Hard Water/water softeners question (New Braunfels: live, prices, vs)

[TexasRedneck]

Originally Posted by AlamoCpl

How much salt is needed to start the system and how much does one typically use per month?

Loaded question, since most companies include a full brine tank with the installation of the system...or, at least I still do. On an 18" x 40" brine tank (standard size unit), that equates to about 300 lbs of salt.

Now, on usage....man, THAT can be all over the board. The national average is 50 gallons per person per day. So, on that basis a family of 4 would use 200 gallons/day, at 18 gpg hardness (about average for the SA area), that would be 3,600 grains/day. On a standard 1 cu ft softener, that'd be a regeneration every 5 days @ 6 lbs per regeneration - so on a 30-day month, 36 lbs - and I'd call it 50 for estimating purposes (to allow some "fudge" for higher usage).

Hope that helps....

[AlamoCpl]

Originally Posted by TexasRedneck

Loaded question, since most companies include a full brine tank with the installation of the system...or, at least I still do. On an 18" x 40" brine tank (standard size unit), that equates to about 300 lbs of salt.

Now, on usage....man, THAT can be all over the board. The national average is 50 gallons per person per day. So, on that basis a family of 4 would use 200 gallons/day, at 18 gpg hardness (about average for the SA area), that would be 3,600 grains/day. On a standard 1 cu ft softener, that'd be a regeneration every 5 days @ 6 lbs per regeneration - so on a 30-day month, 36 lbs - and I'd call it 50 for estimating purposes (to allow some "fudge" for higher usage).

Hope that helps....

Thank you for taking the time to post this. I appreciate the information.

Before we moved to SA in 2007 I started a thread asking if water softeners were a luxury or a necessity here. I have since found out that they truly are a necessity. My poor dishwasher is on it's last legs after only 4 plus years.

Thanks again.

[TexasRedneck]

Yes - it's a problem here for lots of the appliances. I always advise my customers, though, to hold off on replacing anything until I've had their softener in for at least a month if at all possible - sometimes the soft water will clear the appliance back up. It won't clean it all - but (especially on stuff running hot water) it seems to get most of the worst out!

[live2learn7]

Question for Texas Redneck and anyone else who might have a good idea.

I live in an apartment complex near the medical center area and the water here is HORRIBLY hard. The management says we can install a water softener as long as there are no "permanent modifications" done to the apartment. Our unit has its own water heater, but the utility room doesn't seem to have enough space to hold a softener with the washer and dryer already in there.

Are there softeners that are small enough to fit that will work? We're 2 adults and a toddler in terms of water usage, so we really don't need a huge unit or anything.

Let us know as we're all unhappy with the hard water here, so the sooner we can rectify this the better!

Thanks!!!

[TexasRedneck]

Unfortunately, I don't know of any way to do it that the management will agree to. Some properties have softeners, obviously yours doesn't - and there's just no way to do it that wouldn't involve "permanent modifications (piping).

[water softener]

Moving to SanAntonio soon. Our new house is already plumbed for the softener. For a 2 bathroom house, how big of a unit do I need and can you recommend a good company to install. Received an estimate from a family run company called Montgomery? How about a rental unit? Thanks

[Paka]

I have not read thru this entire thread, and don't know if this has been mentioned already, but after having a H20 softner forever, we just found a brand of salt that seems to make a SIGNIFICANT difference in our softner. Got the Morton brand Pellets...they kinda look like little pillows vs just plain old water softner salts. MAN, they seem to work better, last longer and really don't cost much more. If you are willing to give it a try, see if you too don't think the difference is significant. Who would have thought it mattered...but evidently it does.

[dpantle]

Originally Posted by Paka

Got the Morton brand Pellets...they kinda look like little pillows vs just plain old water softner salts. MAN, they seem to work better, last longer and really don't cost much more. If you are willing to give it a try, see if you too don't think the difference is significant. Who would have thought it mattered...but evidently it does.

Absolutely. We have used Morton System Saver II for years. Best salt out there (for us anyway). When HEB is out of them (rarely), we use Diamond brand, and they seem to dissolve faster, and with less consistency as well. I can always trust the lifespan of SSII pellets.

[TexasRedneck]

Originally Posted by water softener

Moving to SanAntonio soon. Our new house is already plumbed for the softener. For a 2 bathroom house, how big of a unit do I need and can you recommend a good company to install. Received an estimate from a family run company called Montgomery? How about a rental unit? Thanks

How many in the family, and are there any "specialty" plumbing fixtures (custom showers, etc) that might draw higher than normal flows? Rental units....don't. You'll pay lots more in the long run.

[Livegreen98]

How often do you have to service the softener? What does it take to maintain the softener?