Water Softener
#11
SWMBO has asked about getting a whole-house water softening system. We are on well water. Where to start?

GM
The only tool I have is a lathe.  Everything else is an accessory.
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#12
With a test of your water supply to determine exactly what and how much is in it.
Blackhat

Bad experiences come from poor decisions. So do good stories. 


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#13
I would suggest starting at the incoming water pipe and go from there.

Have a local or online lab perform a complete water test and to determine hardness for determining capacity needed.
Any free advice given is worth double price paid.
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#14
Start here. <-- Ohio Pure Water. They will deliver it to you home.

Their prices are about half what I found locally and they wont sell you anything without a water test or anything you don't need. I've installed two in my own homes and several others for friends, I swear by these guys. It's a very small company but they are very easy to deal with and have no problems walking you through the installation if you need help.
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#15
Replaced mine last year, and got great advice right here. The hardness is where you start, since that (and your household demand) determines the size of the softener needed. Once past that, consider the models with separate brine tank, they can be serviced quite easily. There are a couple of really good names (I only remember the one I bought, Fleck) and several internet firms that ship them. Some of them offer things like a higher quality resin and other options (larger brine tank, etc.) I think I wound up using Discount Water Softeners after someone here reco'd them.
I started with absolutely nothing. Now, thanks to years of hard work, careful planning, and perseverance, I find I still have most of it left.
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#16
Thanks. I'll have a water test done and proceed from there. We've lived here for 30 years, had well water all that time, and now, after all those years, SWMBO has decided we need a water softener. But then, she IS SWMBO. So off I go to obey.

GM
The only tool I have is a lathe.  Everything else is an accessory.
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#17
Last week I conducted a water test using a kit I got at the big box. Brand name was ProLab; I've used their radon test kits before. It was easy; you just need to carefully read the instructions and proceed from there. Nothing to be sent off to a lab. I thought it was a good starting point for what I wanted.
Ray
(formerly "WxMan")
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#18
Might as well get a RO system to remove the salt from the softened water. I like the ones with mineral cartridges to replace the lost minerals in the process.

Click here for my favorite brand for all things water related.
Any free advice given is worth double price paid.
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#19
What salt?
Blackhat

Bad experiences come from poor decisions. So do good stories. 


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#20
The water softener is an ion exchanger used for ridding water of excessive dissolved calcium and magnesium minerals by becoming attracted to the resin. The salt is from the brine tank is used to wash the collected hardness off the resin during regeneration. The RO then removes the salt from the drinking water supply for final purification.

Having a calcium in the water is healthy but too much is bad for plumbing. A well-designed RO system that adds calcium back into the water gives the water taste, improves pH and alkalinity plus extends the life of the bladder in the storage vessel. In systems without it the RO water can disintegrate the rubber bladder into the drinking supply. Some RO systems have a final polishing filter after the vessel to collect this debris while others do not.
Any free advice given is worth double price paid.
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