This seems to be a very old thread but I'm here so I'll give it a shot.... there is a painting/photo hanging on Jeff & Audry's wall (on Rules of Engagement) just to the left of their apartment door (right side from viewer angle, left if you were walking through the door). It looks like a young girl with some sort of scarf around her head, something similar anyhow... Anyways, my wife had always LOVED the image & I'm looking for it to get for her but I don't know the artist or the name of the painting.... Any help would be AMAZING & APPRECIATED!

I assume you do not currently have a softener in place. Please confirm. I will try to go through your questions in order. Conductivity: This will always be higher than TDS. It has to do with they types of ions in your water. Your conductivity is on the high end of the scale based on your TDS, but not out of line. Other analysis: Do you have any rusty, brown, or black staining on fixtures? If so - test your water for iron and manganese. Sediment filtration: Two cartridge filters is certainly a viable option. Install them in parallel so that one cartridge may be changed without interrupting water supply to your home. Make sure to use 4" diameter, not 2". Big Blue is a very reliable brand. I like the clear housings for a visible indicator, but that is just my personal preference. All cartridge filters are a pain to change. If you currently have to make frequent cartridge changes you may wish to consider a backwashing sediment filter instead of cartridges. It would be similar in appearance to a softener, but pretty much no work on your part to operate. Softeners: Kinetico softeners are very reliable, but expensive (as you mentioned). If you are willing to spend the money up front and like your local dealer, they would be a good choice. Regeneration time is not an issue with any twin-tank softener, whether Kinetico or Fleck, since one tank is always available to provide soft water while the other is being regenerated. A Fleck of Clack twin tank softener would take up significantly more space than a Kinetico because you would have to purchase a larger softener to accommodate the higher flow rate for your jacuzzi tub. Sprinkler system: Yes, bypass the sprinkler system. There is no sense paying to soften all that extra water. RO: Any RO system will last longer if fed softened water. The minerals you get from water are in minute quantities - even heavily mineral laden water would be insufficient to provide the minerals your body needs. Additionally, your water has nitrates. If you want them removed from your drinking water, RO is the only reasonable way to do so. Why do you want a carbon filter? What, specifically, do you want removed from your water? Certainly two would be overkill. Once may be as well, unless you have a specific contaminant in mind. Softener bypass: Here is a picture of what a three-valve bypass should look like. And a drawing of a setup:

Thanks Lars! My house is 1150 sq feet so I've found it really difficult to decorate with size appropriate furniture. So much seems to be designed for bigger homes, most homes in my area are in the 3000+ sq foot range. My friends all have lots of decor and tchotchkes, and while I like that look I've found simple works better in my limited space. Its really hard to edit down decor, but it makes cleaning my house much easier! I bought the grandfather clock when I was in my 20s and I've been in love with it ever since. My house fortunately has a full basement which was unfinished when I bought it, so my husband and I finished it ourselves. BTW, even though my user name looks like it, I'm not actually a Mr :) Anyhow, a couple years ago we built a dirt cheap budget theater down there, and since it does include a tv, I'll add a photo of that as well. The tv can be a mirror of the screen, or work independently. It's a 42" wall mounted plasma tv, an Ikea besta cabinet holding a receiver, roku, tv tuner, blu ray, and misc electronics. The screen is 10 foot diagonal, and is just flat paint and wood molding directly on the drywall. There are 7 speakers and a subwoofer hidden throughout the room, and 4 power leather recliners.

Just finished de-decorating. Normally I'd wait until tomorrow, old Christmas, but I got the itch and started this morning around 10:30am. Since I had just a 4' pre-lit tree on a table this year, it was a bit easier, plus I didn't have to put nearly the number of ornaments on and they were the smaller ones. I took the tinsel off, left the garlands on, and covered the tree with a large plastic bag. Now to find somewhere to store it. Then I gathered up everything sitting on bookcases and tables and tucked them away into their respective tubs. Went outside and took down the wreath on the schoolhouse door. The only things left are the inside wreaths on the windows and the garland on top of the Hoosier in the kitchen. Now to go around the house and find the stuff I removed from and return to the bookcase and tables!