House has hard water, pls recommend a water softening system

I've never associated hard water with copper pipes leaking. Typically the complaints with hard water are that it builds up scale, especially in water heaters, boilers, etc. It requires more detergent to wash clothes, can leave stains in sinks, iron being the offender there.

If you want a softener, I'd at least look into Nuvo, which is one that's based on using citric acid cartridges, instead of salt. IDK much about it except seeing it advertised on TV and it looks interesting. Key issue would be how much water a cartridge will do and how much they cost. The typical ones use salt, which is cheap. And you should first get the water tested to know what you're dealing with, how hard it really is, etc.

1. Have your water tested. 2. Then have it tested again by an honest person who isn't selling water treatment systems. 3. Ask the nearby neighbours about their well water treatment and/or any issues that they have experienced.

If you're also on a septic system - make sure that it will handle the proposed water treatment<s> .. John T.

This is sound advice. Adding to it, I'd avoid the franchise guys like Culligan and look for a local guy to get you what you really need. Ask neighbors

Where in the northeast are you? In central MA Hi Purity is a good outfit. I used them at work for years.

Still nothing better out there than a good old ion exchange water softener - you know, the ones that use salt? Virtually all the other softeneing technologies out there have "issues" - to be charitable.

Up here in Ontario Canada I've had good results with Meyers and Canadian Water Conditioning and Miracle Water. My current unit is a Miracle Water. It replaced a 35 year old Meyers. Anything using a "Fleck" valve assembly will be at the very least, a decent system. There are "sensor" type, "programmed" type using water flow, and "programmed" units using a time clock. My old Meyers was a timeclock unit. The current Miracle Water is a flow sense programmed system. The "sensor" type tend to be more problematic (as well as significantly more expensive up-front)

With the flow type you set the hardness of the water in grains and it figures out then to recharge based on the amount of water you have used. Here in Waterloo Ontario we are running about 30 grains - region wide it varies from about 17 to 38 (that is 360-650 ppm) I go through 5 or 6 bags of salt per year (20 kg or 44 lb bags) at about $6

- $7 a bag.

I bought my Miracle Water unit on sale at TSC and installed it myself. IIRC it was on a really good deal at about $350. Normal pricing is closer to $600 - I bought mine before i "really needed" it

-saw the price that was almost too good to be true and KNEW the mryers was on borrowed time. I had already rebuilt the head and replaced the resin tube over 15 years ago.

If you want a free water test, a recommendation of what you need and a high pressure sales pitch, call Culligan. You can always say no, then decide how much of the system he proposed is necessary ... or just let them do it. In my case, I didn't call them, the guy just showed up at my door a few days after I closed on the house so I figured I didn't owe him anything. I shopped around and got everything I needed a whole lot cheaper than that proposal, without a contract but YMMV.

Mine is similar to this but 1 size larger :

My old one had the same control which was re-built once in its ~ 20 year life - if I remember it was ~ $ 75. to have it done. I have a bit of iron in my well water, so I use the more-expensive "rust remover" salt - but at 5 or 6 bags per year it isn't a show-stopper. John T.

At minimum, you'll need to test your water for hardness and pH.