Fleck versus Clack ?
Forgive me, I'm new. Need to replace my useless box store softener, but cannot afford 3k! Researching has pointed me to decent units with Fleck or Clack valves. I live in Mahoning County, Ohio just outside Youngstown. With a well, 3 people in the house, and pre-softener exterior faucets, our water usage is average. Just got a water test -- Hardness 24gr/gal Iron 0.5 ppm pH 7.0 Am leaning toward a twin tank with Fleck 9100 valve but like the easy maintenance of the Clack. Clack is a little harder to find tho. I've seen good reviews on Fleck 5600 and 7000, but not the 9100. And what if any benefit to meter versus electronic? ALL input is really appreciated. You guys have a gem of a site here! What is bad about the 9100? Why a twin? Meter , or delayed regeneration would be better than the day regeneration. Nothing BAD about the 9100, just haven't seen any specific comments on it. Twin was suggested by a plumber I know because I work turns and have been known to do laundry, etc. in the wee hours of the morning. He said that there would be less chance of my wanting to use water when the softener wants to regen. Do the electronic valves have more issues with reliability than the mechanical valves? Digital over non digital? When needed I like the digital because of the day default that can be used if needed, the non digital has either meter or day depending on which is used. Most of the time the Fleck 2510 non digital meter is what I am using. There are times that a twin comes in handy, ie large number of people in the house , large comp hardness number. With the numbers that you are giving, 24grains .5ppm iron and 3 people in the house both a single 1.5 cubic foot or max cap of 48k and the twin with the same size tanks would use close to the same salt amount per month.. each would be at or close to 42lbs per month. I agree with the recommendation to buy a demand valve and that a 1.5 cubic foot resin tank (or tanks) is appropriate in your situation. Clack has stopped internet sales of their valves so it is unlikely you will find a Clack valve unit at a competitive price. The Clack twin unit is considerably more expensive than the Fleck twins. The Fleck 9100, or the 9000, are excellent valves and the fact that they do all regeneration functions with soft water is nice with higher hardness and some iron in the water. The one significant advantage of an electronic valve, particularly with iron in the water, is that it has a days override feature. If the money is available I would go with a twin and use SST-60 resin in your situation. If that is too much money I would chose the Fleck 7000 with SST-60 resin over a twin (9000 or 9100) with standard resin. Thanks for your advice. I do have an egg smell in only one bathroom that is serviced from the same water source but has a separate LP water heater. Main house has an electric water heater. Could the smell be caused by the anode rod in the LP water heater? Never have this problem anywhere else. As I understand it, a softener does not remove this smell. Would a charcoal filter help? Thanks Bob999. The soft-water regen. is something that I read about but was not aware that the 9100 had that feature. Any advice from anyone re: the egg smell? I think that's my last unresolved question. If the smell is limited to hot water only from the LP heater then I think the anode in the LP heater is the culprit. There are a couple approaches to deal with this, including electronic anodes. I don't recommend simply removing the anode--that will shorten the life of the heater tank. Most charcoal filters aren't designed to be used with hot water. What are my options? Can I replace my anode with a new aluminum anode? Or am I looking at a complete water heater replacement to permanently fix this ? I know I'm outside the realm of this thread, but if you have advice I'll avoid a whole new thread. Some say that you need to replace the rod with a like rod, others say that one can remove and put a plug in its place.. I will not say either way , but there are some different choices to be made. Here is a link that discusses the issue which you may find helpful. Solutions to Stinky Water In Water Heaters Thank you both for such specific help. Just what I was looking for. Before I bit the bullet and had a new well drilled (all problems gone, good water), I had a very stinky hot water heater. I read about this Peroxide Gambit and figured WTH it's worth a try... I siphoned a CUP of household peroxide into the water heater... smell GONE! INSTANTLY! for about 2 weeks or so, and then it returned. The Simplest, Cheapest Solution to Stinky Water In Water Heaters I knew that in a few months time the new well would be drilled, and hoped it would solve the problem (it did), because after a couple times doing this it got to be a pain to do... becuz I'm a lazy sot... but it did work! Since you've got only one of two heaters stinking, I suppose it's possible that a single treatment might last a long time. Worth a try... But do check the condition of the existing anode and replace if needed. I am considering investing in the electric anode ( aka 'impressed current' ) since I do soften my water... but in addition to being lazy, I'm also cheap, so I hain't done it yet.
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