Do I want/ need a water softener ?

[tekcormn]

I am moving down to TV in 2 months from MN when my new house is ready. I was told that I will have salesman knocking on my door trying to sell me a water softener ? Do I even need one and why ?
Also I hear the tap water doesn't taste too well down there. What do people do about this ?

[OpusX1]

You don't need one but you may want one. If you want one buy it at Lowe's for about $500 and have a plumber install it. We have a softener and a whole house filter all for under $1,000.

[Yung Dum]

Don't buy anything from people knocking on your door.
Take the advice of Opus.

[Bonanza]

You will have a number of people knocking at your door for various reasons.
Don't let any of them give you their spiel, including a woman that says she is from a Welcome Wagon.
They are all hustlers.

If you find you want a water softener, hold off and see if you really need one.

We have an Eco System -- probably the best, most efficient (but expensive) one you can buy.
We brought it with us from our old house.
We have found we don't need it. and have never installed it.

We are used to the taste of the water.
We use Finish and liquid Jet Dry in our Dishwasher and our dishes and silverware sparkle.

We also do not have a pest control service and never had a bug problem.
I don't call one or two bugs here or there, a problem.
You will find that just about everyone will tell you that you must spray and that you need this service.

My advice would be to move in, get comfortable and play the wait and see game.
I'm sure you will find that you don't need half the services everyone tells you you need.

Go luck with your move!

[Challenger]

I am moving down to TV in 2 months from MN when my new house is ready. I was told that I will have salesman knocking on my door trying to sell me a water softener ? Do I even need one and why ?
Also I hear the tap water doesn't taste too well down there. What do people do about this ?

Been here 4 years
IMHO -- no!!!

Almost never take clothes to cleaners(shirts etc) Buy mostly no wrinkle and they come out ready to wear without a system Water taste fine to me.

[bonrich]

Do not like the taste of the water from the tap. Had a home in Pennecamp and now Sanibel. Used bottled water or Pur water filter countertop version in Pennecamp. I am considering installing the Nova Filtration sysem here in Sanibel. Do not particulary care for soft water.
Also, a previously warned, be careful of the "door knockers", especially the Welcome Wagon person. Advice also, is to keep your garage door closed because that is an open invitation when the door to door sellers go by and see it filled with boxes, etc. They know there is a "newbie" in town.

[tuccillo]

No, you do not need a water softener but may want one if you like soft water. The water in the Villages is considered "hard" and some people prefer the feel of soft water. There can also be some issues of scale build-up with hard water - a water softener will address this by removing the calcium and magnesium that create the hardness.

The water does not (to me) taste very good and a carbon filter will remove the chlorine and provide tastier water (as well as increase the lifespan of the water softener if you have one).

I have a water softener from Home Depot and a 2 canister sediment and carbon filter (20"x4.5") I bought off the internet and installed by a local plumber.

The water is safe to drink and you do not need to do either of these.


I am moving down to TV in 2 months from MN when my new house is ready. I was told that I will have salesman knocking on my door trying to sell me a water softener ? Do I even need one and why ?
Also I hear the tap water doesn't taste too well down there. What do people do about this ?

[Bay Kid]

I disposed of my water softener a week ago. Now I have great water by Nova.

[bagboy]

We use tap water for making coffee and cooking. We drink bottled water. In our case, I don't feel the need for a water softener or purification system. Like it was mentioned, wait until you move in and get settled. Then you'll figure out what you need and don't need. Don't spend a lot of money right away on much of anything, except a golf cart☺

[leftyf]

We have used a Brita pitcher for years and it works great. We use it for coffee and Iced tea. We drink the water from the fridge, it's filtered and cold. The door knocker who tried to sell us a softener wanted $6,000 for his brand, the most expensive softener I have ever heard of. We don't have one and don't need it.

