This page lists the acid neutralizer and water softener packages Mid Atlantic Water sells for acidic, hard well water: a calcite acid neutralizer placed first, which raises the pH and adds about 3 to 6 grains per gallon of hardness, and a Fleck 5600SXT water softener after it. Non-backwashing (Clack upflow, no drain or power for the neutralizer): 1.5 with a 48,000 grain softener $3,095 (1 or 2 people, pH 6.0 to 6.9); 2.5 with 48,000 grain $3,295; 2.5 with 64,000 grain $3,495 (the 2.5 corrects pH 5.5 to 6.9). Backwashing Fleck neutralizer, for iron above 0.5 ppm (up to about 1 ppm) or heavy sediment: 1.5 with 48,000 grain $3,495; 2.5 with 48,000 grain $3,995; 2.5 with 64,000 grain $4,195; 3.5 with an 80,000 grain softener $5,195. Several problems: iron filter, acid neutralizer and softener $6,285; 5-stage sediment, acid neutralizer, softener, carbon and UV $5,975. The 1.5 and 2.5 pairs cost $195 less than the two tanks bought separately. Every tank ships empty: calcite in 50 lb boxes and softener resin in bags, loaded at install; drain tubing is not included. We recommend having a plumber install it; Aidan supports your plumber by phone at 800-460-5810. If you'd rather do it yourself, text Aidan at 443-277-2204 with any questions. Free shipping to the lower 48 states. Sizing help from Aidan by phone or text, 7 days a week.
By Aidan· 32-year water expert, Mid Atlantic Water ·
Acidic well water (pH below 7) eats copper pipe from the inside: blue-green stains first, pinhole leaks later. An acid neutralizer fixes the pH with calcite, but the calcite adds about 3 to 6 grains per gallon of hardness. If your water is hard, or that brings it to 7 grains or more, a water softener goes after the neutralizer. Each package is that pair, a water neutralizer system sized together, from $3,095.
Low pH but soft water? You may need only the neutralizer: see our acid neutralizers, from $1,195. Put it in, retest the hardness after a week or two, and add a water softener only if it reads 7 grains or more. Not tested yet? The well water test ($199) shows your pH, hardness and iron.
Neutralizer first, softener after it
Sized as a pair from your water test
Free shipping to the lower 48 states
Free phone help for you and your plumber
Do you need the softener? Aidan, to a caller at pH 4.7: "any neutralizer you're gonna add to it, it's gonna increase the hardness by say three to six grains per gallon. And what I tell people to do is put the neutralizer in, give it a week or two, and then retest the hardness. And if it's above seven, you should consider a softener." Of 61 customer well tests with a pH below 7, 35 started out soft (under 3 grains) and 9 were already at 7 grains or more.
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Non-Backwashing Pairs: Little or No Iron
The Clack upflow neutralizer runs on water pressure alone: no drain, no electricity, no backwash. The 1.5 fits 1 or 2 people at pH 6.0 to 6.9; the 2.5 fits 3 or more people, or any pH down to 5.5. Pick the softener by your hardness after the neutralizer and your household (see Sizing).
Backwashing Pairs: Iron Over 0.5 to About 1 ppm, or Heavy Sediment
A backwashing Fleck neutralizer rinses itself to a drain, so iron and sediment do not clog the calcite. It needs a drain and an outlet, and uses about 70 gallons of water per backwash on a 1.5 and about 140 on a 2.5. Above about 1 ppm of iron, an iron filter goes in too. Aidan sizes the 3.5 with the 80,000 grain softener from your water test.
The 3-tank package adds an iron filter, for wells with iron as well as low pH and hardness; Aidan sets the order of the neutralizer and the iron filter from your test. The 5-stage adds a sediment filter, a carbon tank and a UV light, and has no iron stage.
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Side by side
Non-backwashing, backwashing or more stages
In every pair the neutralizer goes before the softener; in the 3-tank package, Aidan sets the order of the neutralizer and the iron filter from your test. They differ in what else your water needs.
Best for
Price
Drain and outlet
Upkeep
Non-backwashing pair
Low pH and hardness, little or no iron
$3,095 to $3,495
The softener only; the neutralizer needs neither
Calcite top-offs and softener salt
Backwashing pair
Low pH and hardness, plus iron over 0.5 ppm (up to about 1) or heavy sediment
$3,495 to $5,195
Both tanks
Calcite top-offs and softener salt
3-tank with iron filter
Iron, low pH and hardness
$6,285
All three tanks
Calcite top-offs, iron filter media every 6 to 8 years, softener salt
5-stage
Sediment, low pH, hardness, taste, odor and bacteria; no iron stage
$5,975
The softener drains; the softener and UV light need outlets
Calcite top-offs, sediment cartridges, carbon every 4 to 5 years, UV lamp, softener salt
Prices checked against our store on October 23, 2026. The 1.5 and 2.5 pairs cost $195 less than the same two tanks bought separately; the 3-tank package costs $800 less and the 5-stage package $400 less.
