[lawgolfer]

The Village's water is rather hard and heavily chlorinated. You will be happy if you purchase a basic softener and filter combination.

1. Buy a simple salt-based softener. If you haven't owned one before, it eliminates soap scum on your laundry, shower walls, your hair and everything else. You'll use less soap and everything will be cleaner. Don't listen to sales pitches for anything other than the simple salt-based system. No salt is added to your water. It is only used to exchange a. sodium ion(which is not salt) for a calcium ion, the calcium being the reason the water is "hard". Most likely, you will have to fill the salt tank only once a year. I fill ours every January as the date is easy to remember. I checked the level today and it is still half full.

2. Buy a simple two-stage cartridge filter system. The first filter removes sediment, the second is activated charcoal and removes chlorine and anything else which would create an odor. Your tap water will taste and smell just like bottled water.

There is no need to buy a three-stage filter system. The third filter is to remove heavy metals, none of which are present in our water.

Here's the best piece of advice and one which I wish I had been given. Buy the 10 inch filters and not the 20". These are the lengths of the filters and plastic holders. The filters are held in an elongated blue plastic cup with threads at the top which screw into the holder. Installing new filters is relatively easy. Removing them is not. When you remove a filter, it is filled with water and is very heavy. You will be on your hands and knees and working upside down. You will put a large wrench on the filter and, probably, hitting it with a hammer to break it free. You will then be turning the filter by hand and hoping you can hold it when it is finally free of the holder. Of course, you'll have a bucket under the filter to catch any water which overflows the cup. However, it is quite cumbersome to do this without getting yourself and the floor of your garage wet. The 10 inch filters are much easier to handle.

The softeners and filter sets are sold at Home Depot and Lowes and each will set you up with a qualified plumber. Nova is a reputable dealer/installer, although they try to sell a three-filter 20" set. Any plumbing company will sell and install the equipment. Ask your neighbors for recommendations and read the many postings on this site.