When we built our house seven years ago, the builder ran the discharge tubes for our softener out near an established oak tree, saying the water would be good for it. We live in rural central Texas, where the soil is sandy and drought is the usual climate. This spring, I diverted the water to a point outside the tree’s drip line, and within a few months the oak’s leaves turned brown and began falling off, even though there was ample rainfall. I returned the water to its old discharge site, but with no response from the tree. The grass and weeds, however, show no ill effects from the water, and in fact seem to thrive where the water is.

I have queried the county agricultural agent, master gardeners, a high school science teacher, a nurseryman and ordinary locals, and no two have the same explanation or remedy.

What’s your guess?

Did the tree like the water well enough to ignore the salt, and reacted to the loss of water?
Did it just take seven years for the salt to build up in the soil enough to damage the tree?
Is the ground likely to be so salty now that the tree is lost?
Do I need to flush the soil with (precious) fresh water to dilute the salt and migrate it away from the tree?
Should I keep the water on the tree because the salt content is too low to be a factor?

I realize you can’t do a detailed diagnosis from my brief description, but you know more about it than I do, and everyone here seems to just do a lot of head-scratching.

Thanks for whatever advice you can offer.

Answer: Trees seem not to have any negative response when nearby water softener discharge.  The reason for this may be that while the first few gallons of discharge do contain a significant amount of salt, the remaining discharge volume (~40 gallons to 70 gallons) is fresh water, and this dilutes the salt solution considerably.  Many applications use water softener discharge for irrigation purposes with no apparent ill effects.

However, you can also consider using potassium chloride rather than sodium chloride.  Potassium is a nutrient and fertilizer as well – good for plants.  Our water softeners are able to use either sodium chloride or potassium chloride salt, and work well using a wide variety of salt brands.  If you decide to use potassium chloride, we always recommend that you purchase potassium chloride purified for use in water softeners (available at many supermarkets, plumbing supply and hardware stores). Non-sodium potassium chloride is commonly available and sold under the brand names Morton KCL, K-Life, Softouch and Nature’s Own.

Answer: Although we never sold this control, we have some familiarity with it. It’s probably not the switch; the switch is correctly reporting that the gear that drives your softener through each regeneration stage is not in the correct position. The problem is probably due to a faulty drive motor. This water softener was discontinued years ago, and it may be very difficult to find any replacement parts for it.  The manufacturer of your control (Autotrol) joined with the Pentair Corporation some years ago, and you might want to talk to them directly to see if they can direct you to a parts supplier.  The website address is http://www.pentairwatertreatment.com. At the end of the day, it may be a better option to replace your unit with a new one.  If you are considering this, be sure to replace it with an Autotrol unit, as the plumbing connections will be in the proper orientation.  We have some of these available on our site  if you would like to take a look at them.

Answer:  You may have an air leak in the brine line – easy to fix - we have a step-by-step document that reviews this problem, and how to fix it at  http://www.caitechnologies.com/images/PDFs/Resolving%20an%20air%20leak.pdf.  Hope this helps!

Answer: We discussed the product claims of the Pelican system in a prior post.  You might search “Pelican” on this blog to review the November 13, 2008 post.  We are sorry you had an unsatisfactory experience, to the best of our knowledge, and to date, the only practical way to soften residential water is with use of a traditional “salt based” cation exchange water softener. There is no barrier to our company for offering “salt free” water softening technology, and as soon as we have any evidence of it functioning as promised, we would offer it immediately.  In the meantime, you might take a look at some of our water softening systems on our site.

Imagine my  surprise (and a bit of anger) when the install bid was $1375, three times the cost of the water softener itself.

Our house is new, 9 months old.  The largest line item is $675 for a back flow preventer.  At least 6-7 of my neighbors have water softeners and none have a back flow preventer.   By the same token, a $320 expansion tank was also on the bid.  Do I really need these things?

