Autotrol 255/760 over Flex 5600 or 7000

[filterforum]

I have seen several posts on this forum recommending Flex over autotrol. I was wondering if someone can provide more data of advantages of one over other?

I am currently debating installation of Autotrol 255/760 - around $1000 dollars by a local dealer against online purchase of Flex 5600 or 7000 with a local plumber providing elbow grease [estimating $250].

Would welcome comments on Autotrol vs Flex as well as quote for $250 to do install - low/high/okay. I'm based in Tampa, FL.

Thanks.

[Akpsdvan]

I have seen several posts on this forum recommending Flex over autotrol. I was wondering if someone can provide more data of advantages of one over other?

I am currently debating installation of Autotrol 255/760 - around $1000 dollars by a local dealer against online purchase of Flex 5600 or 7000 with a local plumber providing elbow grease [estimating $250].

Would welcome comments on Autotrol vs Flex as well as quote for $250 to do install - low/high/okay. I'm based in Tampa, FL.

Thanks.

Look for the manuals of both on line, and read over them.
If you are going to be doing most of the repair work when needed on your own.. after going over the manuals you should have an idea as to which you would feel better working on.
I have been dealing with Fleck for 20 years and would rather deal with the fleck than the autotrol any day of the week,but there are service types out there that would rather have the autotrol over the fleck.

If you have Iron in the water and it could build up in a valve I have found that the Fleck is easier to take down and clean and put back together in short order, autotrol is going to need a soaking to maybe get all of the iron build up out.

Just my thoughts on the matter.

[filterforum]

Re

Thanks for the quick reply. The question is which one breaks more often and what are the typical issues - it's like buying a car where you want to know which one is more reliable instead of which is one is more easy or cheaper to fix.

But i agree, DIY is part of that equation. Overall i am getting a sense from your post that Flex is more easy to fix then Autotrol.

Please let me know if i am mistaken. Also how would you rate reliability among the two? I am still struggling to estimate how much will it take to install one of these by a local contractor - what am i looking for in terms of rates. This is my first time dealing with local plumbers as this is a brand new house.

[Akpsdvan]

What kind of water do you have?
Iron
Hardness
Ph
how many right now in the house?
bedrooms/ bathrooms

The 5600 has been out for years, some 30-40 years while the 7000 is still a bit new..

I would lean more for the 5600 with the SXT... but I like the 2510 from Fleck.. its daddy was a brass body back in the 70's and now that it has been out for about 15 years I have only had 2 that I needed to deal with fleck over.. little brass insert for a screw broke..

To me the 5600 or 2510 are more simple than the 7000... but that is just me.
One thing on just about any unit that is going to give challenges is the brine piston, on both the 2510 and 5600 the controls do not need to be removed for the piston to be worked on, where on the 7000 the control would have to be removed should the brine piston need to be replaced.

[filterforum]

Re

We got following:

Hardness - 15
Chorline - 3
Cupper - 0.78
Lead - 3
Sodium - 32
Fluoride - 0.21
Iron - None
House - 3000 sq ft/5 bedroom/3 bath - 4 adults, 2 children < 10

I was told my local Kinetico person that 32000 gpm should be sufficient but i thougth i need atleast 48000 gpm based on specs on some website about different system - e.g. 48000 gpm is said to be good for upto 20 hardness and 4-6 people.

[Akpsdvan]

We got following:

Hardness - 15
Chorline - 3
Cupper - 0.78
Lead - 3
Sodium - 32
Fluoride - 0.21
Iron - None
House - 3000 sq ft/5 bedroom/3 bath - 4 adults, 2 children < 10

I was told my local Kinetico person that 32000 gpm should be sufficient but i thougth i need atleast 48000 gpm based on specs on some website about different system - e.g. 48000 gpm is said to be good for upto 20 hardness and 4-6 people.

Part of that looks like the ph could be a bit low..
That is a 5 bedroom house, the max number of people if 2 per room would be 10, so a unit that could handle that would be a selling point if the house was to be sold in say the next 7 years.
I would favor the 1.5 cubic foot or 48 k max unit because of flow rate and capacity on 9lbs of salt or 33k..

[filterforum]

Re

Thanks for the capacity input.

Few questions:

- How are you basing the pH is low? Pardon my chemistry ignorance.
- What's the best way to get rid of lead and Copper from the water?

[Akpsdvan]

Thanks for the capacity input.

Few questions:

- How are you basing the pH is low? Pardon my chemistry ignorance.
- What's the best way to get rid of lead and Copper from the water?

The lead and Copper is why I am asking about the Ph of the water. More times than not I have seen the lead and copper coming from the house plumbing and not the water.. now those two could be in the water from the start, but the first and simple place would be to make sure that the water is not leaching it from the pipes and fittings because of the ph acting as an acid..

[filterforum]

Re

I took the numbers from my utility webpage. Check out the link below.

Also the house is new. 3 years.

http://portal.pascocountyfl.net/portal/server.pt/community/utilities_services/264/home

-- On Left hand side there is a link to the water report / Look for South East Pasco region.

Thanks.

[Akpsdvan]

I took the numbers from my utility webpage. Check out the link below.

Also the house is new. 3 years.

http://portal.pascocountyfl.net/portal/server.pt/community/utilities_services/264/home

-- On Left hand side there is a link to the water report / Look for South East Pasco region.

Thanks.

If I am reading it correctly, there may be some, but not enough to do any thing about, and there is nothing about the Ph, around here often the Ph might be 6.5 and there is blue/green stains ie copper..
Here I know of no wells that have natural high levels of copper only low ph eating the copper pipes in the home.

[filterforum]

Re

Yes. i'm on city water and i called the pasco utilities. They said the pH is around 7.4 - the person didn't had data and he was talking from memory ..

By the way, are you from this area? Please let me know if anyone knows of a good local plumber in New Tampa area for water softener installation.

[Akpsdvan]

Yes. i'm on city water and i called the pasco utilities. They said the pH is around 7.4 - the person didn't had data and he was talking from memory ..

By the way, are you from this area? Please let me know if anyone knows of a good local plumber in New Tampa area for water softener installation.

I am as far north and west and still be in the united states.... Alaska..
I work an area called the Kenai Peninsula.

And the 250 for the install sounds about what it would be around here...

[filterforum]

Re

Nice .. I misunderstood the comment - "around here often the Ph might be 6.5 ". I thought you are referring it to Tampa, FL.

[Akpsdvan]

Sorry about that,,,
There is water here in Alaska that is low in the Ph and then there are some that run 8.5. Which can make life real fun real fast.