Do you have a whole house water softener

["Got Disney"]

I just cant stand this hard water a minute longer. We have decided to get a whole house water softener but which one do we get There are so many and researching on the net has not been much help because they all say they are better than the others...so do you have one? and which one and do you like yours???? I would love to have your opinion please

 

[barkley]

i don't know if it's possible to do so but if you can i would suggest getting a decent sized sample of YOUR existing water and what it would be like after going through any softener you consider installing. reason being is some systems seem to leave a person feeling slimey or kind of oily after bathing (at least that's how i've felt with some i've bathed or showered with) and hair realy limp (i've got very fine hair so it was realy noticable to me), and it may be my imagination but it seemed like with those same systems the clothing and towels that were washed with the water seemed like that which someone had washed with "regular water" (not hard but not softend by a home system) and a TON of fabric softener.

sorry but i'm no help on suggesting a system or product to try-we had hard water in california and our well water is hard as well but i prefer it (only downside i've ever experienced was with a couple of our outside windows in cali-the sprinkler was adjusted too high and i did'nt wipe them down like i would our shower or other glass exposed to the water so we ended up with some mineral deposits on them, but it came right off with some liquid stuff the realtor suggested when we sold).

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I need one too and I do hate them.

We have calium and lime like mad. Not sure what this is doing to our pipes. We have a brand new house and I know it isn't good.

I do use this powder stuff in the dishwasher to combat the lime on the dishes. It is found at WalMart called "Lemon Shine". That at least keeps it bearable.

 

[aprilgail2]

What is "hard water" and how do you know you if you have it- I have never heard of of hard water.....

 

[The Mystery Machine]

What is "hard water" and how do you know you if you have it- I have never heard of of hard water.....

It varies by location. I am in the Missouri Bluffs filled with limestone so I have calcium and lime in my water.

We get this hard crusty white stuff anywhere water goes.

 

[crz4mm2]

We have a softener, but I can't tell you what kind it is. We rent this one from Culligan. SO they maintain it.

It works pretty well.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

You rent one? Interesting. I don't think they do that here but I will check that out.

I think it is around 2000 to have one put in.

 

[luvmy3]

We have one from Home Depot that dh put in himself. If you do put in a softener I would also replace your existing hot water tank (if you have one). When we moved in we noticed an awful smell in out water, it was from the years of hard water in the water tank. If you already have deposits in your pipes having a softener will remove them over time too. I love mine I could not be without one.
We had a local company come out and in order to install it and run the lines it would have cost us $6000. Due to the type of home we have there are no exposed pipes so our walls and ceiling would have needed to be ripped down. Luckily dh is very handy and was able to do all the work himself, and it cost us a fraction. If it is a simple install, or one you can handle yourself I would check out the ones at Home Depot or Lowes.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Thanks! We have a new house. Our pipes are all exposed in the basement.

I cringe at the thought of what it is doing to those brand new pipes.

But I am getting a fence first..... I have been taking dogs out on the leash in the rain, snow and bitter cold.

 

[golfgal]

You rent one? Interesting. I don't think they do that here but I will check that out.

I think it is around 2000 to have one put in.

I am positive that if you found a Culligan, Ecowater or such they will rent softeners. Also, $2000 is pretty high unless you have some major plumbing issues.

As to which one to get, my suggestion is to go with a name brand company that is close to your house. If you rent then they take care of the system and you don't have to worry about service charges. If you own, they often charge to come out to your house. I would also look to see if they do salt delivery. If so, SIGN UP. Our delivery isn't any more expensive than buying it from the store and THEY haul the bags up and down your stairs. They also check your system each time they are out so make sure everything is working well. We have a Culligan system currently. It is 12 years old and we just had to replace one valve. They are pretty low maintenance.

You will also use less soap for showering, laundry, etc. I use powdered Tide in the wash and use about 1/8th of the cup and that is plenty of soap.

 

[DVC Sadie]

Yes, we have a whole house water filtration system due to hard water. We went with the Culligan man.

We only have to use one half of the detergent to wash our clothes, dishes and we don't use as much shampoo or conditioner.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Thanks for the info golfgal. I never even thought about renting or hiring someone to do the salt.

We will look into it.

Oh and thanks OP for the post. I know this was for you but I need a softener too.

 

[crz4mm2]

You rent one? Interesting. I don't think they do that here but I will check that out.

I think it is around 2000 to have one put in.

Yep, just look up Culligan in the phone book and give em a call.
My DS is the Culligan man

 

[golfgal]

Yep, just look up Culligan in the phone book and give em a call.
My DS is the Culligan man

Cool-can he tell me what is wrong with my reverse osmosis system then? We have a Culligan Aqua-Pure and we can't get any water out of the dang thing.

 

[bballmom56]

We rent from Culligan. It's about $14.00 per month for the unit. We buy our own salt and fill it when needed. They replaced the original softener in this house once already - no charge or increase in the monthly fee.

 

[crz4mm2]

Cool-can he tell me what is wrong with my reverse osmosis system then? We have a Culligan Aqua-Pure and we can't get any water out of the dang thing.

Yes, your Culligan man should be able to fix it

Good luck. I would like to have a whole house reverse osmosis system.

 

[TaraPA]

We have a whole house water softener system for hard water. Can't think of the brand right now - we had our plumber install it - I want to say Arrow Master? Something Master. It's a huge tank in the basement & we have to fill it half-way with salt crystals or pellets about once a month or so. The bags of pellets/crystals cost about $5 each. We have our own well, and have not noticed a difference in the "feel" of the water since installing the system, however the white lime residue has diminished (not gone away completely though). We paid $1800 for the system, installed. We had a water company (not Culligan) come out to give us estimates - holy moly - they were trying to sell us this top-of-the-line anti-bacterial system for $15k. Um, no thanks. Their cheapest basic model was $5K. So be aware, a plumber may be a cheaper alternative.

 

[ameraumi]

Check and see if anyone in your area sells the no-salt water softner usits. They run about $800 (plus installing it) but think of the money you would save in salt.

 

["Got Disney"]

thanks for the replys....I have been looking at this model...if you scroll down and read on that link it tells ya all about it. Has anyone seen this one before?
http://www.nextag.com/norob/PtitleS...O68ZQhZJOujCgSV2/p0g2RY2i2g=&ptitle=585631755


The reviews are great and the price I have found as low as $1400 highest $1900. It is saltless and so on. Here in Ca. some counties wont let you use the salt so I need to find that out.

I have been reading about Culligan and have thought about renting also. I have read that the models that have salt that you cant drink the water and cant use for plants...is that correct?

 

[TaraPA]

I don't know about anyone else but we've had the "salt" version of a water softener in each house we've bought over the last 15 years, and my parents had one too, and we have always drank the water right from the tap & used it to water our plants - and we're all still here & healthy!