I had a local lab perform a water test and here are the results:

pH 7.11 Units
Iron 1.51 mg/l
Manganese  0.175 mg/l
Total Hardness 60 mg/l (~3.5 GPG, grains per gallon)
Alkalinity  80 mg/l

I would very much like to hear what your suggestions are.  Thank you

Answer: All you need is a water softener. Selecting the correct capacity and model water softener depends on number of people in your home (to determine daily flow rate), pipe diameter (to determine which valve size), and water quality information (hardness, iron, pH etc.). With a hardness of 3.5 GPG, iron concentration of 175 mg/l, and manganese concentration of 0.175 mg/l, your compensated hardness is 12 GPG – we will use this value to size the softener – for up to 5 residents in the home, you should be fine with a 32,000 grain capacity water softener.

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, $610.00 delivered). If you will install the softener on 1″ water supply piping, we would suggest an Autotrol “Performa” 268/460i unit (CAI model WS3SM-HC, $735.00 delivered). For 1 1/4″ piping, take a look at the WS5M-HC (Fleck 7000SE). You might also look at the Logix controls featured in our WS1LM and WS3LM-HC models – an additional $30.00 over the “SM” models – but more “bells & whistles”, like current flow metered, capacity remaining, time since last regeneration, etc.

All systems include a by-pass valve, turbulator type distributor, back-up safety float check, round 18×33 brine tank, brine tank grid, high quality Sybron Chemicals C-249 ion exchange resin – no hidden extras. Installation is easy if you have any experience with basic plumbing.

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

We always recommend that you install a pre-filter in advance of a water softener on a well application. A good choice for 3/4 piping would be an Pentek 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. In the event that you have 1″ plumbing, consider the Pentek 10″ filter housing with 1″ inlet/outlet connections, filter housing, filter cartridges, mounting bracket and filter wrench for $155.00 delivered.

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