[MrRedBank]

I have hard municipal water at my house. I don't have a measurement of how much matter is in there, but my shower, dishwasher, teapot, etc., are all coated with hard white stains. The neighbors report the same.

So, I am considering a unit to handle the whole house. It sounds like the sodium approach is the most common. We have two adults and one child in our home, and are conservative with our water usage. Can someone please send me down the path as to what to shop for, level of difficulty with install (I will use a plumber), pitfalls, etc? Thanks.

Michael

[Andy CWS]

Welcome to the forum,

First of all, you will need a qualified water analysis, which normally include hardness, iron, chlorine, TDS as well as flow rate and pressure. After that we can help you select an appropriate approach to handling your water concerns.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

[MrRedBank]

Andy,

I am sure I have the pressure reading somewhere in a file from my home inspection (I bought this house about a year ago). In terms of the water analysis, is there something I can perform reliably myself?

Michael

[Andy CWS]

Michael,

City water pressure is normally adequate unless you have old (galvanized) plumbing, which may be clogged with scale build up.

You can get a chlorine test kits from a pool supplier or Wal-Mart. A hardness test can be done by a water professional either at their store or in home. There are some water test kits available on-line (http://www.filtersfast.com/water-test-kit-cat.asp) or on sites like eBay.

However you go, when you decide to go with a softener or some other treatment, make sure all your water concerns are addressed and the proper solution is affordable both in initial price and long-term operating cost.

Look for some kind of dechlorination system whether it be whole house or just for drinking water. A quality softener will give excellent results for decades if the right one is chosen.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

[MrRedBank]

Andy,

I called the plumbing service that I kown and trust here in town, and they came out and did the test. I have not yet seen it, but they left me a message saying I had 12 grains of hardness. They recommend a whole house unit, and say that it will be about $1500 for the unit and installation. I have not gotten a written quote yet, so I don't know the particulars about the unit. But, they have done quality work for me before. Does this sound in the ballpark for this type of system?

Michael

[Andy CWS]

Before you sign on the dotted line, there are many details you should consider.

What are your water results, complete? This includes iron, hardness, and TDS at least.

What is the make and model of the softener being offered? Size of the tank. Is it a timer model or demand? Does it in clude a by-pass and a prefilter? How many people will be using the water?

There are softeners much cheaper than that and many more expensive.

Hey, I have a used car I'll let you have for $7000...but you can't take it for a test drinve, can't ask me what it is, how old it is, who owned before.... you see where I am going?

Get back with some of these answers.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

There are many aspects to consider before buying a softener.