Posted on 09/15/2012 4:57:47 PM PDT by cableguymn
We recently bought a home knowing the missing water softener needed to be replaced. We had a chain softener company stop by and pitch us on a 3000 dollar setup.
I said thanks for stopping.
Our water has so much iron it has scrap value. 9 PPM if I remember right. With in a week the toilets are orange in the bowl from rust.
Hardness was a 9.
At our local "guns allowed" hardware store they suggested a unit sold under their name built by waterboss (basically a model 900) however, the reviews on it are anything but good. They are made in the USA but seem to fail and have rude customer service.
What do you suggest?
True story. I once knew a guy named Rusty who never seemed to sleep!
Are you just HVAC?
If you use anything that uses salt you are a fool. Those kind of water softeners add sodium to the water which raises your blood pressure and makes your old iron pipes rust out faster. The only kind of softener anyone should get is an R.O. system. That stands for reverse osmosis.
I’ve been in the water biz for 30 years. Deep wells. Our water is only slightly harder than Cleveland’s. And,,,, before the epa, the Ohio Dept. of Health declared our water to one of the best in the state. But,,, every couple of years, there’s a sales attack. These jerks come in and test the water, and tell the people how much better it would be if they just installed their system! Right! Our water far surpasses the epa’s regs. No need for any treatment, much less a $3,000 reverse osmosis deal. But they scare people, specially people who have just moved into the system. Scam! So,,, you have to deal with that aspect.
But, your water is very hard. Tons of iron, and perhaps manganese. We have lots of iron, and iron bacteria, in our water. Used to get red water complaints, and complaints about staining. We started treating the raw water, coming from the wells, and into storage, with a phosphate product called AquaMag. It adjusts the ph, and it ties up the iron molecules, so they can’t combine with oxygen and turn into rust, so no staining. It can be injected into the well also.
Before I’d talk to a hardware salesman,,,, I’d talk to the guy who drilled your well! Good luck!
I bought this one from Sam’s Club for under $400. I’ve owned 5 homes that had various softeners and this is the best. And it is very frugal on salt consumption. Like one bag every 3 months.
Craigslist.
Or floor models at local small shops. Or last years’ models.
If this’poster said it’s a good brand and farm and fleet carries it, get it.
Sam’s Club sells a unit. My sister in law works there and says they sell quite a few.
I installed one of the Whirlpool softeners from Lowes in my in laws house a few years ago (not sure of the model number but it was roughly 500.00 at the time I purchased it) It is working fine and was very easy to install.
On my own property I just had the well dug deeper and got passed the iron problems. I still have hard water but don’t have to mess with dragging home 50lb bags of salt .Eventually I will put in one of the systems that uses magnets instead of salt (just hate the idea of having to crawl back under my house to set it up lol so I have been putting it off for years)
Cheapest way to go is with one of the softeners that you have to add salt to but the best way to go in my humble opinion is with one of those systems that uses magnets .
BTW Sno Bowl toilet cleaner will clean those rust stains up in minutes .
We bought the top-of-the-line Kenmore water softener from Sears for $600 and it works like a charm.
With well water, its rust...LOL or someone is really sick in your home....
There is a site called slickdeals.net and put in a “deal alert” - you will be pinged when someone finds a good sale and posts it.
I have noticed Sears prices seem better than others on WS, but haven’t checked it recently and that kind of stuff always changes.
Sounds good...we have well water with some kind of reddish “bloom” that builds up after awhile in the toilets and on the faucets.
I have a water filter on a kitchen faucet for drinking/cooking water but the rest is ok...
Will look into this system.
I had a kenmore unit installed in1997 for $675.00 . I had the seals and gaskets replaced twice. Once sears did it, the second time I replaced. I also have iron in my water but the softner is able to remove it in the treated water. Our toilets are plumbed with non softened water. To handle the iron in that I buy 1 inch pool chlorine tablets and throw two or three in the toilet water tank every two weeks or so. The chorine tabs take care of the rust in the bowls. You can buy the tabs at local pool stores or at some Home Depots.
Our water is equally hard. Hard enough to walk on. We do not have a conditioner because money is tight, too. We scrub. Period.
However, most softeners from national chains store will get the job done with varying levels of efficiency. The backflush for the zeolite core will take more water the cheaper the unit. Sodium levels will be higher and you’ll probably dislike the slimy feel after your showers.
That said, you ought to be able to get the job done for under $1,000.00. Installation is pretty easy if you tap your supply to household plumbing. Separate your yard supply from the house and avoid unnecessary costs where they aren’t needed.
All the damage being done to the pipes, dishwasher, clothes washer and water heater requires a quality piece of equipment. Not to mention the cost if a loose piece of iron destroys just one load of clothes, how much money can be put into a washer in one washing?
Based on your descriptions you basically have a calcium and iron source with a little bit of water mixed in.
Smarten up and bight the bullet, it is always better to buy a quality product once than a piece of crap over and over again.
Thanks
Form a class action law suit and sue the City for destroying all the homes Plumbing.....
then they will spend Ten Million dollars and soften the entire city supply....
Problem Fixed.
I’ve got hard/rusty well water.
Bought a Whirlpool softener from Lowe’s for about $500, installed it myself last December.
Whoever you buy it from should be able to test your water and tell you what hardness to set the softener for and what proportion of standard salt and anti-iron salt to use.
Mine seems to work fairly well; bathtub doesn’t turn red anymore.
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