I have the raw water information for you. Below that info is my original information about the tank size and current tap water information (my original post is from 6/21, if you need to look back at it, but I’ve tried to put all the pertinent info here). FYI, we have a sediment filter first, then the neutralizer, then the water softener.
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.
Thanks so much – now we know how to proceed!