Very old never used water softener

[Rypinno]

I was in the market for a water softener when I was suddenly given a never unboxed softener from 1990!! It’s a hydrosafe model 169 PS (pretty sure this hasn’t been a company for a while after a Google search). I was surprised to see that it has self adjusting technology in the computerized valve assembly (I thought that was newer technology).

now for my questions.

Does anything stand out as a health risk when it comes to using 30 year old equipment? For example, could the plastic of the brine tank be outdate in terms of toxins (think BPA leaching or the changes they made to treated lumber in the 2000s... stuff like that). The resin tank is standard fiberglass so I assume I’m good there.

secondly, everything seems to be in good shape considering the fact that it was never used and was never exposed to light but, is there anything that the more experienced people can think of as a reason using this softener might not work?

finally, the tank size is 10x54. It was originally bought for a church. The manual says the recommended resin volume is 44 liters. I’m not entirely sure what our hardness is because it was tested over a year ago but I think it was moderately hard? we are using it in a single family home with 5 people. Does this seem oversized for my application?

 

[Jeff Handy]

I would hook it up, and buy the donor a nice big pizza and bottle of good vino.

If it is oversized, wouldn't it just do a recharge cycle less often?

 

[Rypinno]

I would hook it up, and buy the donor a nice big pizza and bottle of good vino.

If it is oversized, wouldn't it just do a recharge cycle less often?

That was my thought however, I read something about brine tanks that sit without cycling for too long could be a bad thing. I guess bacteria can grow. I’m determined to make it work though.

 

[Jeff Handy]

I had a tank about 48 inches tall, serving just two people for twenty five years, no problems with the brine tank.
It only cycled about every three or four days, maybe less sometimes.
You might want to watch out for salt bridging, which you can just gently knock down with a scrap of 2 x 4 or whatever.

Actually, I just remembered that I installed a pvc ball drain valve near the bottom, because once a year I gave it a big dose of Iron Out powder, to clean out the resin.
The Iron Out has a bad taste and smell, so I let the salt get pretty low, then after Iron Out I flushed with full tank of plain water.

The best time to install a drain valve is while it is new and accessible.
I installed a drain with a bulkhead fitting, like you would use to attach a hose to a rain barrel.

 

[Rypinno]

I had a tank about 48 inches tall, serving just two people for twenty five years, no problems with the brine tank.
It only cycled about every three or four days, maybe less sometimes.
You might want to watch out for salt bridging, which you can just gently knock down with a scrap of 2 x 4 or whatever.

Actually, I just remembered that I installed a pvc ball drain valve near the bottom, because once a year I gave it a big dose of Iron Out powder, to clean out the resin.
The Iron Out has a bad taste and smell, so I let the salt get pretty low, then after Iron Out I flushed with full tank of plain water.

The best time to install a drain valve is while it is new and accessible.
I installed a drain with a bulkhead fitting, like you would use to attach a hose to a rain barrel.

Awesome. I’m glad to hear from someone who has had a similar set up.

 

[RS]

We have 2 softeners at 2 seasonal residence where they sit for months without being use, have never had a problem.

 

[PerplexedPlumber]

If you can manually initiate a cycle, brine sitting for too long shouldn't be a problem. As Jeff Handy mentioned, the iron-out options aren't attractive, but if iron level is an issue for your water, you will need one or another. Ecowater has a drip-tank method for (I think) citric acid solution. Two salt manufacturers offer softener salt products that contain citric acid and citrate materials. It is better to mix these with standard softener salt when filling the units. Iron is especially a pain to deal with when you have newer ceramic fixtures that have less/inadequate glazing.

On the issue of plastics, I also give consideration to exposure from different plastics in different applications. The housing may be PVC. PVC made in the US that late may be good in quality. Imported PVC at that time was not made under the same requirements and vinyl chloride could leach out. (This is much worse than bisphenol-a.) Also, harder forms of plastics tend to have less bisphenol-a and other "plasticizers". It has yet to be determined what will result from a 30-year population exposure to the replacements for bisphenol-a. In any case, plastic housing fits this application, and newer units may still have PVC housing.

One additional consideration: new stuff is not necessarily better. In the quest to reduce manufacturing cost and provide products that are certified to be eco-friendly, some expectations associated with older products may not be fulfilled. With all-new appliances in a new house, I could write a lengthy and grumpy post about changes and failures. On the water softener, in the past I have had two Kenmore units and a Culligan unit, and each one performed well for waters with high levels of "hardness". Our new softener has not performed as well. I'm not confident about whether there are changes to the resin that affect its performance either. In general, that has been the case with a range of appliances, including HVAC units. (And increased frequency of replacement doesn't fit the goals of being eco-friendly since there is a larger environment footprint per item due to shorter life expectancy.)

So I would also be inclined to install the old "new" unit, flushing it several times, then if you aren't satisfied with its performance, consider replacing the resin or purchasing a new "new" unit. There will be plastic odor for a while from new units, so I would buy water for drinking and cooking for a while.

I like to use a low rate of bypass, unless your iron level is too high, for showering. For older units, this had to be plumbed physically with small tubing.

*These are my personal opinions. I'm not a professional plumber but a DIY plumber.

 

[Rypinno]

If you can manually initiate a cycle, brine sitting for too long shouldn't be a problem. As Jeff Handy mentioned, the iron-out options aren't attractive, but if iron level is an issue for your water, you will need one or another. Ecowater has a drip-tank method for (I think) citric acid solution. Two salt manufacturers offer softener salt products that contain citric acid and citrate materials. It is better to mix these with standard softener salt when filling the units. Iron is especially a pain to deal with when you have newer ceramic fixtures that have less/inadequate glazing.

On the issue of plastics, I also give consideration to exposure from different plastics in different applications. The housing may be PVC. PVC made in the US that late may be good in quality. Imported PVC at that time was not made under the same requirements and vinyl chloride could leach out. (This is much worse than bisphenol-a.) Also, harder forms of plastics tend to have less bisphenol-a and other "plasticizers". It has yet to be determined what will result from a 30-year population exposure to the replacements for bisphenol-a. In any case, plastic housing fits this application, and newer units may still have PVC housing.

One additional consideration: new stuff is not necessarily better. In the quest to reduce manufacturing cost and provide products that are certified to be eco-friendly, some expectations associated with older products may not be fulfilled. With all-new appliances in a new house, I could write a lengthy and grumpy post about changes and failures. On the water softener, in the past I have had two Kenmore units and a Culligan unit, and each one performed well for waters with high levels of "hardness". Our new softener has not performed as well. I'm not confident about whether there are changes to the resin that affect its performance either. In general, that has been the case with a range of appliances, including HVAC units. (And increased frequency of replacement doesn't fit the goals of being eco-friendly since there is a larger environment footprint per item due to shorter life expectancy.)

So I would also be inclined to install the old "new" unit, flushing it several times, then if you aren't satisfied with its performance, consider replacing the resin or purchasing a new "new" unit. There will be plastic odor for a while from new units, so I would buy water for drinking and cooking for a while.

I like to use a low rate of bypass, unless your iron level is too high, for showering. For older units, this had to be plumbed physically with small tubing.

*These are my personal opinions. I'm not a professional plumber but a DIY plumber.

great insight! Very valid points. I agree with your outlook on plastics.

I think I’m going to replace the resin regardless because after much research, It seems like the beads do have a shelf life. Regardless of whether that shelf life is super long, I’d like the piece of mind knowing that they are at peak performance.