Softener Damages Water Heater?

[Resist]

There is nothing that specifically says "hardness" in the report. From what I understand about hardness in water it is read as parts per million or weight/volume (mg/L) of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) in the water.

[Gary Slusser]

On city water quality reports it can be stated as hardness, total hardness, CACO3, calcium and magnesium in either ppm or mg/l or gpg. If it's not on the report, and you want to know if the water is hard, you need a hardness test.

[Resist]

Nothing mentioned on the Annual Report about, hardness, total hardness, CACO3, calcium or magnesium. I will email the water manager again and find out.

[Gary Slusser]

OK, but if it were me, I'd get a hardness test kit and do it myself or take a sample to Sears or a local water treatment dealer or a lab. Especially when they don't seem to want to tell you how hard their water is.

[Resist]

abcd819,

Go away spammer!

[Andy CWS]

I have reported to both forum leaders, but nothing has happened, yet. I suppose they will investigate soon.

Andy

[Resist]

The City got back to me again, here are the numbers:

total hardness = 230 mg/L as CaCO3
total alkalinity = 180 mg/L as CACO3
calcium = 35 mg/L
magnesium = 35 mg/L



So how bad is it?

[Gary Slusser]

That's 13.45 gpg of hardness, that's very hard water.

[Resist]

And how did you calculate 13.45 gpg? What is the hardness scale?

[Andy CWS]

Divide ppm by 17.1 to get grains per gallon.

Hardness scale by the Water Quality Association, accepted by water professionals, is less than one grain is soft, 3 - 7 is hard and over 10.5 is extremely hard.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

[Resist]

Okay so now what should we do? This economy is killing our finances and having to pay Raine every month really hurts.

[Gary Slusser]

What should you do... What can you do seems to be a better question and I don't know how anyone can answer that for you without knowing if you can afford to buy a softener or not but... I can tell you that you can get a very high quality softener online for less than you can buy one of the same quality anywhere else. I suggest a correctly sized softener with a Clack WS-1 control valve for the number of family members, the number of bathrooms and the type of fixtures in them.

[Resist]

Afford a water softener....yes I can. The problem is that I have no place to drain the regeneration cycle water with doing major construction.

I am still not 100% sure I need a water softener. I have heard that since I have copper water pipes, they are harder on them. Not sure if that is true or not.

All I want is a system that does not harm my water heater or pipes. Water that I can drink safely and if safe for showering.

[Gary Slusser]

Softened water does not harm copper tubing or water heaters. Yes you need a softener but they don't remove harmful things t omake your water "save to drink", an RO usually does.

[Resist]

I already knew a water softener doesn't remove harmful things to make my water safe to drink. I was just stated what I want for my home....safe drinking water.

If a water softener doesn't harm copper pipes then why did the inside of our pipes have some sort of coating on them? Afterall there is some salt in the water correct? I would think any amount would cause an issue with copper.

[Andy CWS]

If a water softener doesn't harm copper pipes then why did the inside of our pipes have some sort of coating on them? Afterall there is some salt in the water correct? I would think any amount would cause an issue with copper.

Water is the universal solvent. It takes with it nearly everything it touches and later drops it somewhere else. Pretty amazing stuff, actually.

Water reacts one of three ways to plumbing. It removes, adds or does nothing. Water can carry elements that is has dissolved elsewhere, like calcium, and leave deposits in the plumbing. This is scale build up.

Or the water is removing material causing corrosion as low pH can react to copper pipes.

Either of these, taken to a degree, can be devasating to your fixtures and appliances. One of the key differences of have either 'salt' or calcium in your plumbing is that calcium is insoluable and remains attached and builds up, salt does not.

Or water passes through and changes little with the plumbing due to a 'harmonious' relationship where there is very little give of take.

What are paying Raine every month, for? Are you renting equipment?

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

[Gary Slusser]

All waters contain sodium. That is not "salt". Salt is sodium chloride.

A softener adds 7.85 mg/l of sodium per grain per gallon (gpg) of compensated hardness removed from the water, but no "salt". Check labels on water and food to compare how little that is added by a softener.

What was the stuff in the pipe or, how do you know it was "salt" from your rented softener (which isn't possible)? It's more likely from TDS, hardness, sulfates or chlorides etc..

[Resist]

What are paying Raine every month, for? Are you renting equipment?

We pay $35 a month and they exchange the tank twice a month. We are a two person household and currently have a 50 gallon water heater.