water systems will out perform that UV water purification system and be less expensive to maintain and would be easy for you to service yourself. The mineralized water will stop this purified water from dissolving minerals in your body and improve taste.

For RO water systems I recommend Home Masters Reverse Osmosis systems either with or without a permeate pump. A permeate pump is used to increase volume output and regeneration of the water through the reverse osmosis membrane. Nothing will pass the membrane filter other than pure water. Because your water is first filtered this membrane can last a decade or more. This system is something you can easily install yourself and save you a lot of money. The replacement filters are relatively inexpensive too with nothing to clean, deteriorate or develop a o-ring leak and are replaced tool free. You can install it anywhere and are not required to have it installed in your kitchen where it takes up needed space.

This system is available on Amazon and they carry replacement filters. I own this brand and have had it over 10 years. The company has an Amazon store and has been in business for many years selling this system. They do offer another choice that includes a UV light system but that is totally unnecessary. Another of this systems benefits is its larger size tubing which improves flow. You can use this to service a kitchen sink faucet and for your refrigerator’s ice and water delivery. No longer will you need to change your refrigerator water filter which is an additional savings.

I would suggest to first have your water fully tested. Some of these companies just want to use a meter measuring total dissolved solids and perhaps pH. You want a full diagnosis in order to determine what your families needs are. Then you can design a system that is sized correctly,  gives safe great tasting water, protects your plumbing all without spending extra money on something you don’t need.
Any free advice given is worth double price paid.
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#20
Exchange resin after 1 year? I'd fire them. Are you sure it's resin or is it a calcite tank? Even with calcite, it's not exchanged. New calcite is added as needed. I have to do it about every 6 months in ours. Resin beads are plastic. The salt back-wash cleans them. They should last many, many years.
Neil Summers Home Inspections




I came to a stop sign and a skanky tweaker chick in a tube top climbed out of the brush and propositioned me.  She looked like she didn't have any teeth so I counted that as a plus.


... Kizar Sosay





Reply
#21
(09-15-2022, 08:12 PM)Woodenfish Wrote: Generally the resin in a water softener lasts the life of the equipment. I question the need for such frequent replacement. A UV water purification system bulb needs changing every year. I looked into those systems but couldn’t find any scientific data proving it’s claims. Everything I saw on UV purification was put out by companies selling these systems and not an independent laboratory. Again, I question the usefulness of the UV light as a device capable of doing its intent under fast flowing water.

Your water system is really at the end of its expected life. Putting anymore money into it might be wasted. Soon the valve head will need rebuilding or replacement. I would suggest shopping around for a different plumber or water service company who uses proven and quality NSF certified filtration, softeners and installation of a true water purification system like a reverse osmosis unit. I would also insist on a RO system that utilizes a mineral cartridge to put calcium and magnesium back into the purified drinking water. You will have bottled water quality on demand without the transportation of heavy water bottles.

This remineralization cartridge is best for not only your health but the longevity of the RO water storage bladder tank. RO water can eat away and dissolve the black rubber bladder in the tank and send it to the faucet. This cartridge will change the pH of the water so it’s not acidic from the process and it will also put a very light calcium coating upon the bladder and the rest of the inside works. This will further protect the purified water. RO water systems will out perform that UV water purification system and be less expensive to maintain and would be easy for you to service yourself. The mineralized water will stop this purified water from dissolving minerals in your body and improve taste.

For RO water systems I recommend Home Masters Reverse Osmosis systems either with or without a permeate pump. A permeate pump is used to increase volume output and regeneration of the water through the reverse osmosis membrane. Nothing will pass the membrane filter other than pure water. Because your water is first filtered this membrane can last a decade or more. This system is something you can easily install yourself and save you a lot of money. The replacement filters are relatively inexpensive too with nothing to clean, deteriorate or develop a o-ring leak and are replaced tool free. You can install it anywhere and are not required to have it installed in your kitchen where it takes up needed space.

This system is available on Amazon and they carry replacement filters. I own this brand and have had it over 10 years. The company has an Amazon store and has been in business for many years selling this system. They do offer another choice that includes a UV light system but that is totally unnecessary. Another of this systems benefits is its larger size tubing which improves flow. You can use this to service a kitchen sink faucet and for your refrigerator’s ice and water delivery. No longer will you need to change your refrigerator water filter which is an additional savings.

I would suggest to first have your water fully tested. Some of these companies just want to use a meter measuring total dissolved solids and perhaps pH. You want a full diagnosis in order to determine what your families needs are. Then you can design a system that is sized correctly,  gives safe great tasting water, protects your plumbing all without spending extra money on something you don’t need.

Why would you say that his system is at the end of it's expected life it is only 9 ears old your's is older
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DIY water softener resin bed service?


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