Hard water
#3227462
04/16/24 01:52 PM
04/16/24 01:52 PM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 16,094 Central Florida
larrymopar360
OP
Stud Muffin
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OP
Stud Muffin
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Posts: 16,094
Central Florida
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I think the water is really hard in my area. Faucets don't last long and have buildup (Lime, sediment?) so that I have to frequently clean them out. The water diverter in my shower gets harder and harder to pull and the one I have now is only a year old and will need replacing soon. My Kitchen faucet (Moen) is less than ten years old and has a dripping handle. My Hot Water Heater (Rheem) just went bad after about 7 years. I know stuff isn't made like it use to be, but I'm wondering if the hard water is contributing, and should I look into a whole house water softening system? I'm worried that it'll be just another thing to fix and maintain.
Facts are stubborn things.
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Re: Hard water
[Re: larrymopar360]
#3227468
04/16/24 02:02 PM
04/16/24 02:02 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,294 Someplace you aren't
SomeCarGuy
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I Live Here
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Someplace you aren't
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Beware ones that have a filter as part of the package. The really good filters remove chlorine. While that’s hard on the plumbing, when you remove it, it allows algae to grow. It will come out your faucets, fridge, and grow in your shower. Had that happen to our house.
I want my fair share
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Re: Hard water
[Re: SomeCarGuy]
#3227484
04/16/24 02:47 PM
04/16/24 02:47 PM
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,416 St. Charles, MO
wingman
Uncreative Title
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Posts: 3,416
St. Charles, MO
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I used to do maintenance at an industrial laundry. They had a huge softener that would treat all the water coming into the plant, and then a secondary softener that would re-treat the water going into the steam boiler.
First thing to do is have you water tested and see how many grains of hardness you have. if you are above 7 or so you could benefit from a softener. Then you will need to size it appropriately based on your grains of hardness and gallons used per day.
Yes it will be "another thing to maintain", but if you have hard water it will save wear and tear on everything else in your house and will be worth it. Especially stuff like your washing machine, water heater, dishwasher, etc.
1969 Dodge Coronet Super Bee 383 A4 1970 Plymouth Road Runner 440 FC7 (sold)
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Re: Hard water
[Re: wingman]
#3227488
04/16/24 03:05 PM
04/16/24 03:05 PM
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Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 5,243 Star Idaho
67vertman
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master
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Posts: 5,243
Star Idaho
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This..... "First thing to do is have you water tested and see how many grains of hardness you have. if you are above 7 or so you could benefit from a softener. Then you will need to size it appropriately based on your grains of hardness and gallons used per day." And like all things, they require maintenance. I set a reminder on my calendar for maintenance times.
My Monster are real!
Living within your means makes life pretty easy.
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Re: Hard water
[Re: larrymopar360]
#3227508
04/16/24 04:19 PM
04/16/24 04:19 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,829 Omaha Ne
TJP
I Live Here
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I Live Here
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Posts: 15,829
Omaha Ne
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We are on muncipal water and have some problems but nothing like you're describing 😲😳 on the hot water heater did you ever service it? IE; drain and remove the sediment that accumulates in the bottom from the hard water? Should be done yearly and is a PITA. I usually do ours every 2-3 years the faucets etc. would indicate a really bad case of hard water and I might look into why and if there are other causes/solutions keep us posted
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Re: Hard water
[Re: Stanton]
#3227524
04/16/24 05:13 PM
04/16/24 05:13 PM
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Joined: May 2019
Posts: 6,497 nowhere
Sniper
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master
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I've had water softeners in three homes for the past 30 plus years. I would only call it "maintenance" if you're a lazy son-of-a-[censored]. Seriously, how hard is it to carry in an average of a bag of salt per month ?!?! Every few years I do a "cleaning" which involves pouring a quart of some [censored] in the brine tank and cycling the unit.
I don't have any other gizmos in the lines but my wife likes RO water so we have a separate small RO unit.
I do run outdoor water off a line before the softener - no point in watering lawns with soft water !!
And FWIW, we have a kettle and a Keurig that we've been using for over ten years and both look like the day the were made - no mineral buildup whatsoever in either one.
I'll bet you use RO water for the kettle and Keurig, not soft water. Water softeners ADD salt to your water, I'll pass on that genius idea.
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Re: Hard water
[Re: wingman]
#3227541
04/16/24 07:10 PM
04/16/24 07:10 PM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 16,094 Central Florida
larrymopar360
OP
Stud Muffin
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OP
Stud Muffin
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 16,094
Central Florida
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I used to do maintenance at an industrial laundry. They had a huge softener that would treat all the water coming into the plant, and then a secondary softener that would re-treat the water going into the steam boiler.
First thing to do is have you water tested and see how many grains of hardness you have. if you are above 7 or so you could benefit from a softener. Then you will need to size it appropriately based on your grains of hardness and gallons used per day.
Yes it will be "another thing to maintain", but if you have hard water it will save wear and tear on everything else in your house and will be worth it. Especially stuff like your washing machine, water heater, dishwasher, etc. Okay good info thank you.
Facts are stubborn things.
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Re: Hard water
[Re: TJP]
#3227542
04/16/24 07:13 PM
04/16/24 07:13 PM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 16,094 Central Florida
larrymopar360
OP
Stud Muffin
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OP
Stud Muffin
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 16,094
Central Florida
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We are on muncipal water and have some problems but nothing like you're describing 😲😳 on the hot water heater did you ever service it? IE; drain and remove the sediment that accumulates in the bottom from the hard water? Should be done yearly and is a PITA. I usually do ours every 2-3 years the faucets etc. would indicate a really bad case of hard water and I might look into why and if there are other causes/solutions keep us posted No, I didn't I know you're supposed to drain yearly but I didn't. I'm fairly convinced water is hard. I've traveled and showered and could immediately tell water was softer just by my skin. Is there a cause that could be isolated to just my house and not the water in our area? Thanks.