On the Clack upflow tanks, check the calcite once a year; plan on a top-off about every 18 to 24 months on a 1.5 and 30 to 36 months on a 2.5. Media figures are Aidan's estimates.
Do you need both?
When you need the neutralizer and the softener
A neutralizer raises low pH but adds hardness; a softener takes out hardness but does not raise the pH. Here is how to tell whether your water needs one, the other, or both.
Blue-green stains or green crust on copper, plus white scale and spots
Acidic and hard. The neutralizer fixes the pH, and the softener after it takes out the well's hardness plus the 3 to 6 grains the calcite adds.
→YESNeutralizer + softener
Blue-green stains, but your water tests soft
Under about 3 grains, the calcite may not bring you to 7. Put the neutralizer in, give it a week or two, and retest the hardness before you add a softener.
→NOT YETNeutralizer alone, then retest
Only scale and spots, and your pH is 7 or above
That is hard water alone. A softener by itself fixes it and costs less than any package.
→NOA softener alone
Orange or brown stains as well
Iron too. Above 0.5 ppm, pick a backwashing pair so the iron does not clog the calcite. Above about 1 ppm, an iron filter goes in too, as in the 3-tank package.
Bigger household or harder water? The 2.5 neutralizer with the 64,000 grain softener ($3,495) fits 5 or 6 people up to about 15 grains, 3 people at about 16 to 30, or 4 at about 16 to 20. Iron over 0.5 ppm up to about 1 ppm, or heavy sediment? A backwashing pair, from $3,495. Iron above about 1 ppm, with low pH and hardness? The 3-tank package ($6,285). Low pH only? An acid neutralizer alone. Hardness only? A water softener alone.
Size the neutralizer by your pH and household, and the softener by your hardness after the neutralizer (add 3 to 6 grains to your test) and household. Hardness is in grains per gallon; if your lab report reads mg/L, divide by 17.1. These are the bands Aidan uses. Over 30 grains or 7 or more people, text Aidan your test.
1.5 acid neutralizer
1 or 2 people at pH 6.0 to 6.9, up to about 10 gallons a minute. Ships with three 50 lb boxes of calcite.
2.5 acid neutralizer
3 or more people, or any pH from 5.5 to 6.9, up to about 17 gallons a minute. Ships with five 50 lb boxes of calcite. Below pH 5.5, add FloMag, a stronger neutralizing mineral (amounts under Installation).
48,000 grain softener (packages from $3,095)
1 to 4 people on water up to about 15 grains, or 1 or 2 people up to about 30.
64,000 grain softener (packages from $3,495)
5 or 6 people up to about 15 grains; 3 people at about 16 to 30; 4 people at about 16 to 20.
80,000 grain softener ($5,195, with the 3.5 neutralizer)
Pairs with the 3.5 backwashing neutralizer. Aidan sizes this one from your water test.
Backwashing or not
Backwashing when your iron is over 0.5 ppm or you have heavy sediment; otherwise non-backwashing. Above about 1 ppm of iron, an iron filter goes in too. A backwashing neutralizer needs a drain, an outlet and about 70 gallons per backwash on a 1.5, about 140 on a 2.5.
Installation
Two tanks, neutralizer first
We recommend having a plumber install it, ideally one who has installed water treatment before: the two tanks go in a set order, and the softener needs its own drain line. Aidan supports your plumber by phone at 800-460-5810. If you'd rather do it yourself, text Aidan at 443-277-2204 with any questions. What ships: every tank empty with its control valve, the bypass valve pre-installed on the softener's valve, the brine tank, the calcite in 50 lb boxes (three for a 1.5, five for a 2.5), the softener resin in separate bags, and fill funnels. On the non-backwashing pairs, the neutralizer's bypass valve and connectors are included. The media is loaded at install. Drain tubing, pipe, fittings and salt are not included. For the neutralizer's step-by-step instructions, see How to Install an Acid Neutralizer.
3 to 4 hrs
Plumber time for two tanks, by Aidan's estimate.
$700 to $1,000
Plumber cost for two tanks, by Aidan's estimate.
Free
Phone support. Aidan helps your plumber with the setup.
What to have ready
Room on the main lineFor two tanks and the softener's brine tank, after the pressure tank and any sediment filter.
A drain for the softenerA floor drain, utility sink or standpipe within about 20 feet, reached with 1/2 inch tubing and an air gap. A backwashing neutralizer needs one too. The tubing is not included.
A standard outletFor the softener's valve and any backwashing neutralizer. The Clack upflow neutralizer needs no power.
Your water testpH, hardness and iron, so Aidan can confirm both sizes and whether you need FloMag.
