Choosing a Product

General Water Softener Information:

1. Water softeners work best at ph levels of 6.8 and above - if your pH is lower than 6.8, you may require an automatic backwashing pH neutralizer system in front of your water softener.
   
   
2. Our water softeners can handle ~ 5 ppm of dissolved iron with no problems - if your iron concentration is above this level, we may need to consider a means of iron removal first. When using a water softener alone with an iron concentration above 2 ppm you may want to consider our Iron Eliminator add-on package. Very high iron and manganese levels can also be removed with water softening. This can be done by configuring the softener with special equipment and ion exchange resin - if you are interested in more information please email the factory with your request.
   
   
3. If you have a well, you first might want to consider installing a commercial sized sediment cartridge filter upstream of any softener you may purchase - this will extend the life of the softener. If you are on a municipal system with chlorine in the water, you can consider the same cartridge filter housing with a carbon filter cartridge installed to remove chlorine (chlorine can harm and shorten the useable life of water softener resin). You can look at commercial grade cartridge filters (low pressure drop) on our Cartridge Filter page.
   
   
4. Our micro-processor/metered softener units are factory set to normally regenerate at 2:00 AM (although you can change this). So, if there is some water usage at (for example) 2:15 AM, and the softener determines that a re-generation is necessary, the unit will not regenerate until the following night at 2:00 AM. You need to make sure that in this case you have the extra capacity to carry you through the next day, and also have a little extra capacity for when the softener resin loses some of its fresh activity years down the road. For this reason the industry standard to recommend that you would set your unit 20% below its actual capacity.
   
   
5. Standard water supply flow rate for residential application is about 8 GPM. The units we offer with 3/4" standard connections can accommodate 9-13 GPM, depending on what unit you are interested in. If your home has 1" supply piping, you may want to look at a higher capacity (higher flow rate) 1" units. Keep in mind that if you do not have 1" supply piping, you will see not benefit in using a larger flow 1" system - so there is no need to spend the extra money.
   
   
6. To give you a general idea of what system you may consider:
   
   In general, the lower cost "down-flow, manual re-generation clock" units will do the job just fine, but use more water and salt in the long run. The medium price "down flow , micro-processor" metered units will use less water and salt, and our the most popular sellers. The highest price "up-flow counter-current brining micro-processor" units really minimize the salt and water consumption, but are high-end, and using these units mostly depends on your budget. Mechanical metered units are also available, and these units are a good choice in areas that have frequent power outages - although all of our microprocessor units have NVRAM and remember hardness and capacity settings, when power is lost the time of day needs to be re-set - mechanical metered units measure water consumption even in the event of a power loss.
   
   You will also need 5/8" OD (1/2" ID) poly-tubing for the drain line, which is available for $30 at the bottom of the water softener page, or also at most local plumbing supply stores. Visit the Water Softener page for more information.
   
   
7. If you are not sure of your water quality, and would like us to provide a free analysis, visit our Water Analysis page for more information on how to take a water sample and our laboratory's mailing address.
   
   
8. CAI systems are highly efficient, and do not donate much additional sodium to your water - you can't detect by other than laboratory means. However, if you have some concern about added sodium or are following a restricted sodium diet as recommended by a physician, CAI softeners work equally well using potassium chloride as a regenerate.
   
   
9. For customers living in California, where chloride discharge restrictions are tighter, you may want to consider a countercurrent (up-flow) design water softener, which will provide you with soft water with reduced consumption and discharge of sodium or potassium chloride.