[villagetinker]

We waited around 6 weeks, and then purchased a Sears water softener and Sears whole house filter, and had them installed, total cost under %1500. NOW you can get a combo unit, and installed cost should be around $1000.
I periodically test the water, no hardness, no chlorine, and no salt. Tastes great (goodbye to several hundred dollars/ year in bottled water cost), and the crystal in our dishwasher comes out as clean and clear as the new pieces we have not used, WITHOUT the use of Jet Dry.
Hope this helps.

[bobbym]

The aquifers that your water came from in Minnesota are much deeper then the aquifers in Florida. The water in MN had to go threw a lot of lime stone and has lots of calcium. The Florida water is not as hard as what you had in MN. I think you will be happy with the Florida water for everything but drinking it but a carbon filter will fix that problem.
Bob, White Bear LK.MN

[kellyjam]

I disposed of my water softener a week ago. Now I have great water by Nova.

I had Nova installed a few weeks ago but kept my water softner because I like soft water. As Jimbo told me I now have polished soft water and the Nova system has removed the salt.

[Wizard of Oz]

Newest SCAM

Just this morning I received a call from a person with the most horrible smokers cough and back ground noise of a marketing call room. This person was trying to lead me to believe she was with Home Depot, and knew we had moved in recently. She said they had a free Home Depot money card for me, and when they DELIVERED the card they would give us a complementary water test. Now that's the newest scam here in the hood, that same company will send you a card in the mail.
I looked up the company from the card and found it to be Pegasus water systems in Wildwood. Buyer beware

:spoken:

[tuccillo]

Water softeners replace calcium and magnesium ions with sodium or potassium ions, depending on whether you use sodium chloride or potassium chloride for the resin regeneration. Calcium and magnesium ions are what gives water it's hardness. Sodium is not salt. Sodium chloride is salt and the chloride is essentially stripped off during resin regeneration and dumped. The only way to remove the additional sodium (or potassium) is with a reverse osmosis system (or a distillation system). The sodium that is added, assuming you use sodium chloride to regenerate the resin, is pretty low (approximately 22 mgs per cup of water) but some people prefer not to have the additional sodium. Using potassium chloride for resin regeneration is common for people who don't want the additional sodium. Regardless, only reverse osmosis systems or distillation systems will remove the sodium or potassium that is added as part of the resin regeneration, and other dissolved solids. Typically these are not of any issue unless you are trying to restrict sodium intake (and, if so, use potassium chloride for resin regeneration).

I had Nova installed a few weeks ago but kept my water softner because I like soft water. As Jimbo told me I now have polished soft water and the Nova system has removed the salt.

[tuccillo]

You can get a "big box" water softener for about $450 and a "big blue" 20"x4.5" canister carbon filter enclose for about $100.

We have used a Brita pitcher for years and it works great. We use it for coffee and Iced tea. We drink the water from the fridge, it's filtered and cold. The door knocker who tried to sell us a softener wanted $6,000 for his brand, the most expensive softener I have ever heard of. We don't have one and don't need it.

[birdawg]

Just make sure you use a licensed plumber with insurance.

[duhbear]

A water softener IMHO is a matter of choice and more importantly, taste. One came with our house and I am so glad we have it. The water tastes great at our house. (At a friends house without a softener, it tastes terrible.)

Just a hint, if you want to cut down on the knocks at the door and the phone calls, do not list yourself in the TV phone book. We didn't 9 months ago and as of yet no knocks at the door.

Enjoy The Villages.

[Advogado]

We just installed a new water heater. The old one was 11 years old. It was not leaking and worked fine, but the present rebate from TECO for a new one is $350. We do not have a water softener, and almost nobody I know has one. We use the water filter in our refrigerator for drinking water, and it tastes fine.

Here is what our new water-heater manual (State brand) says about water softeners: "Artificially softened water is exceedingly corrosive....The use of a water softener may decrease the life of the water heater tank." For what it is worth. You decide. I am no plumber, but I presume the water heater manufacturer knows more than I do.

[Challenger]

A water softener IMHO is a matter of choice and more importantly, taste. One came with our house and I am so glad we have it. The water tastes great at our house. (At a friends house without a softener, it tastes terrible.)

