Water softener questions

[Spork]

I've been thinking of a water softener because I'm tired of scrubbing lime off my sinks and tubs. I've read some of the suggestions about using wax on faucets and was wondering if your happy with this alternative? I have a shower filter that works great for taking out chlorine but I don't think it does much for lime. I also have a heavy duty counter top filter that attaches to the faucet for drinking water.

I have heard some people say that by softening the water you take out minerals that your body needs. Then another site I was reading says that most of those minerals you get from regular food and you would need to drink a bathtub full of water to get your requirements so it doesn't matter anyway.

So what do you think? I was looking at a cheap whirlpool model and the reviews seem to be better on those than the boss menards sells.

thanks

[Oren]

You have to take into account other things. Water hardness, proper sizing of the softener, etc. Even potential damage to appliances (water heater/dishwasher/clothes washer, etc.) from minerals.

A "cheap" unit is not the answer, regardless of the reviews. How much is "cheap for the unit you reviewed?

A call to your water utility may answer the hardness issues or find them on the 'net for your location. This site is run by a former poster here and has great information.

[JimT]

I love my water softener (Rain Soft). We don't have any of the scaling problem we used to get in our old house. We don't have to drain out water heater, coffee machine stays clean, and showers stay cleaner,. Down side is, if you drink a lot of water you need to be careful about the sodium intake. They are not recommended for people with high blood pressure. You can use potassium but it's way more expensive than salt. If you get one installed be sure to get separate lines for your yard (or pool if you have one) because you don't want to put all that salt in your yard because it builds up over time. Plus, I got a under the sink water filter that takes the salt out of our drinking water (don't for get the ice machine, soft water doesn't make very good ice). As a side note: If getting seperate lines is too expensive, you can shut your ws off while watering the yard.

I think you're probably right about the nutritional aspect but I think that is determined by how much water you drink. My father-in-law is a chemist and he says soft-water can actually deplete you of minerals. I just ignore him .

Jim

[The Henchman]

Our town government recommends water softeners and that means a lot because they require a lot of water to work and flush down to the sewer. Our water is 25 hardness.

Don't get one form a big box store. They are built with poor quality resins. If you do get a softener I recommend one from Eco Water direct. They can be programmed to your needs. A good water softener should last 20 to 25 years. Big box store types last 7 maybe. You can rent them but I'd avoid culligan rentals. They are know for overpricing and hard selling and have been bankrupted a few times. At least EcoWater is Berkshire Hathaway. there are better models than Ecowater, like kinetico but you pay.

Yes the minerals you need are depleted fro the water but you can make this up with vitamins!! new water softeners add about 40 to 80 mg of salt to you daily intake. Don't ever water your plants or lawn with softener water. It's a waste and it's nutrient deficient from the plant. Softened water allow your washing machine, dishwasher and shower soaps to all clean better.

The unit I have is this

it has a built in charcoal filter like a Brita system as well.

[Oren]

25? I gave up at 22 in the desert.

Lake Mead bath tub ring of calcium.

[ransley]

Are you planning on using it whole house, I dont like softened water for showering. How hard is your water.

[The Henchman]

Yeah I have pictures of lake mead in a national Geographic issue from a couple of months ago. pretty freaky! And a sign of a bad bad drought. Must be scary for Las Vegas?

There is a town about 5 or 6 miles west of us called Limehouse (Ontario Canada) that has a number of wells testing 70 grains of hardness.

Our town Georgetown gets all it's water from groundwater sources. 2 of the 7 wells are about 20 hardness. the remaining 5 are 25.

[hallerb]

softened water always makes me feel slimey getting a shower

[Ed Pawlowski]

It does at first, but you are cleaner than ever with a lot less soap. After a few days, it feels kind of nice.

[gfretwell]

Just bear in mind a water softener is swapping calcium ions with sodium ions so if you re on a salt restricted diet, don't drink a lot of softened water.

[Roy]

=3D=3D I have used "softened" water for twenty years on my house plants and have had NO problems whatsoever. I use a commercial liquid fertilizer and my African violets thrive, my hoya thrives and even my cacti do well.

Before the use of an iron remover and softener, I couldn't see the bottom of the bath tub as the iron content was so evident. Now it is clear and nearly iron free. My laundry whites are no longer dark brown and the hose filters to the washer rarely accumulate much residue.

