[eefran8]

I'm wondering how concerned I should be about the hard water issue. I'm told when you use a water softener you cannot drink the water or use it on your plants. So i see no point in using one. But I do worry about what the hard water will do to my plumbing like cause it to burst years down the road. Does the cost of using a water softener outweigh the cost of not using one. Will whole house filtration counteract the effects of hard water ? Thanks for any inputs.

[Buzz123]

This has been cussed and discussed before so you can do a search. But the general consensus is that it's a good idea. It doesn't go to your kitchen sink, or fridge, so there you'd want a reverse osmosis filter. It doesn't go to the outside faucets so watering plants is not a problem. Best deal is a Sears water softener with a Sears under the sink reverse osmosis filter. If you can afford the expensive whole house reverse osmosis then go for it.

Be careful about who you get to do the installation. Guy that did mine was an idiot. Had a sink installed at the same time, and he was a Lowe's contractor. I had to do some plumbing this week to install a new air gap and clean up the mess of tubes and wires he had going under my sink. He had put a kink in the air gap hose so it would overflow. I'm also sure he cracked our granite but can't prove it. I recommend Prestige Plumbing. They did the original plumbing on the house and they are nice to work with.

[1999corvette]

Water softeners cause metal to erode, I did plumbing for about 6 months, and every call with a leaking, rusted water heater, it had a water softener, houses that did not have softeners had older water heaters that were just fine.

Someone explained it to me (a old plumber) as most of the plumbers argued if they were good or bad.

He explained the softener is pulling out the minerals, and the water does not like being without minerals, and will get them from whatever it touches, water heater tanks mainly.

So, if you have a water softener, you should have your water heater flushed every year, and also have the anode rod (sacrificial rod that goes inside the water heater)checked, and replaced before it's worn away, if you don't replace it once it's all eaten up, the water will start to strip the tank of metal/minerals.

I have not put a water softener on my house yet, and probably wont as my wife says she thinks it makes the water feel slimey.

[Kalbo]

Not using a water softener and have no complaints.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by 1999corvette

Water softeners cause metal to erode, I did plumbing for about 6 months, and every call with a leaking, rusted water heater, it had a water softener, houses that did not have softeners had older water heaters that were just fine.

Someone explained it to me (a old plumber) as most of the plumbers argued if they were good or bad.

He explained the softener is pulling out the minerals, and the water does not like being without minerals, and will get them from whatever it touches, water heater tanks mainly.

So, if you have a water softener, you should have your water heater flushed every year, and also have the anode rod (sacrificial rod that goes inside the water heater)checked, and replaced before it's worn away, if you don't replace it once it's all eaten up, the water will start to strip the tank of metal/minerals.

I have not put a water softener on my house yet, and probably wont as my wife says she thinks it makes the water feel slimy.

I'd need proof of that. It just sounds silly. Hot water heaters need to have a couple of gallons run off about once a month to prevent the build up of minerals in the bottom. I have a hose connested to ours all the time for easy draining. I've had them last many years, and some only lasted until the warranty expired.

You use less soap with soft water. Your skin sees the difference right away as hard water doesn't rinse the soap which sticks to you and makes your skin itch. The reason people think soft water makes your skin "slimy" is because they no longer have a coating of itchy soap on them. It's not slime, it's clean. It's better for your pipes, although I think softener salt can also corrode fittings. It cleans your clothes much better as soap stays in clothes more with hard water and attracts dirt. The soap that doesn't rinse out stains and ruins clothes too. Your dishes look better too. But the main thing is how it feels to shower in soft water as opposed to hard water. There's a noticeable difference.

But we went for a long time without it in this house and survived. It's just better with it.

[1999corvette]

Well, that's what the old plumber said, he could be wrong, and none of the others had a answer.

Maybe it's the salt that eats the water heater.

[Kaiminani]

More likely the problem is with residual salt from the softening process. The salt in the water speeds up the electrolytic process. Thus if the anode is consumed, then the exposed steel will corrode away that much faster with the salty water than with regular water. If you go with a non-salt softener then it shouldn't make a difference (although the sacrificial anode in the water heater will still slowly corrode away and eventually stop protecting the steel - typical anode life is 6 years, some water heaters come with 2 anodes for 12 years).

[Camshaft]

Soft Water Does Not Cause Corrosion and neither does the added sodium. People are ill informed these days about the benefits of soft water and actually what it adds to the water. Recently a study was done that proved that a ion exchange water softener is among the best energy savers in a home: http://www.wqa.org/pdf/pressreleases...lleresults.pdf

Products like magnetic water conditioners claim to be softeners. Look at this info on magnetic devices Water pseudoscience and quackery. They dance on edge of calling themselves water softeners (some do) and then they lie and/or exaggerate about true water softeners to sell their product. I"ve heard under average hard water conditions a quart of softened water has about as much sodium in it as a slice of white bread. In fact do you remember the fuel line magnets that through polarization or through changing the state of the dissolved solids in the fuel they would improve your MPG. Mythbusters did a segment on those devices and found that they did nothing. MythBusters: Exploding Pants (finale)

It is and has been a fact, through scientific research that treating your water through ion exchange vs no treatment, saves time on cleaning the ill effects of hard water and money in replacing plumbing, water using appliances and fixtures prematurely. Everyone is looking for the "holy grail" of the salt-less water softener and someday that may be a reality, but for now the ion exchange water softener is the only way to achieve soft water. Anything else in my opinion is snake oil.

[jfkIII]

Originally Posted by 1999corvette

Well, that's what the old plumber said, he could be wrong, and none of the others had a answer.

Maybe it's the salt that eats the water heater.

Sounds like the old plumber had too much crack.

[MediocreButArrogant]

Originally Posted by Camshaft

It is and has been a fact, through scientific research that treating your water through ion exchange vs no treatment, saves time on cleaning the ill effects of hard water and money in replacing plumbing, water using appliances and fixtures prematurely. Everyone is looking for the "holy grail" of the salt-less water softener and someday that may be a reality, but for now the ion exchange water softener is the only way to achieve soft water. Anything else in my opinion is snake oil.

Hey new guy,

Apparently you were not sent, or did not read the memo sent to all new posters. All new posters are required to:

1) Resurrect ancient threads that haven't been posted to in two years or more
2) Post Las Vegas urban legends as fact, and make idiotic statements that anyone with a middle-school science and math education would ridicule
3) Proclaim yourself an expert on Las Vegas despite having just moved here, and learning everything you know about Las Vegas from the reality TV shows based here.
4) You are not to make well-informed factual posts. Those are strictly prohibited.

You broke all four rules.