On a well, it traps sediment on top of the carbon bed and backwashes it out to the drain, and the Centaur carbon takes out chlorine, taste and odor and reduces VOCs, herbicides, pesticides and PFAS (reduced; it is not certified for PFAS, so retest after it is in). Centaur is a catalytic carbon by Calgon Carbon: besides adsorbing like standard carbon, it decomposes chloramine faster than standard activated carbons. It does not remove hardness, bacteria, nitrate or fluoride, and it is not an iron filter.

The Fleck 2510SXT reverses the flow through the carbon on the schedule you set; Aidan sets it to every 3 days on water with sediment. The backwash lifts the bed and flushes trapped sediment to the drain so the carbon does not clog. It does not make the carbon last longer: carbon is an absorbent, and once it has pulled something in, it does not come back out.

Yes to both. The Fleck 2510SXT plugs into an outlet through its transformer, and it needs a 1/2 inch drain line (not included) to a floor drain, standpipe or utility sink, with an air gap. On a well, the pump also has to supply about 10 GPM while the tank backwashes. If you have no drain or outlet nearby, the non-backwashing Clack 2.5 carbon filter needs neither.

About 5 years in most homes; Aidan's range for this 2.5 tank is five to six years, and sooner on heavy use or sulfur water. Backwashing does not stretch that: it is the same Centaur carbon as the non-backwashing tank, and carbon does not give back what it has absorbed. A full refill is two 1 cubic foot boxes of Centaur at $295 each.

We recommend one: about 2 to 3 hours. Plumbing it in is an inlet and an outlet at the stainless steel bypass; the part that takes planning is the 1/2 inch drain line with an air gap, plus an outlet for the valve. The carbon ships in separate boxes and is loaded into the tank at install, and drain tubing is not included. Aidan supports your plumber by phone at 800-460-5810, including the backwash settings. If you'd rather do it yourself, you can; text Aidan at 443-277-2204 with any questions.

For most homes, non-backwashing. Aidan recommends this backwashing tank in one case: a well with heavy sediment or some iron, where the carbon tank is the only filter. There it traps the sediment and backwashes it out. For city water, for a well that already has an iron filter and softener, and for taste and odor, the non-backwashing Clack 2.5 ($1,995) uses the same Centaur carbon with no drain, no power and no backwash water. Not sure which? Text Aidan at 443-277-2204 with your water test.

It is not the tank to buy for a smell. A light smell from the well, under about 1 ppm of hydrogen sulfide, is something Centaur carbon can handle, but the carbon runs out and is replaced, and for that case Aidan uses the non-backwashing Clack 2.5. A steady or strong smell, or a smell with iron, needs an air-injection filter with Katalox Light such as the Fleck 2510AIO 2.5 ($2,895), which removes up to 10 ppm. Backwashing does not help with sulfur: Calgon Carbon says Centaur converts hydrogen sulfide to sulfate. If only the hot water smells, it is usually the water heater's anode rod, not the well.

Every mineral tank we sell is a Vortech tank. A distributor plate at the bottom holds the media, so there is no gravel underbed. When the carbon is replaced, the old carbon comes out and two new boxes go in through the funnel.