What your plumber does
Your plumber shuts off the water and sets the neutralizer first in line, after the pressure tank and any sediment filter, with the softener after it.
Loads the calcite into the neutralizer and the resin into the softener through the funnels.
Plumbs the main line through both valves and runs a 1/2 inch drain line, with an air gap, from each backwashing valve to the drain. On a non-backwashing pair, only the softener needs one.
Plugs in the softener and sets it: time of day, capacity, and hardness at your well's reading plus about 6 grains for what the neutralizer adds. Aidan can help with the settings by phone.
Turns the water back on slowly, checks every fitting for drips, and runs a tap until any cloudiness from the new calcite clears, usually 10 to 15 minutes.
Want a second set of eyes before you order? Text Aidan your water test and a photo of where the tanks will go. He'll confirm both sizes and flag anything your plumber should know.
Reviews are collected by Stamped.io, a third-party review service that emails customers after their order. Stamped does not let us edit a review’s words or star rating.
★★★★★
Clack 2.5 cubic foot up flow Neutralizer & Fleck 5600STX 48000 grain Water Softener
I had been using an old neutralizer for over 30 years. The water softener broke about 20 years ago. With the new system the water volume has increased dramatically because of the vortex tanks. I had been looking for a long time to upgrade and I am very pleased with the performance of this new system.
A
Anonymous
Verified Buyer
Clack 2.5 Cubic Foot Upflow Acid Neutralizer & Fleck 5600SXT 48,000 Grain Water Softener · July 14, 2024
★★★★★
Perfect
This system is so efficient. We did our research and would recommend this to everybody
DW
Donna Whalen
Verified Buyer
Fleck 2.5 Cubic Foot 2510SXT Acid Neutralizer & Fleck 5600SXT 48,000 Grain Water Softener · June 21, 2022
★★★★★
Water softener
Very happy with my water softener and acid neutralizer
DB
Daniel Buxton
Verified Buyer
Clack 2.5 Cubic Foot Upflow Acid Neutralizer & Fleck 5600SXT 48,000 Grain Water Softener · March 3, 2020
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Only if your water is hard once the neutralizer is in. Calcite adds about 3 to 6 grains per gallon of hardness as it raises the pH. Aidan's rule: put the neutralizer in, give it a week or two, retest the hardness, and add a softener if it reads 7 grains or more. If your water is already hard, buy the pair; for a new house on a well with low pH, Aidan says "it's probably a good idea to put the softener in at the same time." More in Acid Neutralizer and Water Softener: Do You Need Both?
After. The neutralizer goes first, after the pressure tank and any sediment filter, and the softener after it, so the softener takes out the well's hardness plus the hardness the calcite adds. If your water also needs an iron filter, Aidan sets the order from your test.
No. Aidan: "The acid neutralizer raises the pH. Water softeners remove hardness." A neutralizer adds a little hardness, and a softener does not fix low pH, so acidic, hard water needs both.
About 3 to 6 grains per gallon. The calcite dissolves into the water as it raises the pH to about 7.0 to 7.5, and it does not push the water past that. Count those grains when you size the softener, and set its hardness about 6 grains above your well's reading.
An acid neutralizer alone runs from $1,195. Our neutralizer and softener pairs run $3,095 to $5,195, the 5-stage $5,975 and the 3-tank $6,285 (October 2026 prices). A plumber adds about $700 to $1,000 for two tanks, by Aidan's estimate. After that you top off the calcite ($145 for a 50 lb box) and buy softener salt. See acid neutralizer cost.
The calcite is used up and topped off, never replaced. On the Clack upflow tanks, Aidan says to check it once a year with a flashlight and add calcite when it is about half down: about every 18 to 24 months on a 1.5 and 30 to 36 months on a 2.5. In Aidan's service work, 10% crosslink softener resin on water protected from iron and chlorine has lasted 30 to 40 years.
The neutralizer size comes from your pH and household: a 1.5 for 1 or 2 people at pH 6.0 to 6.9, a 2.5 for 3 or more people or pH down to 5.5. The softener size comes from your hardness after the neutralizer and your household: a 48,000 grain fits 1 to 4 people up to about 15 grains, or 1 or 2 up to about 30; a 64,000 grain fits 5 or 6 people up to about 15 grains, 3 at about 16 to 30, or 4 at about 16 to 20. Over 30 grains or 7 or more people, text Aidan your test.
We recommend one, ideally a plumber who has installed water treatment before: the two tanks go in a set order and the softener needs its own drain line and an outlet. Aidan's estimate is about 3 to 4 hours and $700 to $1,000, and he supports your plumber by phone at 800-460-5810. If you'd rather do it yourself, you can; text Aidan at 443-277-2204 with any questions.
Learn more
Acid Neutralizer and Water Softener Package guides & deep-dives
