[RE-wrenches] Efficient water softener?

[Kurt Albershardt]

On 2/26/09 1:30 PM, David Palumbo wrote:
> I have an off-grid customer with a need for for a non-electric, or 
> very efficient electric, water softener.

Lots of options there if you don't need time based regeneration.  Regen 
typically follows one of the following scenarios, listed in ascending 
order of cost:

1. Time only (regen at a perset time and day regardless of water use.)
2. Flowmeter only (regen after a praticular number of gallons regardless 
of time or date.)
3. Time and flowmeter (regen only after waking or business hours but 
before media runs out of capacity, sometimes based on floating averages.)

#1 will be familiar to many residential softener owners of yore, who may 
recall the famous 'guest button' that told the softener there was more 
flow that day.  It requires power all the time.
#2 can be completely mechanical (flowmeter spins the counter gears and 
opens/closes valves using water power.)
#3 requires power all the time (but frequently has added benefits like a 
totalyzing meter.)

The ultimate solution for off grid is a twin tank softener (a smaller 
version of the type frequently seen in commercial or industrial 
applications.  These have a number of benefits:

Backflushing is done with softened water, improving the quality of the 
flush and prolonging the life of the media.
Regen can happen at any time of the day or night and the system (if 
appropriately sized) will deliver treated water 24x7.
Regen never happens unless the media is depleted, minimizing salt usage 
(and minimizing landscape poisioning if the softener drains to anything 
other than a muicipal sewer.)

If the budget is there, have them buy a twin tank system based on a 
Fleck 9000 valve (with the mechanical timer - I bought the electronic 
one and while I like the features, I am starting to regret the phantom 
load it married me to.)








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