Download SECTION 15981 — COMMERCIAL WATER SOFTENERS

GUIDE SPECIFICATION SECTION
Revised 16 February 2016
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232511-1
Water Softeners
SECTION 232511 –WATER SOFTENERS
PART 1 - GENERAL
RELATED DOCUMENTS
Drawings and general provisions of Contract, including General and Supplementary Conditions and Division-1
Specifications sections, apply to the work of this section.
QUALITY ASSURANCE
Effluent from the water softener package shall contain less than 1.0 grains per gallon hardness expresses as CaCO 3
as determined by the EDTA Test Method.
ASME Compliance: Construct softener tanks in accordance with ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section
VIII. Provide stamp and certification.
UL Labels: Provide ancillary electrical components which have been Listed and Labeled by UL for water
conditioners.
NEMA Standards: Provide electrical controls and enclosures conforming to applicable standards of NEMA for
environment where water conditioners are indicated.
NSF Compliance: Construct and install water conditioners in accordance with NSF Standard 44, Cation Exchange
Water Softeners Relating to Supplementary Treatment of Potable Water.
Mineral Standards: Provide mineral products acceptable under state and local public health control regulations.
SPECIFIED PRODUCT WARRANTY
Provide limited product warranty for water conditioners covering:
Attrition loss of mineral not to exceed 3% per year for first three years.
Under actual operating conditions, mineral shall not be washed out of system during service run or
backwashing period.
Turbidity and color of effluent, by reason of passing through softener system, shall not be greater than
incoming water.
Underdrain system, gravel, and mineral shall not become fouled, either with turbidity or by dirt, rust, or scale
from the softening system, or present in soft water, while operating as noted in manufacturers operating
instructions.
SUBMITTALS
General: Submittals shall demonstrate compliance with technical requirements by reference to each subsection of
this specification. Where a submitted item does not comply fully with each and every requirement of the
Specifications, the submittal shall clearly indicate such deviations. Identification requirements for non-complying
features of items are very specific. See Section 230210 for exact requirements.
Manufacturer’s Data: Submit manufacturer’s technical product data and installation instructions for water softener
materials and products.
PART 2 - PRODUCTS
GUIDE SPECIFICATION SECTION
Revised 16 February 2016
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232511-2
Water Softeners
WATER SOFTENERS
General: Provide as indicated, factory-assembled pressure-type commercial water softener, of capacity and for
electrical characteristics as shown on drawings.
Softener Tanks: Electric welded, pressure vessel quality, low carbon steel construction rated for 100 psig, and
hydrostatic tested to 150 psig.
Tanks Less Than 36” Diameter: Provide two handholes, one in top head and one in lower sideshell.
Tanks 36” Diameter and Larger: Provide manhole in top head.
Support Legs: Construct of structural steel; weld to lower tank head.
Finish: Hot-dip galvanized both exterior and interior of tank after fabrication.
Finish: Spray tank exterior with rust-resistant prime coat. 2-3 mils dry film thickness. Sandblast tank interior
and line with epoxy coating. 8-10 mils dry film thickness.
Freeboard: Provide minimum freeboard of 50% for backwash expansion above normal ion exchange mineral
bed level.
Upper Distribution: Provide single point baffle type upper distribution system, constructed of Schedule 40 galvanized
steel pipe and fittings.
Lower Distribution: Provide hub and radial arm type lower distribution system, constructed of PVC with individual fine
slotted non-clogging polyethylene strainers arranged for even flow distribution through resin bed. Embed the
distribution system in single layer subfill of washed 1/8” x 1/16” gravel to support resin bed.
Main Operating Valve: Provide industrial automatic multi-port diaphragm type, slow opening and closing valve free of
water hammer. Provide diaphragm guiding on full perimeter from full open to full shut. Isolate dissimilar metals within
valve. Provide valve that requires no special tools for service. Equip valve with internal automatic self-adjusting brine
injector to draw brine and rinse at constant rate independent of pressure. Provide single units with internal automatic
by-pass of untreated water during regeneration. Provide soft water sampling cock on valve.