Iron , Sulfur and removal of other contaminants:
There are many ways to remove iron and/or sulfur (rotten egg smell) from your water. These methods include Birm Filters, Manganese Greensand Filters, KDF Filters, Pyrolox Filters, Carbon Filters, Ozonation Systems, OXY-MAX Air Injection Systems, and many others. To properly recommend the best system for the application generally depends on the specifics of the water quality and individual application. To see some of the equipment we have available you can visit our Filters page, but if you do not know exactly what system you need to correct your problem, please call our application engineers at (215) 679-0470 or email us for more information.

pH Neutralizer Systems:
pH neutral water should be within the 7.0 to 7.8 range. The easiest and most common way to resolve low pH problems is with the use of an Automatic Backwashing Neutralizer system. A backwashing neutralizer contains calcite (calcium carbonate) and/or Corosex (magnesium oxide) that slowly dissolves into your water to correct pH. Standard calcite is typically used for most applications as a mild neutralizing agent. Corosex is a stronger neutralizing media, and used as a blend with calcite for applications with a very low pH or high TDS (total dissolved solids). For applications with extremely high TDS, a chemical injection system can be used to inject soda ash solution into water to correct low pH.

Selecting the correct type of neutralizer for your specific application is very important. Generally, a mild acid backwashing neutralizer containing calcite media can be used for most applications with water pH in the range 6.4 and above and a TDS of less than 150. Strong Acid Neutralizers with a 5:1 calcite/Corosex mix are used in lower pH or high TDS conditions. We might recommend a higher calcite/Corosex mix ratio for some applications. One thing to remember is that a backwashing neutralizer adds approximately 4 to 5 grains per gallon of hardness to your water. In some cases our customers install a Water Softener downstream of a backwashing neutralizer to remove any hardness from their water.

You may want to consider a Chemical Injection System if your water contains a very high TDS level. This is because with an already large amount of dissolved solids contained in your water, it may not be possible for standard calcite or Corosex media to have sufficient contact time to neutralize your pH. In this case a soda ash solution chemical injection system is recommended. A soda ash injection system does not add any additional hardness to your water.

If you are not sure of the best neutralizer system for your application, please email the factory for our recommendation.

Ultraviolet Disinfection:
Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection systems destroy biological contamination that can be found in your water. They do this by passing a high energy UV light wave through the water to penetrate and destroy the harmful organisms, disinfecting the water.

Typical residential applications use a 7 or 8 gallon per minute unit, and larger residential application (or customers that desire an extra margin of safety) use a 12 or 15 gallon per minute unit. You can take a look at some of the ultraviolet systems we offer on our Ultraviolet Systems page.

The ATS model DWS unit is available standard (model DWS) with no alarm function. The ATS model SE is available with an integral lamp on/off alarm and contacts for a solenoid valve shut-off (model SE). This means in the case of a lamp failure (burn out) an audible and visible alarm sounds, and the contacts are activated to shut off an externally mounted solenoid valve. The solenoid valve is also available on our web page, and listed with the ATS ultraviolet systems.

The Sterilight system is available in its standard "PA" configuration with an on-board audible and visible lamp failure alarm. Sterilight Platinum series UV systems have a built in UV light intensity meter that measures lamp intensity in addition to the on/off lamp failure alarm. Platinum systems also include elapsed time meters, on-board diagnostics, and contacts for a solenoid valve that will shut off the water supply in the event of an alarm condition. NSF certified Platinum models include all of the standard platinum features, and also deliver a high-intensity 40,000 mw/cm2 UV dosage to meet the NSF/ANSI standard 55 test protocol. UV lamps do not just "burn-out" like a normal light bulb - they lose intensity over time - and will reach a level where the intensity is not sufficient to provide complete sterilization. An intensity meter will notify you in advance when a lamp is soon in need of changing. When using UV systems without an intensity meter, we recommend that you replace the UV lamp on an annual basis to be safe.

We also recommend that you install a cartridge filter upstream of the UV system to remove any sediment that may be in your water. Some commercial quality (low pressure drop) units can be found on our Cartridge Filter page. The filter housing also provides a convenient place to add household chlorine bleach (used when you are installing the UV system to initially sterilize the plumbing in your home, directions included in the installation manuals). It is also a good idea to make sure that your water does not exceed the contamination levels listed below when using UV. If any of these levels are exceeded, you can still use a UV systems with frequent cleaning, but you may want to consider incorporating other equipment like a water softener or filter system to first improve the quality of your water.

