Whole Home Soft Water/RO

[FROGMAN524]

Any thoughts on this system? I’ll be on well water.

PRO+AQUA Elite Well Water Filter Softener Bundle Plus Reverse Osmosis Drinking System for Iron, Odor, Color, Hardness BNDL-WEL-RO - The Home Depot

Reduce particles, contaminants or imbalances in your water by using this PRO AQUA Elite Well Water Filter Softener Bundle Plus Reverse Osmosis Drinking System for Iron Odor Color Hardness.

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[LargeOrangeFont]

Any thoughts on this system? I’ll be on well water.

PRO+AQUA Elite Well Water Filter Softener Bundle Plus Reverse Osmosis Drinking System for Iron, Odor, Color, Hardness BNDL-WEL-RO - The Home Depot

Reduce particles, contaminants or imbalances in your water by using this PRO AQUA Elite Well Water Filter Softener Bundle Plus Reverse Osmosis Drinking System for Iron Odor Color Hardness.

www.homedepot.com

Stop for a second. Are you on a well?

If not get your local water report. Buy your softener based on that number in the report. Locally my grains are 23 and my system is rated to 25 grains.

If you can get by without a salt based softener, I’d try to do that. I have a prefilter, a carbon filter and a conditioner on the entire property. Not a softener.

It does not take the hardness completely out like a salt based softener system, but it’s not adding deposits to my faucets either. Plus you can drink the water out of any faucet and water the plants. I have an RO system for drinking hooked to the fridge.

If you need a softener, that looks like it covers all the bases.

 

[SixD9R]

Do you really need all that?
If you didn't already, have a test done on your water to see what it actually needs and then plan a system based on the results.

 

[FROGMAN524]

Once I’m in the home, probably 9/2/23, I’ll get the water tested and see how bad it is. I’m told the soft water, via salt, helps save the appliances and faucets and if I can hook up a hose bib connection, I can wash my cars and boat without wiping them down. Would be nice to keep the shower glass spotless too.

 

[Outdrive1]

Once I’m in the home, probably 9/2/23, I’ll get the water tested and see how bad it is. I’m told the soft water, via salt, helps save the appliances and faucets and if I can hook up a hose bib connection, I can wash my cars and boat without wiping them down. Would be nice to keep the shower glass spotless too.

For cars you really need DI water. I don’t even have to dry my black truck in the sun. I rent the system from Culligan

 

[SoCalDave]

Once I’m in the home, probably 9/2/23, I’ll get the water tested and see how bad it is. I’m told the soft water, via salt, helps save the appliances and faucets and if I can hook up a hose bib connection, I can wash my cars and boat without wiping them down. Would be nice to keep the shower glass spotless too.

In MHO and from past experiences:
1 pre filter
2 pre filter (if needed)
3 carbon filter
4 water softener
5 ROI system for drinking and fridge water/ice.
This has always worked well for me and key being the prefiltering of yore incoming water source prior to introduction to everything else.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Once I’m in the home, probably 9/2/23, I’ll get the water tested and see how bad it is. I’m told the soft water, via salt, helps save the appliances and faucets and if I can hook up a hose bib connection, I can wash my cars and boat without wiping them down. Would be nice to keep the shower glass spotless too.

They are blowing a little smoke up your ass about the car wash. You’d need DI setup to have a real spot free rinse.

Have you ever felt the salt softener water in the shower? It feels slick on your hair and skin. Not a bad thing, some people like it, some don’t. Typically you don’t want to cook with it either.. but that is what the kitchen RO system is for.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with your plan. Just see what you are up against by testing the water.

I have a conditioner in one house and a salt softener in another. I like the conditioner setup better, but the conditioner is not right for all situations.

You’ve got a drain near by, and power where this setup is going to go, right?

 

[FROGMAN524]

They are blowing a little smoke up your ass about the car wash. You’d need DI setup to have a real spot free rinse.

Have you ever felt the salt softener water in the shower? It feels slick on your hair and skin. Not a bad thing, some people like it, some don’t. Typically you don’t want to cook with it either.. but that is what the kitchen RO system is for.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with your plan. Just see what you are up against by testing the water.

