Carbon tank: Clack 2.5 cubic foot, non-backwashing

• ✓Clack C1190 in/out head with a bypass valve. No drain, no electricity, no backwash, nothing to program.
• ✓13 x 54 inch Vortech mineral tank, shipped empty.
• ✓2.5 cubic feet of Centaur catalytic carbon in three boxes: two 1 cubic foot boxes and one half cubic foot box, poured into the tank at install.

Water softener: Fleck 5600SXT 64,000 grain

• ✓Fleck 5600SXT metered control valve with the 1 inch stainless steel bypass valve pre-installed.
• ✓Vortech mineral tank, shipped empty.
• ✓2.0 cubic feet of 10% crosslink resin in separate bags, loaded into the tank at install.
• ✓Brine tank with a safety float.

Also in the box

• ✓One fill funnel, for pouring the carbon and the resin into the tanks.

Not included

• ✗1/2 inch drain tubing for the softener (any hardware store).
• ✗Pipe, fittings and adapters (your plumber supplies them).
• ✗Salt.
• ✗Printed install instructions: the box has little or none. Use our install guide, the install videos, or call Aidan.

Carbon tank (Clack 2.5 cubic foot)

Water softener (Fleck 5600SXT 64,000 grain)

The package

What the install involves

This is two systems to install, the kind of job where a plumber matters most, ideally one who has installed water treatment before. The tanks go in a set order. The carbon tank is only an inlet and an outlet: no drain, no power. The softener adds the part that takes planning: a 1/2 inch drain line with an air gap to a floor drain, standpipe or utility sink, an outlet for the valve, the brine line and the settings. Plan on 3 to 4 hours of a plumber's time for both tanks; Aidan's estimate for installing both is about $700 to $1,000.

The order

City water: main line, then the carbon tank, then the softener, then the house.

The carbon takes the chlorine out before it reaches the softener resin, because chlorine shortens resin life. On a well the order can change (Aidan usually puts the carbon tank after the softener), so text him your water test at 443-277-2204 before you order.

Steps, for your plumber

1. Shut off the main water supply and relieve the pressure at a faucet.
2. Set the tanks in order on the main line, the softener near a drain and an outlet (the drain within about 20 feet).
3. Carbon tank: with the head off, pour the boxes of carbon into the empty tank through the funnel, then put the Clack head on.
4. Softener: pour the resin into the empty mineral tank through the funnel, then put the valve on.
5. Connect each tank's inlet and outlet with 1 inch fittings (not included).
6. Run the softener's 1/2 inch drain tubing to the drain with an air gap, and connect the brine line.
7. Plug in the softener, add a couple of bags of salt, and program the valve: time of day, hardness and capacity. Aidan answers settings questions by phone or text.
8. Open the bypass valves slowly, then flush the new carbon tank at a faucet until the water runs clear.

Carbon tank

• ✓Nothing to do day to day: no backwash, no filter changes, no settings.
• ✓Replace the carbon about every 4 to 5 years (about 4 on the 1.0 tank). Take the head off, empty the old carbon into trash bags, and pour new carbon in with the funnel. The tank stays in service for good.
• ✓Refill: Centaur carbon, $295 per cubic foot (the same cubic feet as your tank: 1.0, 1.5, 2.5 or 3.5).

Water softener

• ✓Keep the salt above the water line in the brine tank. In Aidan's house that is about one 40 lb bag every 30 to 45 days.
• ✓Regeneration is automatic, by gallons used, usually at 2 AM.
• ✓Resin: in Aidan's service work, 10% crosslink resin on water protected from iron and chlorine has lasted 30 to 40 years. The carbon tank ahead of it is what protects it from chlorine.