Water filtration system...what do we add?? Water filtration system...what do we add?? - Talk of The Villages Florida

Water filtration system...what do we add??

Closed Thread
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 06-25-2016, 10:52 AM
mmorisi mmorisi is offline
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 14
Thanks: 2
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Default Water filtration system...what do we add??

We have a Pegasus water filtration system for the house but we aren't sure what we need to add to it? Is it potassium? We just don't want to add the wrong stuff or have it go without and possibly hurt the system! Thank you in advance for the help!

-Merribeth & Keith
  #2  
Old 06-25-2016, 11:40 AM
dbussone's Avatar
dbussone dbussone is offline
Sage
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 7,833
Thanks: 0
Thanked 88 Times in 80 Posts
Default Water filtration system...what do we add??

Most filtration systems can take either sodium or potassium. I'd check your manual to see what is recommended. If you have a choice, use potassium. Sodium has some potential side effects on your health.

Update. Just checked online: use potassium.

Pegasus Water Systems | Built Specifically for Treating Florida Water
__________________
All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.
Winston Churchill
  #3  
Old 06-25-2016, 07:02 PM
villagetinker's Avatar
villagetinker villagetinker is offline
Sage
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Village of Pinellas
Posts: 11,109
Thanks: 3
Thanked 8,242 Times in 2,996 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by dbussone View Post
Most filtration systems can take either sodium or potassium. I'd check your manual to see what is recommended. If you have a choice, use potassium. Sodium has some potential side effects on your health.

Update. Just checked online: use potassium.

Pegasus Water Systems | Built Specifically for Treating Florida Water
We have a Sears system, water softener (uses salt), and a whole house filter. I have a chemical test set (from the local pet store) to test for chlorine, SALT, and other chemicals. With this system, I have never detected or tasted any salt in the filtered water. While I understand the concerns of high sodium in water and the associated health concerns, IMHO, a properly operating system will not add a significant amount of sodium.
If your system can use potassium, then use it, NOTE, it is more expensive then salt.
__________________
Pennsylvania, for 60+ years, most recently, Allentown, now TV.
  #4  
Old 06-25-2016, 07:40 PM
dbussone's Avatar
dbussone dbussone is offline
Sage
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 7,833
Thanks: 0
Thanked 88 Times in 80 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by villagetinker View Post
We have a Sears system, water softener (uses salt), and a whole house filter. I have a chemical test set (from the local pet store) to test for chlorine, SALT, and other chemicals. With this system, I have never detected or tasted any salt in the filtered water. While I understand the concerns of high sodium in water and the associated health concerns, IMHO, a properly operating system will not add a significant amount of sodium.

If your system can use potassium, then use it, NOTE, it is more expensive then salt.


Thanks VT. I appreciate your recommendations.

About 4 years ago (before TV) one of my docs advised me to stop using sodium because of health risks. My next door neighbor, a cardiologist, agreed. Apparently it is very easy to add too much to the water.
__________________
All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.
Winston Churchill
  #5  
Old 06-25-2016, 08:00 PM
biker1 biker1 is offline
Sage
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 3,665
Thanks: 2
Thanked 1,251 Times in 719 Posts
Default

Either sodium chloride or potassium chloride is fine - either will work fine as a brine solution for "regenerating" the resin tank. Either will result in the water hardness being driven down to 0 grains per gallon. Typically, the amount used per regeneration is a bit less with sodium chloride. If the used brine solution is dumped in a flower bed or near grass, potassium chloride would be a better choice. Potassium chloride is about 5x the cost of sodium chloride.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mmorisi View Post
We have a Pegasus water filtration system for the house but we aren't sure what we need to add to it? Is it potassium? We just don't want to add the wrong stuff or have it go without and possibly hurt the system! Thank you in advance for the help!

-Merribeth & Keith
  #6  
Old 06-26-2016, 07:02 AM
Lovey2 Lovey2 is offline
Veteran member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 934
Thanks: 83
Thanked 115 Times in 45 Posts
Default

It depends on the system you have. Our system originally took potassium, but we had them convert it over to salt when the potassium price almost doubled. As noted above, it does depend also on where your system drains outside. I'd call them and have them come and look over the unit and give you a quick tutorial on it. You can't just "dump" the product in the holding tank and you don't want to fill it to the top either. You might want to know where the breaker is that controls it...ours flipped off several times in storms. Really...with something as expensive as that unit surely was, you want to hear from them how to maintain it. They are nice people...call.
  #7  
Old 06-26-2016, 07:17 AM
biker1 biker1 is offline
Sage
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 3,665
Thanks: 2
Thanked 1,251 Times in 719 Posts
Default

It is possible that the unit needs a trivial programming change if you switch to sodium chloride because the frequency of regeneration is typically a little less with sodium chloride. This change may manifest itself as a decrease in the hardness level that is inputted into the controller. The water hardness and the number of gallons of water used will control the frequency of regeneration. Chemically it make no difference as either is effective as an ion exchange. All "salt" based water softeners work by the same principle. Everyone I have ever seen says you can use either sodium chloride or potassium chloride. Consult the manual that came with your system for further details.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lovey2 View Post
It depends on the system you have. Our system originally took potassium, but we had them convert it over to salt when the potassium price almost doubled. As noted above, it does depend also on where your system drains outside. I'd call them and have them come and look over the unit and give you a quick tutorial on it. You can't just "dump" the product in the holding tank and you don't want to fill it to the top either. You might want to know where the breaker is that controls it...ours flipped off several times in storms. Really...with something as expensive as that unit surely was, you want to hear from them how to maintain it. They are nice people...call.

Last edited by biker1; 06-26-2016 at 08:25 AM.
Closed Thread

Tags
system, add, water, filtration, possibly


You are viewing a new design of the TOTV site. Click here to revert to the old version.

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:53 PM.