My current plan is to buy a water softener which will be inline for all
of my water except for the sprinkler system and front hose bib. We
currently use 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of water per month, but are
planning on having two kids for a total of four family members. I
think a good chunk of that water -- especially at the high end of the
range -- is for the landscaping which would not go through the water
softener. We are on Phoenix area city water with 20 grains/gallon of
hardness.

How do I know how many grains capacity I actually want/need? I started
with 32,000 grains and I wanted to get the Fleck 5600 Econominder valve
and found this:

https://www.shop.uswatersystems.com/...ategoryId= 14

But the guy there tells me that although it can have 1" fittings it
really is only a 3/4" valve and I'll see reduced flow as I currently
have 1" pipes. He recommended a system with the Logix controller which
uses the Autotrol 255 valve I believe and 55,000 grains capacity

https://www.shop.uswatersystems.com/...ategoryId =44

But I hear that the Fleck 5600 is more reliable and/or easier to
repair. I also read that the Autotrol 255 is also a 3/4" valve
anyways.

Can anybody recommend one product over the other?

PS - my current plan will cause my pool to be kept full with soft water
(but I could bypass soft water when I fill it from empty) by my
auto-leveler. My pool uses a salt system itself and thus I don't see
how a bit more sodium will hurt. Although it may be a waste to keep
the pool full with soft water, it avoids the need to run a new pipe all
the way to the backyard. My other problem is that I will have soft
water on my fridge which goes through an internal filter of some kind
and is used for making ice and drinking water. Apart from a bit more
sodium, is there any problem with this? Will it taste worse than my
current tap water?