=3D=3D

[Roy]

=3D=3D Perhaps this URL may help in regard to sodium in softened water:

=3D=3D

[JimT]

== Perhaps this URL may help in regard to sodium in softened water:

==

That's the way I understand it too. If you're on a sodium restricted diet avoid sw.

I don't like the taste either. I have a under the sink ro filter for my drinking but my ice water is still on sw. They taste different to me. A little salty. (We've had our machine serviced. When the seals are out it tastes much saltier.) Right now there is just a hint of salt.

I don't water my plants with sw but I wonder if some actually like the "hint of salt". I know you're not susposed to use it on the yard because the salt builds up.

Jim

[dadiOH]

I'm glad you do, lord knows you paid enough. ____________________

There is no salt in your softened water. Sodium ions, yes; salt, no. __________________

Even if there was salt dissolved in your water a filter wouldn't remove it. Filters remove solid particles.

[Han]

"dadiOH" wrote in news:2iojo.113409$Q_3.11475 @newsfe27.ams2:

Confused? Of course. A water softener removes calcium and magnesium ions in exchange for sodium ions. This happens on the surface of a substance called an ionexchanger inside the "softener". This process is reversible, and every once in a while you have to regenerate the ionexchanger. That happens by adding a "brine" solution to the softener "machine". This is a concentrated salt (sodium chloride) solution. After the inoexchanger is regenrated, the excess salt has to be removed. Usually this is done by letting the water flow through to a waste collection point. If you let that stream into your uard, you should have your head examined. It should go into the municipal sewer system, where it does not really do anything good, but it isn't all that bad either. Once "rinsed" sufficiently, the softener is ready for normal use.

[Spork]

thank you everyone for the helpful replies. Someone also contacted me by email claiming the easy water system has worked wonders for them and that they are not affiliated in anyway. So I started googling. Some say no way its a gimmick, others say maybe, and some swear by it. Anyone here have experience with it?

I think getting my water tested will be a good start. I still have concerns about sodium ions, salt or whatever you call it in the drinking water. It may not seem like much but you never know after years of use. Maybe a ro under the sink would work for me but I just bought one of the nice counter top models with a carbon filter.I'm curious to see if the shower filter reduces lime build up over time. Surprisingly I don't think those are a gimmick and feels better on the skin without chlorine. Maybe the water here isn't really that bad its just that I want a very minimal effort on cleaning. I just read another tip that wd-40 does wonders on fiberglass and keeps minerals from attaching. I may try this but be careful not to get on the bottom of the tub.

[Han]

Spork wrote in news:303f1adf-fc82-4ac9-8d0c- [e-mail]:

Wrapping wires around a pipe can't change the mineral composition of the water, IMNSHO. It certainly can't remove dissolved gases. Maybe you should look up "placebo effect" in Google.

All that being said, our home came with a water softener system that probably was neglected. We are originally from an area with great natural water, and really couldn't stomach the slimy showers and swamp taste of the water. Trying to sanitize the softener didn't work, so we removed it. Drinking water is made acceptable with Brita filters (ionexchange and activated carbon in a disposable - expensive - cartridge). The Brita also takes out lead and other things that are objectionable, and has some silver in it as a bacteriostatic (see born with a silver spoon).

As always, YMMV, but watch out for "easy" solutions that don't make scientific sense.

[Oren]

There has been a drought since I moved here 15 years ago. The lake level has dropped 120 feet in that time. New homes cannot have turf lawns in the front yard. We get a rebate for removing lawn turf and changing to a desert landscape. Some old homesteads that were flooded when the damn went in can now be seen.

The water utility is putting in a "Third Straw" intake pipe down another 600 feet, below current pipes.

Video with story link:

At 70 grains, I guess you have to strain that water through your teeth.

[Thurman]

Not only great information, but great service at a fraction of the price. Bought a unit from Gary last year. What a guy! A bit abrasive attitude, but ya gotta figure he deals with a lot of people who are looking to pick his brain, and he may not get anything in return.

He beat my local lumber yard on quality & price. In fact, lumber yard was almost double the price since they had to "order" what I wanted.

[Oren]

Why? Soft water might have less sodium/salt than a slice of white bread, made in Georgia.

Is your information source from the Queen?!