Excess Salt Usage

[nyjumpee]

Hello!

How do I find out what capacity my water softener is? It has an Autotrol 255/460i digital control unit, a separate brine tank and the tank that the control unit is on is about 10" in diameter and about 40" high. The numbers on the side of the tank are 129414 and 10400139 Poly Glass made by Structural North America if that helps.

I'm going through about 40 lbs of salt every 10 days! In the past years, we've averaged about 60 lbs/month. We have 2 - 3 people in our house (son's away at college now, so just 2) the softness setting is at 34, the capacity is 24 and the lbs salt is at about 8. It seems to be regenerating about every 2 days ~ isn't that excessive? Why would my salt use double?

I recently got a few test strips from Diamond Crystal and tested the water before the water softener and it read 25, which was the max the test could read on the test strip scale. Then, tested the conditioned water and it read 0-3. The water just doesn't feel as soft as it used to.

Is it possible that the resin isn't as effective as it used to be? Can it be cleaned using Resin Cleaner, should it be replaced or is it fine? I just dialed my Hardness setting back to 30 to see if the salt use will drop and if I still get soft water. . .

I guess what I really want to know is what is the rated capacity of my softener so I can at least calculate what I should be using and we'll take it from there ~ thanks!

[Andy CWS]

Try this first.

Here is the manual for that valve.

http://www.all-americanwater.com/1017947-%20Manual-%20Autotrol%20255-460i.pdf

Any water should not ignore the iron count. This can be absolutely vital to the correct settings. Test strips are not very accurate. Take a sample to a local water professional and ask them if they service Autotrol valves. It may, afterall just need a simple adjustment, so there may be no need to buy another
.
Resins can be depleted and get fouled, but this doesn't lead to increased salt use because it regenrates due volume, unless there is a hardness sensor in the resins.

Could the valve setting have been maladjusted?

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

[Gary Slusser]

Hello!

How do I find out what capacity my water softener is? It has an Autotrol 255/460i digital control unit, a separate brine tank and the tank that the control unit is on is about 10" in diameter and about 40" high. The numbers on the side of the tank are 129414 and 10400139 Poly Glass made by Structural North America if that helps.

I'm going through about 40 lbs of salt every 10 days! In the past years, we've averaged about 60 lbs/month. We have 2 - 3 people in our house (son's away at college now, so just 2) the softness setting is at 34, the capacity is 24 and the lbs salt is at about 8. It seems to be regenerating about every 2 days ~ isn't that excessive? Why would my salt use double?

I guess what I really want to know is what is the rated capacity of my softener so I can at least calculate what I should be using and we'll take it from there ~ thanks!

Usually a 10" x 40" tank is a 1 cuft softener. Max capacity of 30K @ 15 lbs which is terrible salt efficiency and next to no one would set it up that way but...

There is something wrong if you didn't change the salt dose. Probably there is too much water in the salt tank due to a leaky brine flapper valve or more likely, if you have a metered control valve, you have a serious water leak past the softener.

[WaterTech]

Systems of many sizes can be built with those components. Salt usage is a function of the system settings…..contact a Water Quality Association member water treatment dealer in your area.

[Gary Slusser]

Well yes but also the volume of resin in the tank.

[NH Master]

I believe that post before the last post to be spam or at the very least a waste of words.

[Andy CWS]

Don't confuse WQA with QWA.

[Gary Slusser]

Most independent dealers do not belong to the WQA (Water Quality Association) and they do water better than the national brands dealers that do.

[Andy CWS]

Most independent dealers do not belong to the WQA (Water Quality Association) and they do water better than the national brands dealers that do.

That's just an opinion, right?

[Driller1]

It's based on seeing WQA members in hidden camera episodes of 20/20, 60 Minutes, Dateline etc. etc. over the last 20+ years where the WQA member dealer/salesperson was shown to be lying and misleading, misrepresenting and misapplying tests and equipment etc. etc.. There never has been an independent dealer shown doing that.

Any links???

[NH Master]

Driller, he's off his meds again and looking for arguments anywhere he can. Why bother?

He doesn't like the WQA because he's not a member (probably got thrown out) The assurance that all WQA members are crooks based on a 20/20 hiden camera episode is innane. That's like saying all car mechanics are crooks based on similar programs. There are crooks in every walk of life.