Flow Control: Provide automatic flow controller to maintain proper backwash and flush rates over wide variations in
operating pressures, and that requires no field adjustments.
Exchange Resin: Provide high capacity exchange resin of sulfonated polystyrene, stable over entire pH range with
good resistance to bead fracture from attrition or shock. Provide resin having capacity of removing 30,000 grains of
hardness as calcium carbonate, per cubic foot of resin, when regenerated with 15 lb. of salt.
Brine System: Provide single brine measuring and dry salt storage tank with salt platform sufficiently sized for at least
four regenerations at full salting. Construct tank of 3/16” thick fiberglass or 3/8” thick rationally molded polyethylene
with cover. Equip brine tank with float-operated plastic fitted brine valve for automatic control of brine withdrawn and
fresh water refill.
Controls: Provide microprocessor-based driven controller with integral multiported pilot control valve to initiate a
backwash/regeneration sequence based on (time and/or volume user setpoints).
Multiported pilot control valve shall be factory-installed and piped to the main operating valve and include a dial for
both is visual indication of the system status and manual operation in the event of a power failure. Controller shall
sequence all steps of an automatic regeneration and return to a “Service” or “Stand-by” mode in readiness for treated
water demands. The initiating time and/or volume setpoints shall automatically reset upon initiation of a regeneration
sequence.
A programmable logic module, housed in a non-metallic NEMA 12 enclosure with clear hinged cover and keypad,
shall include user selectable pre-programmned modes of operation for single, twin, or triple tank applications. The
user selected program shall operate with manufacturer installed defaults or with user customized parameters, all of
which will be retained in a non-volatile memory requiring no external power source or battery backup.
GUIDE SPECIFICATION SECTION
Revised 16 February 2016
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232511-3
Water Softeners
Flow Sensors: A flow sensor package shall be provided consisting of an insertion-type magnetic pulse generator and
an installation fitting (tee or saddle) compatible with the specified piping to house the sensor providing ease of
removal for inspection without modification of the piping system. The flow sensor shall provide a low voltage signal
output to the controller for displaying both instantaneous flow rate and totalization data.
Flow sensor shall have an accuracy of 1% over full range and repeatability to 0.5% of full range. Sensing package
shall be sized for a flow rate range of 2.7-50 GPM and provided with a copper sweat tee flow sensor installation fitting
Accessories: Provide the following:
Pressure gauges for hard water inlet and soft water outlet.
Sampling cocks for hard water inlet and soft water outlet for each tank.
Position indicator to indicate position of main operating valve.
Water Testing Set: Provide complete water testing set for hardness test, in metal container suitable for wall mounting.
PART 3- EXECUTION
INSTALLATION OF WATER SOFTENERS
Install water softeners where indicated, in accordance with equipment manufacturer’s written instructions, and with
recognized industry practices, to ensure that water conditioners comply with requirements and serve intended
purposes.
Provide access and service space around and over water conditioners as indicated, but in no case less than that
recommended by manufacturer.
Install electrical devices furnished by manufacturer but not specified to be factory-mounted in accordance with
Section 230511.
Provide shutoff valves and unions or flanges on water connections. Pipe drain to nearest floor drain.
ADJUSTING AND CLEANING
Start-up, test, and adjust water conditioners in presence of manufacturer’s authorized representative. Operate units
including regeneration, backwashing, brining and flushing. Adjust unit to maintain required steady state effluent water
quality.
Clean factory-finishes surfaces. Repair any marred or scratched surfaces with manufacturer’s touch-up paint.
EXTRA STOCK
Furnish ten 100 lb. bags of salt on pallet, stored where requested by Owner.
OWNER INSTRUCTION AND TRAINING
Provide Owner instruction and training in accordance with Section 230240.
END OF SECTION 232511