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We have just been recently relocated out to the Midwest.We have hard water. In all our homes never had hard water before.
White spots in the dishwasher, on the shower doors, on the faucets etc. We won't even drink the water. It doesn't smell but the taste is bad-to many minerals.
We don't want to spend thousands of dollars on a water softening system. Our builder and friends recommended Sears-for around $800 plus installation.
Does anyone have a Sears system?? How is it?? I know it uses salt. Is the amount to be concerned about especially when you are getting older and do not want to consume extra salt.
I have an old Sears water softener, got it with the house over 15 years ago and it still works fine.
Read the Wikipedia article on how they work - they do add some sodium to your water but don't add salt as such.
You can put in a reverse osmosis system to further purify your drinking water, or you can buy purified water at most grocery stores for about 30 cents per gallon, if you bring your own plastic jug.
For the most part health concerns on drinking softened water I think are over-blown.
Culligan will rent or sell their systems, if you don't want to buy one outright right now.
I have an old Sears water softener, got it with the house over 15 years ago and it still works fine.
Read the Wikipedia article on how they work - they do add some sodium to your water but don't add salt as such.
You can put in a reverse osmosis system to further purify your drinking water, or you can buy purified water at most grocery stores for about 30 cents per gallon, if you bring your own plastic jug.
For the most part health concerns on drinking softened water I think are over-blown.
Culligan will rent or sell their systems, if you don't want to buy one outright right now.
Thanks for reply. I'm just tired of all the white spots and bad tasting water. My refrigerator does have a filter but my DH and I can still not drink the water.
Used a Sears for about 15 years. Cost something like $299.00 in 1982. Worked fine for nearly 15 years but the guts of the valve finally gave out. Put in a waaaay too expensive EcoWater softener thereafter. Bought through a dealer. Oh it was supposed to be a wonderful, long lasting quality machine - hence the price of nearly $900.00. The seals in the valve gave out 3 times in 12 years. Replaced them twice at the "dealer rate" of about $200.00 a pop. Third time I said to h*** with EcoWater and tried to find the parts myself without any luck. They have their own unique valve assembly. So I spent about $350 on a Morton "System Saver" at the home center, installed it myself for about $15.00, and the repair parts are readily available online. Guess what else? Looking at the parts, addresses, warranties, and manuals, the Morton is obviously manufactured either by EcoWater or whoever makes their equipment. The valve is simpler, the controls are simpler, and it's owner serviceable. And it sells for about 1/3rd of the EcoWater price! So much for the "dealer network," eh?
I'm just tired of all the white spots and bad tasting water. My refrigerator does have a filter but my DH and I can still not drink the water.
What is a reverse osmosis system??
Good water has no taste, it's the things dissolved into the water that gives it a good or bad taste. An RO (reverse osmosis) unit removes 90+% of those things. They use pre and post filters and a membrane to do that.
Softeners do not use any of the chlorides in sodium chloride (salt). They use a small amount of the sodium to regenerate the resin when needed. Sodium is not salt, salt is sodium chloride. The amount of sodium added to the water by a water softener is 7.85 mg/l per grain per gallon of exchange. I.E. 20 gpg water will add 157 mg of sodium to the sodium that is already in the water. A slice of white bread usually has from 120-160 mg per slice. An 8 oz glass of skim milk usually like 500 mg of sodium. So the softened water may not be near as bad as many people think.
Bog box store (Lowe's Whirlpool, Home Depot's GE, Sears Kenmore) brand softeners today are not near what they used to be 15-20 years ago. They have very short warranties and don't last service free very long, and they are expensive to fix. They are the most commonly complained about softeners.
You can search for the brand name + softener and read for yourself. All of them plus the North Star and mortonsalt.com are made by Ecowater and all the parts, control valves, tanks etc. are interchangeable. And they all work the same. Ecowater's dealers models are just overpriced versions of the big box store brands and have a bit better quality (ceramic disc) and a few additional features.
I suggest DIYers look at a correctly sized softener using the Clack WS-1 control valve. All softeners must be sized for the number of family members and bathrooms and the type of fixtures in them so the softener can treat all the peak demand water flow. The Clack WS-1 is the easiest control valve to repair and that is by design. Anyone with a pair of Channel Lock type pliers can totally rebuild the valve and have their water back on in under 30 minutes. And there are only 5 parts and you would rarely replace more than one. Check my profile for more info on sizing.
Thank you but after talking with several neighbors we are buying local. There are some items I will buy over the net but not a water softening system.
I wonder why you are asking for information online when now you are going to rely on the neighbors. And you don't mention a brand.
Why is that when there's probably no product that isn't bought online?
My guess is it's because you don't understand water softeners and want to depend on a local dealer for installation and service. That will cost you a lot of money you don't need to spend. Again, you could hire a plumber to do the installation. And once you have a few local dealers' salespeople come out and propose their softeners, you may change your mind.
What brand are you thinking about? Is it proprietary?
There are many reason NOT to buy on line. These are just a few. Local companies pay local taxes. That money goes to local parks, roads, schools and fire protection. They provide local jobs, this can be traced back to the kid cutting a lawn. Local companies give to local projects. Why buy off the net and send your kid into a store for a donation?? Does that make any sense?? Oh, and when that kid can not find a job, will the people on the net hire him/her???? I think not.
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