Just a hint, if you want to cut down on the knocks at the door and the phone calls, do not list yourself in the TV phone book. We didn't 9 months ago and as of yet no knocks at the door.

Enjoy The Villages.

Lived here four years-- Unsolicited Door knocks stopped 3 1/2 years ago.

[tuccillo]

The anode rod may be consumed more quickly with soft water and may need to be replaced sooner. Anode rods are sacrificial and designed to protect the tank from electrolysis. This is typically something most people don't pay attention to regardless of whether they have soft water or not. A Marathon water heater, which doesn't have a steel tank and therefore doesn't need anode rods, is a good choice for an electric water heater. I have had one in a past home with a water softener.

We just installed a new water heater. The old one was 11 years old. It was not leaking and worked fine, but the present rebate from TECO for a new one is $350. We do not have a water softener, and almost nobody I know has one. We use the water filter in our refrigerator for drinking water, and it tastes fine.

Here is what our new water-heater manual (State brand) says about water softeners: "Artificially softened water is exceedingly corrosive....The use of a water softener may decrease the life of the water heater tank." For what it is worth. You decide. I am no plumber, but I presume the water heater manufacturer knows more than I do.

[Nova Filtration]

Here is what our new water-heater manual (State brand) says about water softeners: "Artificially softened water is exceedingly corrosive....The use of a water softener may decrease the life of the water heater tank." For what it is worth. You decide.

That is correct.

Soft water, such as has been produced by a water softening system, tank lifetimes can be reduced by 50 percent or more (Weingarten and Weingarten ).
For example, the A.O. Smith water heater manual acknowledges �artificially softened water is exceedingly corrosive because the process substitutes sodium ions for magnesium and calcium ions. The use of water softener may decrease life of water heater tank.�

An assessment of homeowners� insurance claims resulting from water heater failures conducted by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS ) found that water heater failures are one of the top five �water loss� claims, or claims in which monetary compensation is sought as a result of
water damage to furniture, equipment, or the home itself. Of the 700 water-heater-related water loss claims analyzed, 69 percent were due to leaks in the water heater or to the tank bursting.
The water heater failures cost an average of $4,444 per incident after the deductible was paid

The Battelle study found that for electric storage water heaters, regular flushing to prevent sediment buildup maintains efficiency for the lifetime of the equipment. For gas storage water heaters, cleaning the tank of sediment buildup was not found to restore full efficiency since the burner surface at
the bottom of the tank cannot be completely cleaned.

This is where the Nova Triple system excels having two large sediment filters effectively removing all the sediment from the water therefore your hot water tank. and all other house hold water needs.
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/attachments/villages-florida-non-villages-discussion-93/7827d1356185145t-pool-chemicals-filter.jpg

Typical water softeners only have some sort of feckless carbon filter and no sediment filter(s) at all.

Bottom line in our opinion is water softeners have more negative results than any known positive results at significant cost.

Note:The most common complaint associated with the anode rod is a .rotten egg smell, produced from the presence of hydrogen sulfide gas dissolved in the water.

One other comment about refrigerator filters I read here is I drink water from the fridges filtered water dispenser.

Did you look at the size of that filter it's very small more importantly it is not Coconut carbon it is bituminous carbon, like coffee grinds lose packed in the container it is rated at 20 micron size particles, with a lot of bypass only about 85% effective when new.

Ours is large and is a 5 micron particle size carbon block no bypass, 99.5% effective

40 years experience in water filtration, I do not have a softener in my home here in The Villages.
If you want additional info PM or call 631..338 1048

tks

.

[sesack1]

After doing considerable research, I have found that a conditioner is a good thing. I was inundated with sale people and their many times unpleasant tactics. It seems to be a good thing to not use the salt and potassium conditions for many reasons. I personally installed a new state of the art conditioner and am very satisfied. Mine has no maintenance problems and the water is exceptionally good.