Total Iron - Less than 0.3 ppm
Hardness - Less than 7 grains per gallon (120 ppm)

Reverse Osmosis:
The way that Reverse Osmosis (RO) works is that your household water pressure forces the water molecules through the RO membrane. All the dissolved solids that are too big to pass through the pores of the membrane are rinsed away to the drain.

The RO membrane (center position) is the workhorse of the system, and performs most of the water purification. All of our reverse osmosis systems contain a TFC (thin film composite) type membrane, that delivers high purity water at a superior flow rate. A TFC membrane is one of the best quality RO membranes, but the material of composition can be damaged by chlorine present in municipal water. Because we only use TFC membranes, all of our systems contain a leading activated carbon filter to remove sediment and absorb chlorine to protect the membrane from damage. Economy units sometimes use an RO membrane that is composed of Cellulose Triacetate (CTA), a less expensive membrane. CTA is not damaged by chlorine, but it's organic nature is vulnerable to bacterial attack, and can only be used in applications that have chlorine present in the feed water - we do not offer these systems - but do have replacement filter sets and CTA membranes available for purchase.

All systems include a post filter that is a "polish" filter, composed of high grade activated carbon, and removes most residual impurities from the water. You may also notice that some models include an additional in-line post carbon filter which functions to further improve the water's taste and quality. Other units include a conductivity meter which will advise you when filter replacement is required, or a booster pump for low water pressure applications or when higher purified water production rates are required.

Generally the pre-filter, post-filter and in-line filters need replacing every year, and RO membranes are replaced every three years with normal water consumption. What ever RO system you decide to purchase, it's always a good idea to make sure that the unit it is NSF approved to ensure that you are getting a good quality drinking water. You can see some of our available units on our Reverse Osmosis page.

Some Common Questions:

1. How long are the your systems warranted for? The basic warranty is 5 years for an Autotrol, Fleck or Clack valve/control, 10 years for the resin tank and 5 years for a water softener brine tank. Stenner chemical feed systems are warranted for 1 year, with the retention tanks, manufactured by Structural, carrying a 5 year warranty. We also provide free lifetime technical support to the original purchaser, to cover questions regarding installation, operation, trouble shooting, repair and on-going use of our systems.
   
   
2. How would I obtain repair parts? We stock many thousands of parts to repair our equipment, so normally any required repair part is shipped immediately to you out of our inventory. Occasionally, we will have to special order a seldom replaced item, and in this case shipment is normally delayed about a week.
   
   
3. Can I order this equipment over the telephone? If you would like to order by phone rather than using our secure internet site, you can reach us during business hours at (800) 580-3033 8:00 to 6:00 PM EST. Our sales engineers are frequently on the phone, and if you are transferred our receptionist or answering service, please leave a message and phone number, and we will get right back to you.
   
   
4. How long would it take to receive the units once I order them? It normally takes a day or two to build the unit, and shipment is normally by UPS the day that it is assembled.
   
   
5. Do you have a price match policy? Yes, we will match any competitors price for an equivalent system. Please understand that appearance can deceive - all systems are not built the same. It is easy to reduce the price of a system by using inferior parts and media - we only sell high quality systems, and cannot provide a lower quality design to meet a competitive price. However, for any equally assembled system we will be pleased to match any price.

Express Pre-Sales Technical Support:
CAI always provides free technical support to our customers to answer installation and operation questions. In addition, we are happy to answer any basic pre-sales questions a potential customer may have regarding selection, application and operation of our equipment at no charge.

Occasionally, more substantial engineering is required to properly recommend a water treatment solution for a particularly difficult application. We offer a pre-sales paid technical support to non-customers or customers requiring more extensive engineering.