I have a conditioner in one house and a salt softener in another. I like the conditioner setup better, but the conditioner is not right for all situations.

You’ve got a drain near by, and power where this setup is going to go, right?

I’ve got a soft loop and a RO loop in the kitchen. Parents have a well and Culligan soft water salt system. Water in the shower feels much different than hard water and it doesn’t necessarily bother me but it’s a unique experience showering there.

 

[SW_GLASS]

So the first question I have is are you on sewer or on a septic tank?

If you are on a septic tank then I would recommend looking into a kinetico soft water system instead of the one you posted the link for. The main reason would be how the soft water regeneration works. The soft water system you posted is a time based regeneration which means you set it for every 5 day or every week and it will regen like clock work.

One problem with this type of system and an septic tank is you will constantly be flushing water into the septic tank every time it regenerates so over time it could cause the septic tank to fill up and leak out of the hat prematurely. Might not be a big issue if you have a large septic tank but something to keep in mind.

The other problem with these types of soft water systems is they regenerate based on a schedule that you program. So it will regenerate every 5 days or every week for example whether you need it too or not. You can set them up for you everyday living style but any deviation from that like going out of town for a week you soft water will regenerate even if it doesnt need it and waste salt. Another example would be if you have friends and family come to town to visit and your water usage goes up for a week. you will run out of soft water before it hits its scheduled regeneration time.

The kinetico system does not regenerate based on a set schedule. The system uses the water flowing through it to measure when regeneration is needed. The water flow amount will be set based on your system size and water hardness with interchangable cam plates. This system take all variables out of the setup. It uses no 110V power to operate, if you go on vacation for a week and no one is home to use water then it will simply not regenerate, or if you have family in town and you water usage doubles it will regenerate more often to keep you water the proper softness.

The only downfall about kinetico is the price tag to buy them. I think a new one is between 4k and 6k now. When we built our house down in Tucson 4 years ago we found a guy on craigslist that sells used ones he rebuilds. I think I paid1500 for it from him and them spent around 300 to have the kinetico tech come out and go through it and set up the regeneration CAM to my current water hardness. Other then that I put salt in it and it works. Also found out that mine is around 15 years old based on the serial number and still running strong. The technician said the older ones like mine are built like tanks and they never break or go bad. Worst thing that would go wrong are the 8 rubber o-ring in the head could fail but they are simple to replace.

Also everyone above is right about washing cars with soft water. It still water spots if you don't hand dry the car fast enough. The only way to get a spot free rinse is DI water.

 

[Sleek-Jet]

Where I live everyone has a salt water softener... And everyone drinks the water out of the faucet and cooks with the same.

If you are worried about your sodium intake there is potassium chloride salt available that does the same thing in the softener as the more common sodium chloride salt.

 

[mjc]

I don't get the soft water thing, I just drink and shower in whatever comes out of the tap.

 

[Warlock1]

So the first question I have is are you on sewer or on a septic tank?

If you are on a septic tank then I would recommend looking into a kinetico soft water system instead of the one you posted the link for. The main reason would be how the soft water regeneration works. The soft water system you posted is a time based regeneration which means you set it for every 5 day or every week and it will regen like clock work.

One problem with this type of system and an septic tank is you will constantly be flushing water into the septic tank every time it regenerates so over time it could cause the septic tank to fill up and leak out of the hat prematurely. Might not be a big issue if you have a large septic tank but something to keep in mind.

The other problem with these types of soft water systems is they regenerate based on a schedule that you program. So it will regenerate every 5 days or every week for example whether you need it too or not. You can set them up for you everyday living style but any deviation from that like going out of town for a week you soft water will regenerate even if it doesnt need it and waste salt. Another example would be if you have friends and family come to town to visit and your water usage goes up for a week. you will run out of soft water before it hits its scheduled regeneration time.