Answer: It depends on your local ordinance.  In the event there is pressure loss on the municipal water supply side (perhaps due to a broken water main, or excessive use of fire hydrants), a backflow preventer will make sure that water from your household would not travel back into the city water system.  Backflow preventers are sometimes required by local municipal codes, but if they are not required, then they are not part of a typical water softener installation.  We are not sure what the purpose of the expansion tank serves, but it may be there to help maintain line pressure.   If not over-sized, there can be considerable pressure drop across a back flow preventer, and expansion tanks are sometimes installed to help minimize the problem.  Again though, this is not part of a typical softener installation.

Answer: There is an easy way! Tie a piece of string (or dental floss) around the camshaft that is located on the top of your control. Leave a long tail hanging down in a place where it will not interfere with the operation of the metallic valve tabs that are found below the cam. Check the string in the morning – if it is wound around the camshaft – the unit has regenerated during the night. Hope this helps.

Hardness: 4.0000
pH: 5.85
TDS: 152

So – my original question about whether or not to use Corosex II, how much to use, and whether it should be added separately or mixed in still stands. Thank you again for your very kind assistance!

Answer: based on your water analysis, we would recommend that you go with a 5:1 Calcite:Corosex mix media.  It’s available on our site for $89.00 per 1/2  ft3 delivered.  Please let us know if you have any questions, and best regards!

Follow-up; 6/21 Neutralizer/Mag Ox question
June 25, 2010 by tealbingy • 1 Comment

Thank you for a quick response (below) – we have cleaned the tank out before, and have cobbled together a tube that we insert into the tank for vacuuming out the calcite. We did NOT know about the gravel. As it’s been a while since we cleaned out the tank, perhaps we should go the distance and start from scratch.
Another question, if you’d be so kind:

Was your information based on a raw pH of 6.8? The pH and TDS which I gave you were for water out of the faucet: post- neutralizer and softener.

Meanwhile, we’ll check out the products and instructions, too – many thanks

Neutralizer – proportion of Mag. Ox.?
June 21, 2010 by tealbingy • 2 Comments

Our water pH has been recently measured at 6.8 (hardness zero, TDS 219), which is beginning to cause blue staining in sinks.  This is a change from a few years back when the water’s pH was above 7.0, so we currently only have Calcite in the tank.

We have a 10″ diameter, approx. 4.5′ tall neutralizer tank.  Please help with these questions:
We assume that we need to add Corosex II, but:

What is  the proportion of Corosex to Calcite?
Can we just add Corosex II on top or do we need to clean out the tank and replace all media? (Last cleanout was about 6 years ago.)
How high should we fill the tank?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Answer: You should not use a Calcite (calcium carbonate) to Corosex (magnesium oxide) mix media in this application.  With a pH of 6.8 and TDS of 219 you will be fine with straight Calcite.  A good neutral pH range is between 7 and 7.8, and your level of 6.8 units is just below what is preferred.  With your level of TDS, a calcite only media will work fine to correct pH to within this range.  Corosex is too powerful an agent for these conditions, and may result with a pH above normal range.

One thing to remember is that about every 5-years, all of the media contained within the tank should be removed and discarded, and replaced with fresh media,  so you are ready to completely re-bed the system.
You have a 10 inch diameter by 54 inch tall tank, and this sized tank contains 1.5 ft3 of calcite media.  18 pounds of gravel should be placed in the tank first, with three ½ ft3 containers of calcite on top of the gravel.  Do not over fill!  No more than 12 inches from the top of the tank!  Calcite and gravel is available on our site, and you can download pH neutralizer installation instructions under the “Services” menu also.  Use a wet/dry shop vacuum to remove the spent calcite and gravel – it works well.

Answer: The exact location of the label depends on what valve you have, but normally the model and serial number information is located on a silver label found on the back of the control valve near the inlet/outlet connections. You will need to remove the valve cover to find the label.  You can also take a picture of the control and email it to us at info@caitechnologies.com – we will be pleased to identify it for you.  Manuals for Autotrol controls are available in our online store under the “Services” menu.

