Shopping for a whole-house Water System (softener, cost of, moving)

[Stonewall17]

Any advice? I have read some other threads on this forum about the hardness and odor of the water here in Jax/St. Aug and I came to the conclusion that the water is harmless, perfectly fine as long as you drink filtered water which I do. But I did notice that the water leaves a residue (e.g. glasses from the dishwater are not exactly sparkling) and as long as the cost of a whole house system is not prohibitive I would look into removing whatever is causing the scum.

[apvbguy]

Originally Posted by Stonewall17

Any advice? I have read some other threads on this forum about the hardness and odor of the water here in Jax/St. Aug and I came to the conclusion that the water is harmless, perfectly fine as long as you drink filtered water which I do. But I did notice that the water leaves a residue (e.g. glasses from the dishwater are not exactly sparkling) and as long as the cost of a whole house system is not prohibitive I would look into removing whatever is causing the scum.

the residues and slime is from the water being hard, try googling hard water for all the details.
the only way to remove the hardness is with filtration, not those little pitchers or refrig filters but whole house systems that filters all the water in your home. on top of that you can get a reverse osmosis system for your drinking water.

whether you need these things or not is entirely up to you,many people do not have any filter systems and get along fine.

I have a complete system and wouldn't consider not having one, since you have noted the residue issues so I suppose you're feeling the need for one, good luck with what ever choice you make.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by Stonewall17

Any advice? I have read some other threads on this forum about the hardness and odor of the water here in Jax/St. Aug and I came to the conclusion that the water is harmless, perfectly fine as long as you drink filtered water which I do. But I did notice that the water leaves a residue (e.g. glasses from the dishwater are not exactly sparkling) and as long as the cost of a whole house system is not prohibitive I would look into removing whatever is causing the scum.

My water softener takes care of the residue, flavor issues, etc. that you're speaking of.

You can probably expect to pay anywhere from $2000-$3000 to have a plumber install a "loop" into your plumbing system. The "loop" will allow you to have all of your interior water flow through the softener before coming into the house. The softener itself can be had for under $1000 (you can pick one up at Sears for $600-$700 easily). It's always cheaper/easier to have a loop installed when building a home, but it can be done afterwards too.

It's well worth it, IMO. I have no soap scum buildup in the shower, the laundry is softer and cleaner, my hair comes out better ....so many benefits, and it cleans the water and makes it taste really good (mine runs through my fridge filter after coming out of the softener too).

[Stonewall17]

Originally Posted by riveree

You can probably expect to pay anywhere from $2000-$3000 to have a plumber install a "loop" into your plumbing system. The "loop" will allow you to have all of your interior water flow through the softener before coming into the house. The softener itself can be had for under $1000 (you can pick one up at Sears for $600-$700 easily).

Thanks, Riveree. This is exactly the kind of specifics I was looking for. You're an asset to this forum.