Facts are stubborn things.
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Re: Hard water
[Re: Stanton]
#3227543
04/16/24 07:14 PM
04/16/24 07:14 PM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 16,094 Central Florida
larrymopar360
OP
Stud Muffin
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OP
Stud Muffin
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 16,094
Central Florida
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I've had water softeners in three homes for the past 30 plus years. I would only call it "maintenance" if you're a lazy son-of-a-[censored]. Seriously, how hard is it to carry in an average of a bag of salt per month ?!?! Every few years I do a "cleaning" which involves pouring a quart of some [censored] in the brine tank and cycling the unit.
I don't have any other gizmos in the lines but my wife likes RO water so we have a separate small RO unit.
I do run outdoor water off a line before the softener - no point in watering lawns with soft water !!
And FWIW, we have a kettle and a Keurig that we've been using for over ten years and both look like the day the were made - no mineral buildup whatsoever in either one.
I don't mind the once a month thing. I wasn't sure what was required. Thanks.
Facts are stubborn things.
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Re: Hard water
[Re: Uberpube]
#3227546
04/16/24 07:17 PM
04/16/24 07:17 PM
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Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 16,094 Central Florida
larrymopar360
OP
Stud Muffin
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OP
Stud Muffin
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 16,094
Central Florida
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If the house is home run plumbed you can setup for not running soft water to the toilets and outdoor taps. Here I ran soft to the toilets because the water is so hard it screws up the floats in the toilets in short time. But yeah you should not be drinking softened water, its high in sodium, not good for blood pressure in older dudes especially. I have a zero waste RO system to filter the softened water, I am currently replumbing the house and will be putting the RO onto and unsoftened feed soon. Residential softeners are pretty low maintenance, I add salt every 3 months and run media cleaner once a year, softener is now 6 years old. I didn't know it added a substantial amount of salt to drinking water until you and Sniper mentioned that. Um. So selective plumbing sounds necessary. I'm missing something. Can't figure out what R/O means lol. I think I'd be satisfied to at least shower in softer water. I'm going to mark the date purchased on my new Water Heater with a sharpie for drain and clean purposes.
Facts are stubborn things.
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Re: Hard water
[Re: 6PakBee]
#3227580
04/16/24 09:32 PM
04/16/24 09:32 PM
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 5,003 WI
Dcuda69
master
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master
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Posts: 5,003
WI
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I'm no expert but... I don't think you want a whole house softener. Ours is setup so the outside spigots,drinking water(kitchen cold and fridge) are hard water...everything else is soft. You don't want soft(salty) water as drinking water. Remember...sending soft water to the water heater means salted water to the heater but you want soft/hot water. Heaters are built like junk now...I just had one crap after 4 years and I have a softener. Get a softener that regenerates based on your usage not on time. We put one in a few years back...saves a TON on salt.
Last edited by Dcuda69; 04/16/24 09:33 PM.
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Re: Hard water
[Re: Sniper]
#3227593
04/16/24 11:29 PM
04/16/24 11:29 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,829 Omaha Ne
TJP
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,829
Omaha Ne
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I've had water softeners in three homes for the past 30 plus years. I would only call it "maintenance" if you're a lazy son-of-a-[censored]. Seriously, how hard is it to carry in an average of a bag of salt per month ?!?! Every few years I do a "cleaning" which involves pouring a quart of some [censored] in the brine tank and cycling the unit.
I don't have any other gizmos in the lines but my wife likes RO water so we have a separate small RO unit.
I do run outdoor water off a line before the softener - no point in watering lawns with soft water !!
And FWIW, we have a kettle and a Keurig that we've been using for over ten years and both look like the day the were made - no mineral buildup whatsoever in either one.
I'll bet you use RO water for the kettle and Keurig, not soft water. Water softeners ADD salt to your water, I'll pass on that genius idea. not good for lawns
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Re: Hard water
[Re: Twostick]
#3227613
04/17/24 07:22 AM
04/17/24 07:22 AM
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Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 9,031 Ontario, Canada
Stanton
Don't question me!
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Don't question me!
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 9,031
Ontario, Canada
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Water softeners ADD salt to your water, Old wives tale. There is more salt in a glass of milk !!! The salt brine is what reacts with the pellets in the tank to "detach" the minerals and flush them away. The tank then goes through a rinse cycle to flush the salt water. There is no salt water in the drinking water. And we've been drinking it for years.
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Re: Hard water
[Re: Stanton]
#3227655
04/17/24 10:51 AM
04/17/24 10:51 AM
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Joined: May 2019
Posts: 6,497 nowhere
Sniper
master
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master
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Posts: 6,497
nowhere
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Water softeners ADD salt to your water, Old wives tale. There is more salt in a glass of milk !!! The salt brine is what reacts with the pellets in the tank to "detach" the minerals and flush them away. The tank then goes through a rinse cycle to flush the salt water. There is no salt water in the drinking water. And we've been drinking it for years. Ever had your water tested? And yes, it does add sodium to your water.
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Re: Hard water
[Re: Sniper]
#3227672
04/17/24 11:36 AM
04/17/24 11:36 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 13,690 md
mopars4ever
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 13,690
md
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Water softeners ADD salt to your water, Old wives tale. There is more salt in a glass of milk !!! The salt brine is what reacts with the pellets in the tank to "detach" the minerals and flush them away. The tank then goes through a rinse cycle to flush the salt water. There is no salt water in the drinking water. And we've been drinking it for years. Ever had your water tested? And yes, it does add sodium to your water. and I don`t drink that water for that reason.
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