CAI Technologies Answering Service Messages- Best of 2009-2010

1.ALBERT XXXXX RE:WATER SOFTENER FELL OUT OF TRUNK/SON FOUND AND WON’T GIVE IT BACK/IS THIS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY? We thought there was some miscommunication when we received the message…but no…their son found the softener in his parent’s driveway, and refused to give it back.  Kid’s putting it in his house, and the customer wanted to know if the loss was covered under warranty…looks like thanksgiving dinner might have a limited guest list this year….

2. TAMMY XXXXX RE:PURCHASED WATER SOFTENER/CAT SITS ON SALT TANK & DOG BARKS AT IT/IS THIS COMMON?  Yes, dogs bark at cats sometimes…..

3. FELIX XXXXX RE:HAVE WATER SOFTENER AND FELL IN SHOWER/SHOWER WAS WET BUT STILL HIT VERY HARD/IS WATER SOFTENER WORKING PROPERLY? Person thought that a soft water might make for a better landing I guess….

4. JOSHUA XXXXX RE: WANT TO CURE MEAT/OK TO PUT MEAT IN MY BRINE TANK?/WILL WATER SOFTENER OPERATION BE AFFECTED? Wow….would not want to drink this water……

5. CALVIN XXXXX RE:WANT TO CURE WIFE’S BAD BREATH WITH CARBON FILTER/PLEASE CALL ASAP.  This guy’s wife had an issue with bad breath, and it bothered him when they watched TV together in the evening.  He got the idea to have her wear a gas mask connected to a flexible tube leading to a tank filled with carbon….no kidding….and his wife was OK with this idea.

6. DON XXXXX RE:NEED REPLACEMENT WATER SOFTENER/WAS BLOWN UP AGAIN/PLEASE CALL.  I guess this is what’s called “war bonus” – three times now.  Forward military base overseas in a war zone uses a water softener to soften some extremely hard water so they can do troop’s laundry more cost effectively. Every time the huge water softener tanks are taken off the plane, and temporarily stored on the runway, the local insurgents blow them up.  Six million dollar Blackhawk helicopter sitting there and the target is a water softener….go figure…

7. DONNA XXXXX RE:WASHED MY CAR WITH SOFT WATER AND NOW IT WON’T START/LATE FOR WORK/PLEASE CALL.  Hmmm..after speaking with this customer, we identified the problem……turns out some cars need gasoline to work…

8. JODY XXXXX RE:HUSBAND IS TOO DRUNK TO INSTALL WATER SYSTEM/NEED RECOMMENDATION FOR LOCAL INSTALLATION/CALL ASAP I’M DRINKING TOO. Sounds like quite a party…we’ll tell the plumber to make sure he grabs a six-pack on his way over….

9. BARRY XXXXX RE:UV SYSTEM WONT TURN ON/WORKED ALL DAY TO TRY AND GET IT TO TURN ON/FED UP/CALL RIGHT AWAY.  Is it plugged in?  Oh….sorry….have a nice evening….

10. ROSEMARY XXXXX RE:GRANDMOTHER BOUGHT WATER FILTER 10 YEARS AGO/SHE DIED AND NEVER USED IT/NOW SHE WANTS TO RETURN IT…sounds like a horror movie…old zombie lady carrying a filter into a retail store….maybe you could call it “Rosemary’s Filter”.

