Water Softener for New Home With New Well-Cost?
bouttela
8 years ago
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8 years agobouttela
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Closing on house tomorrow--new to well water issues
Comments (20)I met with the Kinetico rep this evening who also performed some tests on our tap water. He found the pH to be 5.8, the hardness to be 31 grains and checked the iron which I forgot to write down, but it wasn't as bad as before. He told me the possible reason the iron wasn't as bad is because, for the first test the water hadn't been used past the pressure tank (the source) so the acidic water had been sitting in the well accumulating iron from the pipe. He recommended the first & most important thing is to install a neutralizing filter which he recommends we rent for the two years until we switch to city water. Unfortunately that filter will actually add hardness so he wants to use the 2100s softener. Finally, I want to add the K5 drinking water RO filter which will attach to the refrigerator ice maker and have a spigot at the sink. Should we go ahead with this? Any comments will be appreciated....See MoreNew house on well--water report. Think I need a water softener?
Comments (6)With hardness around 10gpg and manganese at .03 with iron at .1 you are smart to be considering a softener. Aside from the niceties of soft water a softener will lengthen the service life of the plumbing, fixtures, and appliances. Your clothes will last longer and you'll save money by using far less soap and detergent. Ok, water softener 101 ... 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. 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. If you're a DIYer then you have other options but they must be discussed privately by email. But remember, when you do it yourself there's no one else to blame....See MoreNew house new softener? new RO?
Comments (4)Hi justalurker Thank you for your reply. You donâÂÂt seem to mince words âÂÂwhat a crockâ however it worked on me and I wanted someone to let me know what they thought, so thanks again. I was trying to figure out any alternatives I may have and it was beginning to look like I really didnâÂÂt have any and your to the point rebuttal convinced me. So now I just have to pick a RO system and a softener system. The âÂÂiSpring 75GPD 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis Water Filter System with Brushed Nickel Faucet, Model RCC7â That I mentioned last time proved to be made in china and sold by a U.S. company but I found one almost the same that is made in USA with âÂÂmostlyâ Made in USA parts. DonâÂÂt know what âÂÂmostlyâ means but I take it that they try to use USA parts when they can. It is a âÂÂAPEC Water - USA Top Rated 5-Stage Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System (ROES-50)â I looked at the Watts zero waste and it was also made in China and it just pumps the waste water back into your hot water system, I think I can pump waste water into an outside container and use it for certain plants. I would appreciate any warnings or praise that you may give the APEC RO before I commit. I will be installing it in garage so no saddle valve CanâÂÂt get to the neighbors yet to beg for water. Hoping to get out there soon. 3/4 inch pipes. Still thinking about this one http://goo.gl/vkoxuT IâÂÂm thinking that it can be programmed for what I need after I get moved in. Possible or just more of a crock (;-)] The important question Red of course for me but I know my new neighbors mostly prefer green, maybe I can develop a taste for green in a few years Thanks again justalurker Here is a link that might be useful: softener system...See MoreWater filtration and softener for new home with well
Comments (2)Always keep your sediment filtration separate from your softener. It should be installed UPSTREAM from the softener. If you have a lot of sediment, a backwashing filter is the way to go. If not, a cartridge filter, like the Big Blue will work nicely. The best install is to place two of them in parallel so that one can be changed without shutting off the water. Go with two 4" diameter by 10" length. As to softener size: How many people in the home? Well or city water? If city, you need to obtain a copies of several quarterly reports - most likely they are available online. If well water, you need a more complete water test, to include: TDS, pH, hardness, bacteria, iron, manganese, alkalinity, sulfites, nitrates, any other contaminants recommended by your local lab - they will know what to expect in your area. Have you spoken to any local water treatment pros to see what they recommend?...See Morebouttela
8 years agoUser
8 years agobouttela
8 years agoOk, so I got our water report back and no iron but hardness of 332 mg/L. Our local water guy recommended a Softstream Standard model JLM-48 for our house. I attached a pic of the water report and the model specs. They are also including a reverse osmosis for under the sink and running to ice maker/fridge. Does that seem reasonable for family of 5, 3.5 bathrooms, no pool/jacuzzis? I like the 10 yr parts/service call warranty that comes with it, gives me some piece of mind. Again, thank you for your help aliceinwonderland
bouttela
8 years ago
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