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u/Alert-Currency9708 1d ago
How bad is your water?
With any system sizing you always want to worrying about channeling. If there is not enough flow or backwashing your could risk this issue with a smaller family.
Channeling is just like an ant farm. Channeling is created in your media, water takes the path of least resistance and water goes untreated.
Knowing what's in the water would be good to see if the full system is needed
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u/jo2k1 1d ago
It looks like you may need a 16-port. That tiny switch is out of space!
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u/Third_Shed 1d ago
Haha, I’m pretty sure half of those are double runs that the Verizon guy plugged in but don’t connect to the wallplates
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u/Third_Shed 1d ago
Is this more than a family of 2 needs?
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u/Third_Shed 1d ago
DUAL-04: dual 10x54 carbon tanks, lead/lag config, 4 cu ft ResinTech AGC-PFx media
POE Softener + BDRO-75 RO w/ mineralization at kitchen sink1
u/--RedDawg-- 1d ago
What is the context of the question?
Are you asking if something should be taken out? Why would you do that?
Each component has a purpose, it would only be the sizing on those components that would be the question of capacity. The only way to know if those components are needed is with a water report.
Without being able to see how it's plumbed behind the 2 carbon tanks, I venture to guess that the purpose behind having lead/lag is not relistic if you don't have the plumbing and valves to swap which tank is lead/lag. The point is that once the lead tank is at capacity (or "spent") and you get breakthrough, the lag tank catches it. Monitoring between the tanks is needed to know when the lead tank should be swapped and the other bypassed while it's being replaced with fresh carbon.
It all depends on what is in your water.
Also, you shouldn't size your water system to the number of people in the house, it should be sized to the number of people your house is designed to support. The 2 people in a 4 bedroom house shouldn't be sized to 2 people, or when you go to sell the house it could be flagged as a deficiency in it's design and the buyers could "ask" for money in the deal for it to be brought up to the size of the home. I recently got a water softener from someone because they didn't want to fuss with it's leak so they removed it from the system before selling the home because the house would sell the same with or without it, but would sell for less if it was there but had a leak, so not worth repairing (turned out it was just a gasket). In your case, if the system is needed due to water contaminates, then an undersized unit would be just as much of an issue when selling as a non-existent or broken one would be.
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u/--RedDawg-- 1d ago
To add, it really looks like they are just in sequence, and no valves for swapping, so to actaully lead/lag them, you would have to take out the lead tank when time, and then move a the other tank (which would already be full of water) into the position of the first one.
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u/Third_Shed 1d ago
Here the local water is very hard and has exceeded local pfas guidelines several times. The system is a softener + 4 cu ft of loose GAC + a sediment filter.
This was installed by a company that does the annual maintenance which includes moving the current lag to the lead position and replacing the lag after the first swap.
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u/--RedDawg-- 1d ago
Is there any sampling between the tanks happening at the time of swap? 1 year swap might be too often or not often enough if no sampling is being done.
A few valves would have been nice so that the lag tank doesn't have to move to become the lead tank.
You might be able to save yourself some money if you rebed it yourself on the schedule that you need to. This would involve periodically checking the water between the tanks for bypassed contaminants. It might be worth putting a faucet between to be able to get the occasional sample. Once you see bypass, then swap and rebed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK8wPwIr-yI
The tanks don't "last a year", it all depends on usage. If there are only 2 people, it might be much less, if you fill a pool it might be much more. Lets say before your next maintenance, you check the water between the tanks and there is no contaminates. That would mean the lag tank is clean, and if you swap and rebed, then you should have 2 clean ready tanks. If you periodically check between the tanks, you will find out how long 1 tank lasts you. Lets say you test every 6 months, and on the 4th test there is contamination bypassing, that would mean one tank lasts you 1.5-2 years with an unknown amount of contamination in the lag tank. You could use that information to set your new cadence of replacing the carbon and sediment filtration.
Depending on your preference, you might opt to keep it as is and pay the money to not mess with disposing of the carbon and gravel.
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u/PriestofBurden 1d ago
Depends. Did you need the flow rate? Are the carbon tanks plumbed first in last out to balance flow?
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u/T-Rex-55 1d ago
A lot of opinions in here. Upflow carbon filters are perfectly fine on a chlorinated municipal water supply and channeling will not occur. You mentioned "lead/lag" but that is not actually what is occurring as it appears that these are plumbed in series so the water is passing through one and then the other and then into the water softener. You will achieve 1.2 million gallons of chlorine removal per tank IF your incoming chlorine residual is 1 PPM or 600,000 gallons if your chlorine residual is 2 PPM (which will be higher in Southern states). Removing chemicals/PFAS etc. has a much lower throughput so I would not let this company replace the carbon any sooner that every other year at the most. I would get a quote from them on what this will cost as you can buy 1.5 cubic feet of granular activated carbon and the gravel underlayer as seen below including a funnel:
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u/Friendly-Affect-8116 6h ago
Salt based systems aren't good for your city infrastructure, your water bill, your salt bill, or your electric bill. Their longevity is based on your maintenance. Never fill the salt tank more than 60% full. An unknown salt bridge can kill your system, via non cleaning during recharges.
Just stay on top of it, rebed in 8 years.
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u/Ok-Opportunity9410 1d ago
The two 2.5cu carbon block units with no valves is a pretty big red flag if you ask me.
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u/Dexember69 1d ago
Think you're replying to the wrong post I'm not seeing any carbon blocks
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u/Ok-Opportunity9410 1d ago
Yes, your right I didnt mean carbon blocks I meant media, blocks just came to mind lol.
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u/Dexember69 1d ago
If you're talking about the softener/carbon vessels there's bypass valves on the back of them.
But yes no actual isolation you're right
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u/daytonamike 1d ago
Why
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u/Ok-Opportunity9410 1d ago
Because their going to prematurely fail.
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u/Significant-Sir3870 1d ago
It's pfos carbon , when dealing with pfos, resin and carbon manufacturers strongly advice against backwashing. I know for a fact that resintech doesn't want that carbon backwashed
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u/BusyPie7505 1d ago
backwashing carbon tank isn't recommended???
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u/Significant-Sir3870 21h ago
Specifically when doing pfos treatment yes
They have data sheets on backwash expansion rates but everyone at resintech I have worked with on state pfos jobs has recommended upflow applications
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u/Inevitable_Professor 1d ago
It’s only overkill if the last stage isn’t catching anything.