The kinetico system does not regenerate based on a set schedule. The system uses the water flowing through it to measure when regeneration is needed. The water flow amount will be set based on your system size and water hardness with interchangable cam plates. This system take all variables out of the setup. It uses no 110V power to operate, if you go on vacation for a week and no one is home to use water then it will simply not regenerate, or if you have family in town and you water usage doubles it will regenerate more often to keep you water the proper softness.

The only downfall about kinetico is the price tag to buy them. I think a new one is between 4k and 6k now. When we built our house down in Tucson 4 years ago we found a guy on craigslist that sells used ones he rebuilds. I think I paid1500 for it from him and them spent around 300 to have the kinetico tech come out and go through it and set up the regeneration CAM to my current water hardness. Other then that I put salt in it and it works. Also found out that mine is around 15 years old based on the serial number and still running strong. The technician said the older ones like mine are built like tanks and they never break or go bad. Worst thing that would go wrong are the 8 rubber o-ring in the head could fail but they are simple to replace.

Also everyone above is right about washing cars with soft water. It still water spots if you don't hand dry the car fast enough. The only way to get a spot free rinse is DI water.

Do you still have the contact number for the guy?

 

[FROGMAN524]

So the first question I have is are you on sewer or on a septic tank?

If you are on a septic tank then I would recommend looking into a kinetico soft water system instead of the one you posted the link for. The main reason would be how the soft water regeneration works. The soft water system you posted is a time based regeneration which means you set it for every 5 day or every week and it will regen like clock work.

One problem with this type of system and an septic tank is you will constantly be flushing water into the septic tank every time it regenerates so over time it could cause the septic tank to fill up and leak out of the hat prematurely. Might not be a big issue if you have a large septic tank but something to keep in mind.

The other problem with these types of soft water systems is they regenerate based on a schedule that you program. So it will regenerate every 5 days or every week for example whether you need it too or not. You can set them up for you everyday living style but any deviation from that like going out of town for a week you soft water will regenerate even if it doesnt need it and waste salt. Another example would be if you have friends and family come to town to visit and your water usage goes up for a week. you will run out of soft water before it hits its scheduled regeneration time.

The kinetico system does not regenerate based on a set schedule. The system uses the water flowing through it to measure when regeneration is needed. The water flow amount will be set based on your system size and water hardness with interchangable cam plates. This system take all variables out of the setup. It uses no 110V power to operate, if you go on vacation for a week and no one is home to use water then it will simply not regenerate, or if you have family in town and you water usage doubles it will regenerate more often to keep you water the proper softness.

The only downfall about kinetico is the price tag to buy them. I think a new one is between 4k and 6k now. When we built our house down in Tucson 4 years ago we found a guy on craigslist that sells used ones he rebuilds. I think I paid1500 for it from him and them spent around 300 to have the kinetico tech come out and go through it and set up the regeneration CAM to my current water hardness. Other then that I put salt in it and it works. Also found out that mine is around 15 years old based on the serial number and still running strong. The technician said the older ones like mine are built like tanks and they never break or go bad. Worst thing that would go wrong are the 8 rubber o-ring in the head could fail but they are simple to replace.

Also everyone above is right about washing cars with soft water. It still water spots if you don't hand dry the car fast enough. The only way to get a spot free rinse is DI water.

Thanks for all the info. It appears the Pentair is the same way, only regenerates when needed. It doesn’t however come with the RO for the $4K price tag but they’re not too expensive regardless.

PENTAIR Whole House Carbon Filtration and Salt-Based Water Softening System PAC7 - The Home Depot

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Also have read some good reviews on the SpringWell system but it is extremely pricey.

ULTRA Whole House Well Water Filter Salt Based System Combo - SpringWell Water Filtration Systems

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[SixD9R]

Hey Guys- just to clear some things up.

First let's keep in mind the salt in a "salt water softener" has nothing to do with softening the water. There actually is no such thing as a "salt water softener". It's much more correctly a resin bed water softener. The resin in a resin bed water softener filters out the hardness grains. Once the resin bed is filled up it must be cleaned by a process called back washing. The salt is then used to make a brine solution that is flushed through the resin bed to clean it out. Clean water is later flushed through the bed to clean most of the residual remaining salt from the bed. Yes, there is a trace amount of salt remaining but it's extremely small and you will never notice a salty taste in your water and it's not going to affect your sodium intake if that' something you are concerned about.