AND THE MILLION DOLLAR WINNER FOR THIS YEAR IS:

11. MINNIE XXXXX RE:HUSBAND DUG HOLE FOR WATER SOFTENER IN YARD AND STRUCK OIL/HE LEFT FOR CASINO/HOW TO FINISH INSTALL?  Yes…this guy actually thought he struck oil, and went into town to celebrate..turns out that he had dug into his underground oil storage tank…this is true…hard to believe…but true

Answer: A water softener uses the process of cation exchange. The water softening process is accomplished by a chemical cation exchange that replaces the calcium and magnesium in your water with a equivalent number of sodium or potassium ions. During the softening process, water passes through the resin bed, and the magnesium and calcium are removed. A given sized resin bed has a fixed capacity to remove hardness before it needs to be regenerated to full capacity in order to continue provide softened water (for example, one cubic foot of resin has the ability to remove 32,000 grains of hardness from your water). When the resin bed is nearing exhaustion, the control valve washes the resin bed, and draws salt containing solution from the brine tank through the resin. As the salt contacts the resin bed, the process of ion exchange occurs, and the magnesium and calcium (hardness) that was collected in the bed during operation is washed to drain. After a final rinse to remove the excess salt, the resin bed is again ready to provide softened water.

Selecting the correct capacity and model water softener depends on number of people in your home (to determine daily flow rate) and pipe diameter (to determine which valve size), and water quality information (hardness, iron, pH etc.).  We will be pleased to recommend one for you if you can provide us with this information.  If you have this information, please let us know, and we will recommend the correct sized softener for your application.  If water analysis information is not available, you might want to send us a sample for analysis.  If you decide to send our lab a water sample for our free analysis (information on how to do this is under the Services menue on any of our sites), we will recommend the best unit for your application when the analysis is complete.

You should always select a unit that matches your inlet water supply pipe diameter to maximize flow and minimize pressure drop.  In most cases this is either 3/4 or 1 inch.  The supply pipe diameter is the one that comes into your home.  In the case of municipal water supply, this is the diameter of the pipe immediately after the water meter.  If you are on a well, the pipe is the one immediately after your pressure tank (also called an expansion or bladder tank).  Do not consider the larger 1″ size if your pipe is 3/4″ in diameter – only costs more and provides you with no real benefit, however, if you have 1″ or 1 1/4″ pipe – get a 1″ or 1 1/4 inch system.

Any of our Autotrol or Fleck water softener systems would be a good choice.  We recommend that you install a “metered” system for most efficient operation.  The metered systems actually measure the water consumption in your home and regenerate only when necessary.  Our most popular metered system with 3/4″ connections is the Autotrol 255/460i (CAI Model WS1SM).  If you will install the softener on 1″ water supply piping, we would suggest an Autotrol “Performa” 268/460i unit (CAI model WS3SM-HC).  The Autotrol Logix control is also a popular seller featured in our WS1LM and WS3LM-HC models.

Regarding a filter, you can use an inline cartridge filter installed prior to your water softener to remove the sediment and/or odor.

A good choice for a sediment only filter would be an Ametek 20″ filter housing with 3/4″ connections.  The filter housing should be equipped with a 5-micron sediment filter cartridge.  The filter housing, filter cartridges, mounting bracket and filter wrench can all be purchased online for $101.00 delivered.  If you have 1” piping, the same equipment with a larger housing and sediment carts is available for $155.00 delivered.

 To remove any off-odor or taste in your water, you can instead use a radial flow carbon (RFC) cartridge in place of our standard sediment cartridge.  The RFC cartridge will filter sediment down to 7 microns, and also provide improved taste and odor control.  RFC filter cartridges, mounting bracket and filter wrench would be priced at $182.00 delivered. In one inch, this equipment is priced at $228.00 delivered.

You can view and purchase our water softeners and cartridge filters online at http://www.caitechnologies.com – enter the Water Treatment Systems area, and click on the “Metered Water Softeners” or “Cartridge Water Filters” drop-down under the Online Store section.  You can also visit our sister site at http://www.ewateronline.net. 

Warranty is 5 years on the water softener and neutralizer valve/control – 5 years on the brine tank and components – 10 years on the resin tank.  We offer free lifetime technical support for the original purchaser  – we handle any warranty issues for you.  You can also download a copy of the manual for the water softener and neutralizer, as well as installation instructions from our site.

Hope this answers your question!