It is so nice and useful to read all the information and experiences of our forum members here. I never thought seriously about the water I use for germination, normally I used tap water. Once I used distilled water for spray the plants because the tap water spray make the leaves so ugly. When the water dried all the leaves have whitish residues from the water probably the lime/chalk. When the tap water is dried always chalk/lime built up on the surface. So we have vinegar plus solution for regular cleaning. One of my friends apartment's tap water is pretty bad when he boils it the water lost its color, it looks like water with milk. I hate this chalky water. However, I do not know this hard water is good for the plant. Caelian

deedee, The size, type, and complexity of the equipment required will be dependent on... 1. What is in the water that needs to be treated. 2. Number of people in your home. 3. SFR and plumbing requirements. Without knowing all three variables there is no way to even ball park what you'll need. Could be as little as $500 or a few thousand. How about this... Get a water test from an independent lab. An independent lab has no agenda and won't be trying to sell you water treatment equipment. Go to http://www.epa.gov/safewater/labs/index.html to locate a certified lab near you. This is a MUST DO because without it everything is a guess. A quickie water test from Sears or a water softener company won't be as accurate (and possibly not as competent) as from a certified independent lab. Hit the Yellow Pages and call at least three local water treatment pros. Make sure you call at least one of the big dogs like Kinetico or Culligan for comparison and at least a couple independent pros. DON'T TELL THEM YOU HAD YOUR WATER TESTED. Give each an opportunity to offer suggestions and provide you with a quote to meet your water treatment needs. IGNORE ANY THAT DON'T TEST YOUR WATER THEMSELVES as they can't speak intelligently to water treatment without knowing what needs to be treated. Ask lots of questions. Softening the entire house or just the water heater (bad idea)? Warranty, parts & labor or just parts, how long and on exactly what? Install, permits required, licensed plumber? Routine maintenance and costs? Do they stock parts? Response time for emergency (water leak) calls? If they don't explain things to your satisfaction that is a good indicator of how you'll be treated after the sale. After they've gone use your water test to compare with theirs. Are all your treatment needs being addressed? Ask your neighbors if they have any water treatment experience. They might tell you who's good or who to avoid. Come back here and post the specific recommendations and hardware components with the costs and we'll give you our opinions.

To solve the problem you are describing (hard water, including scaling) for the whole house requires a water softener. A water softener works by removing calcium and magnesium ions from the water and replacing them with sodium ions. There isn't a "water conditioner" that will do this. Something you should know: Many of the issues that you mention (slippery feeling, taste, etc), I believe, have more to do with much older systems. I remember those issues from 50 years ago when a neighbor had soft water. I don't see them at all with new systems. Even so, it's still common to plumb the cold water in the kitchen so it doesn't go through the softener OR to have a separate drinking water faucet in the kitchen. Hardness is something that is measurable (typically in grains of hardness per gallon). You can buy a simple test kit that will accurately tell you how hard your water is (Hach Total Hardness Test Kit 145300). It's really helpful to know - with a number - what the scope of the problem is. You can also use the test kit to prove that the softer is working as intended after it's installed. You can measure the results of a water softener. You can't measure the results of a water "conditioner". My water (municipal water) is 21 grains per gallon hardness. Typically 15+ grains per gallon is considered "extremely hard water". With a water softener my water is now less than 1 grain per gallon. It's a huge difference with laundry, dishes, skin etc. It's also amazing how much cleaner the shower, sinks, toilets, etc are. (I'm a guy, I need all the help I can get keeping the place clean). Hard water, in addition to leaving hard water deposits, also mixes with soap to leave a nasty film on things. Hard water deposits on normally smooth surfaces (such as tile, toilet bowls, tubs, sinks, faucets, shower doors, dishes) cause those surfaces to be rough and retain dirt that otherwise would have rinsed away. Heat will cause hardness in water to precipitate. That's why you get lime deposits in tea kettles, coffee makers, etc. That's also why hard water will cause problems with a water heater. I've seen water heaters (both gas and electric) that have inches of lime built up and ruined the heater. None of these problems are solved by a water "conditioner". Typically all of the water in the house is softened except for outside hose connections and the cold in the kitchen. If you only treat the hot water then you miss many of the benefits. Most newer homes are often plumbed with a "softener loop" that is set up so that a softener may be installed and the above mentioned faucets are excluded. If you have an older home, it may require some additional plumbing.

I installed then a water softener hoping it will solve the stains issue. They still show up. I find myself drying everything to reduce seeing spots. I was told then that’s because I have high tds level - almost 600 this is the cause for them showing up. I was hoping someone would give me a tip on how to clean off these spots.