Yellow water and hard water from the same well? A dual media system blends softening resin and tannin resin in one 12×54 tank on the same Clack WS1 valve as our softeners, so both come out in one pass with one brine tank. We put an Iron Breaker ahead of it where the test shows iron, and test the treated water’s pH before we leave.
In short
Hardness is a positive ion and tannins are negatively charged organic acids, so no single resin captures both. A blended bed holds both kinds: cation resin for the calcium and magnesium, strong-base anion resin for the tannins, regenerated together with ordinary softener salt. The anion resin needs rinsing every few days or it fouls, so the valve runs metered with a day override, and it needs iron kept away from it, which is the Iron Breaker’s job.
The science sheet says what a fix has to do. This is how ours does it, for hardness and tannins together
The in-home test (tannins, alkalinity, pH, hardness, iron), a system sized to it, installation with a bypass, start-up and programming, the first salt load, a walkthrough, and a before-and-after result in writing, pH included.
Clear water in a white tub and soft water at every tap within a day: soap lathers, glasses rinse clear, laundry whitens over a few washes, and no new scale forms. The musty taste goes with the color.
Tannins and hardness together, with room or budget for one unit. When either number is heavy, separate tanks give more capacity and longer resin life, and we will tell you so.
The same Clack WS1 valve and standard tank as our softeners: parts any technician can maintain for decades, installed by the person who will be here to do it.
| Series | Charger Matrix |
| Control valve | Clack WS1, metered, day override |
| Media | Blended cation and anion resin |
| Tank | 12×54 in. |
| Removes | Hardness and tannins |
| Brine tank | 15×17×35 in., 240 lbs of salt |
| pH correction | Calcite neutralizer if pH < 7.2 |
| Plumbing | 3/4" or 1" connection |
| Warranty | 5 years valve • 10 years tank |
Installed in Portage, Kalamazoo, Vicksburg, Schoolcraft, Mattawan, Paw Paw and across Southwest Michigan.
One tank when tannins and hardness are both moderate and there is room or budget for one unit. When either number is heavy, or the water is complicated in other ways, a separate softener and tannin filter give more capacity and longer resin life. We say which from your test, and why.
Anion resin that sits loaded with tannins fouls and stops letting go of them, so the Clack WS1 runs metered with a day override: it regenerates on gallons used, but never lets more than a few days pass. That means more salt than a softener alone, and we say so up front. Salt delivery covers it if you would rather not haul bags.
If your test shows iron, yes. Iron fouls both resins and takes the tannin capacity first, so the Iron Breaker goes in ahead of the dual media tank and the resin lasts. If there is no iron, there is no Iron Breaker.
It can. The anion resin strips alkalinity along with the tannins, which lowers pH. We test the treated water at start-up; if it falls below 7.2, a calcite pH neutralizer goes in behind it. If it holds, you do not pay for one.
Yes. The same 15×17×35 brine tank and ordinary pellet or solar salt, on the same Clack WS1 valve, serviced the same way.
5 years on the Clack WS1 valve and 10 years on the tank, the same as our softeners.
We test hardness, iron, pH and TDS at your house and tell you what, if anything, your water needs.
Schedule a free water testOr call (269) 262-1399
