help me pick a water softener

[filternewb]

I posted this on an other forum because I couldn't find this one. I did most of my early research on here a few months ago. Anyway, here is a cut and paste:

Hi,
I just moved into a house (with well water) and I have hard water due to the AN filter bruner gould pictured here: Bruner.jpg (image)

My wife wants a water softener, so I am looking into it.

I did a water test at sears. They didn't know how test my water, but they let me follow the instructions and do it myself. Here are my results:

Water from the Well:
3gpg
just under .5ppm
ph is between 6 and 6.7

Water after the AN Filter:
7gpg
well under .5ppm
ph is 7

How should I proceed? As of right now I feel like I should keep the bruner as it seems to be working fine (took the rust out of our water too). I do not have a manual, but I simply refilled it with calcite and ran a backwash. If I need to get a softener, I would like to purchase quality parts online and have a plumber friend of a friend install it for me.

I have heard good things about clack, fleck, and autotrol, but I'm not sure where the best places are to buy them.

We have 4 people living in the home.

Thank you for any help/advice.

[filternewb]

to add further information to my layout-- the size of my water line is 1" (diameter) and my flow rate is around 5GPM. Could someone recommend specific models that will fit my needs (fleck, autotrol, others)?

Thanks!

[Akpsdvan]

Leaving the calcite unit that you have in place right now would be a good idea.. as long as the valve is working let it stay.
A one cubic foot unit or 32k softener would be a good follow up if soft water is what you are looking for to finish the water.
Either a Fleck 2510 or 5600 meter would be a good choice for a system.

I will look around to see if I have an extra copy of a bruner valve manual from a unit that was traded in.

[EpicNole]

A mixture of Calcite and Corosex should be used to neutralize the water. Calcite alone will not correct pH at certain flow rates. The mixture will correct this issue.

Although the iron levels are within range of ion exchange resin, the fact there is iron bacteria present would most likely cause premature failure of the softener. For the best results, a chemical injection system that will oxidize iron and hydrogen sulfides, and disinfect the water before it is softened should be used. Typically liquid pool chlorine can be used to great effect as long as the pH remains neutral, and it has sufficient contact time with the iron in the water.

As far as arsenic, do you know what type of arsenic? RO systems (either point of entry or point of use systems) will remove only one type of arsenic. Your local health department should be able to determine what type you have. I know that here in FL if your well contains arsenic, you may qualify for a reduced or even FREE reverse osmosis point of use filter system through the state. I am not sure how other states operate, but it is something worth looking into.