Quote:
Originally Posted by lawgolfer
Of course I mean well, as do you. However, you are wrong about capacity. The brine tank in the Nova system is at least twice the size it needs to be. There is minimal, if any, difference in the quantity of water delivered to the inside of the house whether it is run through a 10" filter or a 20" filter. This is easily confirmed by having pressure gauges both before and after the filter system.
The only advantage in using 20" filters vs. 10" ones, is that the filters will not need to be replaced as often, i.e. a 20" filter will last twice as long as a 10" filter. We have 20" filters which I used to change once/year. However, for two years running, the sediment filter was nearly pure white in color and did not need to be changed. From now on, I will wait two years before changing it. The reason that I recommend 10" filters is that changing a 20" filter is a PIA(pain in the ---).
As to the water softener, the only difference between a large exchange tank such as sold by Nova and a smaller tank used in the "all in one" softeners I recommend is the frequency with which the matrix (plastic beads) in the exchange tank is "washed" by the salty water from the brine tank. That frequency is adjusted by the controller which is, essentially, a clock. There is no discernible difference in the quantity of water sent to the inside of the house from a softener with a large exchange tank vs. a small tank. If your household uses an enormous quantity of water, the matrix in the exchange tank will have to be "flushed" more often then with a large tank.
Home Depot sells a Rheem 32K grain softener for $399, which is plenty for a Villages household of 2 people. If you want the Rheem 42K grain model it is $499. HD sells the iSpring 10" two stage filter set (one sediment, one activated charcoal) for $150. Estimated time for installation is 2 hours.
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As far as water softeners are concerned, you are correct in that the flow rate should not change given the size of the tank but as also mentioned, depending on the water softener size and flow rate through the softener, these variables will determine how efficiently the water will be softened by the softener and how many times the tank needs to be cleaned with the brine solution. Do you realize you can use as much as 50 gallons of water when the softener is in it's regeneration cycle? So more cycles is not better. It's also possible to have too much water flow where the softener is not be able to "keep-up" and the water not softened the desired amount. The chemical reaction in the softener tank has to have enough time to complete so the softener has to be sized to the anticipated water flow rate through it. Finally, the size of the brine tank is only as large as the amount of brine needed to clean the resin in the softener. The Nova brine tank may be physically larger than the tank in the All-in-one units but the volume of brine is similar.
As far as the flow rate and pressure drop when installing water filters, according to my research, 20 inch filters will have more surface area for the water to flow. So 20 inch water filters should be able to run at twice the flow rate for the same pressure drop as a 10 inch water filter with the same filtration technology. That said, if you want to change the filters less often and guarantee better water flow rate throughout the life of the filter, then it's best to go with the 20 inch cannister.
Here is one reference:
Most Common Water Filter and Water Treatment Questions - WaterFilters.NET.
At the end of the day, you are comparing a do-it-yourself option to a non-do-it-yourself option. There is no right or wrong. All companies have there "complaints and problem installs". I can tell you stories I've heard about most systems installed here in the Villages. There is no perfect company.
I believe the Nova filter and softener is specifically designed for the typical water usage of homes here in the Villages. Given the number of systems installed and the length of time here in the Villages, and the convenience they offer, gives a lot of credibility to the integrity of the company.