Secondly, it was mentioned that water softeners regenerate every 5 days or every week. That was true like 30 years ago when the controllers were little more than a clock. Modern water softeners keep track of your water usage and regenerate when needed based on your usage. So if you are on vacation or otherwise gone for an extended period of time it's not going to continue to regenerate for no reason. Likewise if you suddenly have a house full of guests it will regenerate more frequently as needed.

If you have hard water, the only real way to make it soft is a resin bed water softener. Don't fall for the gimmicky contraptions you strap onto a water line. Those aren't going to do a dam thing to improve your water quality but they will waste some electricity.

 

[FROGMAN524]

Hey Guys- just to clear some things up.

First let's keep in mind the salt in a "salt water softener" has nothing to do with softening the water. There actually is no such thing as a "salt water softener". It's much more correctly a resin bed water softener. The resin in a resin bed water softener filters out the hardness grains. Once the resin bed is filled up it must be cleaned by a process called back washing. The salt is then used to make a brine solution that is flushed through the resin bed to clean it out. Clean water is later flushed through the bed to clean most of the residual remaining salt from the bed. Yes, there is a trace amount of salt remaining but it's extremely small and you will never notice a salty taste in your water and it's not going to affect your sodium intake if that' something you are concerned about.

Secondly, it was mentioned that water softeners regenerate every 5 days or every week. That was true like 30 years ago when the controllers were little more than a clock. Modern water softeners keep track of your water usage and regenerate when needed based on your usage. So if you are on vacation or otherwise gone for an extended period of time it's not going to continue to regenerate for no reason. Likewise if you suddenly have a house full of guests it will regenerate more frequently as needed.

If you have hard water, the only real way to make it soft is a resin bed water softener. Don't fall for the gimmicky contraptions you strap onto a water line. Those aren't going to do a dam thing to improve your water quality but they will waste some electricity.

How about adding the UV setup or calcite neutralizer or tannin remover? Again, I’ll have water tested prior to ordering but would be nice to know what others experiences have been with these optional wizbangs.

 

[SixD9R]

How about adding the UV setup or calcite neutralizer or tannin remover? Again, I’ll have water tested prior to ordering but would be nice to know what others experiences are with these optional wizbangs have been.

I can't say anything about a tannin remover or UV setup, I just don't have any knowledge or experience with them.

I actually do have an older acid neutralizer and use calcite in it, it works okay. I live in a wooded area and have well water so it's common to have acidic water in my area. All my neighbors do the same. If I didn't have the neutralizer, my acidic water would eat my copper pipes and metal faucets and cause all sorts of issues.

Long story short is I wouldn't buy or add anything to your system you don't need based on test results. Every device you have in the system will cost money to buy, money and time to maintain and will reduce your water pressure. Once you have test results, go from there.

 

[Riverbound]

Any thoughts on this system? I’ll be on well water.

PRO+AQUA Elite Well Water Filter Softener Bundle Plus Reverse Osmosis Drinking System for Iron, Odor, Color, Hardness BNDL-WEL-RO - The Home Depot

Reduce particles, contaminants or imbalances in your water by using this PRO AQUA Elite Well Water Filter Softener Bundle Plus Reverse Osmosis Drinking System for Iron Odor Color Hardness.

www.homedepot.com

i have a similarly set up but made by crystal water. absolutely love having filtered and softened water.

drinking water quality at every faucet.

 

[samsah33]

Keep an eye on your water pressure!!! I replaced an old salt system with a new Rheem salt system from Home Depot back in Oct, and the resin tank blew out at the neck last week where the components attach. Rheem customer service was good - I told them that my unit blew up and they said "the resin tank at the neck, right.?" I said yep. They said "what's your address, a new unit is on the way, but check your water pressure." Recommended pressure is about 50 - 70 lbs, my house is at almost 130. Guess who's rebuilding a dead pressure regulator valve this weekend and installing the new unit...

 

[86403]

Anyone use a Onewater system?

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