I am trying to avoid adding a chemical water softner/filteration unit to my home...

It is just now 3 years old, and we are on a well. The water tastes great!... but I fear we are heavy in the calcium. My new (and expensive) water fixtures spray water in a pattern that looks like a sea anenome... and the shower head is growing stalagtites...

Good lord... I hope I don't develop kidney stones!

A salt based softner... in addition to being expensive, and the mtce of having to add salt, buy salt, store salt... takes up space and long term wear issues that I don't want to fool with.

This thing looks too good to be true... but supposedly it works. Not necessarily immediately noticeable...
I hope it is not something like the Tornado intake or magnets on the fuel line... but I am crossing my fingers.

I think I am going to get 2 of them... one to put on the pressure tank (for those not familiar with well systems, that acts like a water tower... your well pump kicks in and fills the tank, that way, when you turn on the faucet to get a drink, your well 3hp well pump doesn't engage for 3 seconds). So one to put on the pressure tank feed, and then because that water may sit for hours/days... i was going to put another on the house feed to 're-charge' the water... so to speak. The second one may not be necessary... I am just using logic.

I figure I'd rather go with a $300 experiment than $3000 permanent headache.
One thing is certain... I've got to do something... My shower won't flow cold water anymore. (my wife tells me to take them a lot)

http://www.smarthome.com/32...r-Conditioner/p.aspx

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<---- did you buy Cliff a beer?

hmmmm.....you have scales....are you sure you're not a Visitor?


<-------HUGE fan of the original...and the revision looks incredible....appears to have some social commentary which will be good for today's age, versus the original series.

PLUS Blake - I know you are a "Lost" fan, like me, so....
The first question answered by this extended trailer for ABC's upcoming sci-fi series V: The Series is whether or not Juliet was actually killed on the Lost season finale. Elizabeth Mitchell is all over this trailer, so barring some kind of flashback thing, I'd say her week-to-week contributions are done on the island. ABC brass says she's going to be on both shows, but I think that's just to string along viewers on Lost. She's not part of the Oceanic survivors, so I doubt in the last season they'll spend much time on her.

[This message has been edited by CenTexIndy (edited 06-04-2009).]

www.waterboss.com

I have one of these, Blake, although mine is an older model. The one I have is very compact...it's probably about 3 feet tall or so. I've had it for several years, and it works flawlessly. They're also pretty reasonable....I did a "guesstimate" on your usage, and came up with a Model 700, which you can buy for $429 at Ace. If nothing else, check out the website...there's a guide which will help you decide which model you'd need. Yes, it uses salt, but it uses it as needed, not on a schedule. For example, instead of running every other day, mine measures the amount of water usage. Based upon my household of 4 people, it regenerates after every 700 gallons of water. If you have a smaller household, you'll probably go a longer amount before it regenerates. I estimate I use 3 40lb bags of salt every 4 months.

First thing you need to do is get your water tested. You need to find out how hard it is and exactly what is in it to make a choice because you don't want to over or under buy a unit you need.

We have very hard water (about 35 grains) because of our KS Limestone. I've had several softeners and some of the cheapo claimed to work things. None of the claimed to work things did anything for our water. I've had Sears softeners (not the most reliable), Culligan (way overpriced and use a lot of salt), and currently have an Ecowater softener. It uses an amazingly small amount of salt. I only have to add some about 4 times a year. I've had it for almost 9 years now and it has never given a moments problem.

Whatever you get make sure it's one that measures your water use and softens after a given number of gallons have gone through it. Don't get one that's timer based (that is, regenerates every other day or whatever), they are very wasteful of salt and water.

Once you get one, you'll wonder how you got along without it. It takes less soap to do laundry, you feel better after getting out of the shower, it even makes it more comfortable to shave. Maybe it's not as noticeable if you don't have water as hard as ours but I wouldn't want to be without one now.

John Stricker

I have the opposite problem--our well water is too "soft". Makes so much soap suds there is 2" in the bottom of the shower when I get out. Guess it's better than real hard water tho, which was the case with the shallow well in the little house at the front of our property. My neighbor down the road has water that's so hard he claims his wife would rather douche than have sex.
[bad Don--bad bad}

quote Originally posted by maryjane: I have the opposite problem--our well water is too "soft". Makes so much soap suds there is 2" in the bottom of the shower when I get out. Guess it's better than real hard water tho, which was the case with the shallow well in the little house at the front of our property. My neighbor down the road has water that's so hard he claims his wife would rather douche than have sex. [bad Don--bad bad}

note to self... never let Jennifer visit Don's neighbors...