Water Softener Resin

[TTravis]

I need to replace the resin in my 20 year old water softener. After reading many DIY articles, I get the idea that this is not rocket science. Aqua Systems would be happy to swap out my tank for around $400. This seems pretty expensive considering the resin probably costs only $150 or so on-line.

Does anyone know of a local place where I can buy 1.5 cf of standard water softener resin, preferably on the west side or Plainfield area? I tried Lowes and Menards with no luck.

Has anyone done this project themselves?

 

[slimplmbr]

You will probably have to go to a plumbing supply house to get it. Give Winthrop Supply a call, they have a supply house on the west side.

 

[chizzle]

Might want to try this:

Purolite C-100ELT 1 Cubic Foot

Purolite is a reputable manufacturer for softener resin.

 

[rockhopper46038]

I did it; it wasn't hard. I used the Purolite media, bought online ( I don't recall where) because I couldn't find it locally. No special tricks, other than making sure you tape over your down tube and use a funnel when filling your tank.

 

[PeaShooter]

I would replace the riser tube while you have it apart. the chlorine in the water can degrade the plastic over time and it is a cheap replacement when a failure can mean that all of the new resin you put in is flushed out of the faucets. I put in a turbulator (not sure if there is one for your head assembly) that increases softening efficiency.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

You've not had a good time with softener resin until you've had to purge all your home's water lines and water heater to remove it... *sigh*

-J-

 

[rockhopper46038]

You've not had a good time with softener resin until you've had to purge all your home's water lines and water heater to remove it... *sigh*

-J-

Got that t-shirt myself.

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

Got that t-shirt myself.

We had lived in our house for about 3 months when this happened. *sigh*

It finally let go on a Sunday night. I wouldn't have figured it out if I hadn't decided to shower after a day in the car traveling home. That was a fun night...

 

[TTravis]

Thanks for the tips. Let me add that I am on a well, so no chlorine, and have an iron filter before the softener. I did let Aqua Systems swap out the control head for $150. I figured there were several things wrong with it and that was a good deal.

 

[Rookie]

What's an iron filter cost? Where do you get one?

 

[TTravis]

What's an iron filter cost? Where do you get one?

Iron filter is very similar to a water softener, only with different media. Aqua Systems has them. Depending on the size, I would say between $1,400 to $1,600. They did quote me $1,175 for a total rebuild.

I do have a lot of iron in my water. Something like 4 ppm which is the upper limit for a water softener to handle on it's own.

 

[dlang0920]

I like winthrop supply but in my experience lee supply much better people to deal with and great pricing