- Flow Rate: 13 GPM Continuous / 18 GPM Peak
This means 13 GPM at 15% pressure loss. So, if your incoming pressure is 65 PSI is now 55.25 PSI
Operating at PEAK GPM lowers pressure by 25%...now you’re down to 48.75 PSI
Peak GPM is for occasional operation. Bad things can happen with frequent peak volume…damaged and lost resin, for example. Fractured resin can flow thru the softener’s valve and into the supply plumbing…it’s a real bi*ch to clean resin from solenoids, float valves, and hydrominders.
Service Flow Rate is a critical factor to calculate when sizing a water treatment system. Softening, neutralizing, chemical reduction and more require systems designed within set parameters. Intermittent water softening flow rates can be as high as 10 gpm per ft³ (20-30 gpm per ft²) but slower flow rates are recommended. High flow rates for extended amounts of time will produce low quality water, excessive pressure drop and reduced resin life.
Pressure drop will occur anytime something is added to the plumbing. A softener, pipe length, fittings and more all create flow restrictions increasing the pressure drop. Larger pipe sizes, wider tanks, high flow manifolds and multiple tank systems should be considered to reduce pressure drop.
Peak Flow Rates are based on the systems flow rate with a specified amount of pressure loss. All systems will create some pressure loss while water is flowing. Sizing a system to the peak flow rate should be avoided, but if a system will only hit the peak flow rates intermittently, this can be an effective way to prevent the installation of excessively large equipment.
Velocity is the speed of water inside of a pipe. For example, 1” Copper pipe can flow in excess of 40 gpm but the velocity at this flow rate can cause damage to the pipe, excessive noise and considerable water hammer. A properly designed plumbing system would limit the flow to less than 20 gpm in a cold water 1” pipe.
Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC) and local plumbing codes should be followed when sizing and installing a water treatment system.
Some links:
Product Detail (ohiopurewater.com)
Fleck 2900S 2 Inch Commercial Duplex Alternating Metered Softener | Up to 140GPM (flecksystems.com)
US Water Commercial Single Metered Softener 2 Inch - 140GPM (uswatersystems.com)
Commercial Water Softener Systems | trusco.us
