Water Softener

[Terri45]

Just moved into the Village of Fenney. I have been told that I need to get a water softener? Any thoughts on need? Options?

[Kahuna32162]

YES, talk to the guys with Nova Filtration. Complete package of both water filtration and softener was thousands less than the guys who knock on your door and want to test your water. They are sponsors here on TOTV, look for their ad. Highly Recommended !

[dewilson58]

Based on what I have heard (no facts), there are a lot of filters in homes, a lot less softeners. Up North, I always had a softener. When I came to TV, I just did a whole-house filter and am very happy with it.

I'm not a Nova fan, but I think it's the most popular in TV........there is a great salesmen here.........again, no facts.

Good Luck.

[Nova Filtration]

We sell softeners but they are not required, the whole house filter fills the needs of most of our customers.

Call us to discuss, promise no pressure sales pitch.

352.566.2649



Brad & Bob

[villagetinker]

Try doing a search on this site, as this has been discussed several times. You only need a water softener, IF you or your spouse does not like the hardness of the water, it tends to be on the hard side. You only need a filter, IF you or your spouse finds the level of chlorine objectionable. We have both and love the resulting water, I know many people that have neither and are quite happy. It will boil down to what you want, and how much you want to spend, our system was less than $1000 installed, and I have seen posts indicating costs approaching a few thousand of dollars. A search will provide lots of background info.

[JoMar]

Villagetinker has it right, it is depedent on your preferences and tasts. The water here is safe and the only issues are those the sales guys tell you exist.....beware of the purple water :). I can't speak to Fenny but here in Hillsborough we have been satisifed without adding anything.

[coffeebean]

We do not have a water softener or a whole house filter. With the exception of water used during cooking which comes directly from the tap, all the water we drink in our home comes from the filtered water dispensed from the fridge. I will, on occasion, drink water from the tap which is not filtered and I'm still alive to tell about it. It doesn't taste as good as the fridge filtered water but it is still acceptable for me. The filtered water from the fridge is delicious and hubby and I both love the taste. To me, the water tastes better than some bottled water which , to me, tastes terribly metallic. Our fridge water also tastes much better, to me, than my sister's water which is from a whole house filter. I find her water to have that terrible metallic taste that I dislike.

As for safety, the drinking water here in TV is safe. I have looked over the annual report sent to each household addressing the safety of the water. All the levels tested are within a safe range.

As for the hardness of the water.....I do find that once a month, I have to clean our faucets with Lime Away to remove the calcium deposits which appear whitish on the outside of the faucets. Calcium does degrade the springs and seats inside the faucets. I have had to change out those parts because of the calcium build up but that is only about every couple of years. I'd rather do that than maintain a system to soften the water. Plus....the faucet parts are under lifetime warranty so I receive them for free. After I learned how to change the springs and seats, it is a very easy process. I even told Delta Faucet company that the springs and seats are failing because of our hard water. They continue to send the parts to me for free.

[rivaridger1]

It really is a matter of personal preference. Some here argue the water does not need to be filtered and have no problems drinking it from the faucet and using it for their other daily water needs. Others want it softened with an inexpensive salt system. A few want it totally charcoaled filtered with the addition of an ionization system with a pre or post particulate filter. The determinate is how you fell about the water and the $$$ you are willing to spend to adjust it to your tastes.

[crash]

The water here is hard so if you are used to soft water you may want a water softener but not required. Softening has nothing to do with safety just removes minerals like calcium and magnesium and replaces it with sodium.

[graciegirl]

All new residents get a knock on the door from someone who is trying to sell a water softener. SOME, not all, pitch their product at every new village, knocking on your door, SOME of the sales folks who try to sell water softeners.

Some people have always had a water softener.

It depends a lot on the kind of water you were accustomed to at your prior home.

No one NEEDS one, some feel it makes things nicer.

We don't have one.

[TimeForChange]

Not needed.....

[SKIMAN]

5 1/2 years ago when I moved into the village of Sanibel this woman come up the driveway an said"Isnt the water here just terrible. I said all I do is add a little Scotch to it. Have a nice day.......:spoken:

[lorilorilori]

my quote from rainsoft was $6900
the quote from COSTCO / eco was $2500.

Almost identical systems. I have costco in my home and happy with it so will do the same for my Village home.

[vintageogauge]

How much difference is there between a $500 softener and a $3,000 softener? The only thing I can figure out is the backwash control/timer systems.

[Bogie Shooter]

How much difference is there between a $500 softener and a $3,000 softener? The only thing I can figure out is the backwash control/timer systems.

I replaced a $1500 Culligan with a $500 Whirlpool, 3 years ago. I see no difference other than using less salt for continuos soft water
Be careful of the salesman who starts out at $7000 and after being questioned he calls the "office" and the price becomes less than $3000......this happened to a friend of mine, here in TV.

[missypie]

We bought the water filter/ softener from Sears. It is a whole house system. We use potassium and not salt. It is terrific, at least up to today, 4 years later.

[Toymeister]

How much difference is there between a $500 softener and a $3,000 softener? The only thing I can figure out is the backwash control/timer systems.

No. A water softener is an ion exchange mechanism. All perform the same function.

[junction29]

How much difference is there between a $500 softener and a $3,000 softener? The only thing I can figure out is the backwash control/timer systems.

We bought a whole house system from Nova Filtration a few years ago because we weren't happy with the water taste and it is a brilliant system.
Only cost about $500, but we think it has gone up a bit since.
Do not even consider these rip off merchants who come to your door when you move in.
Nova will call round and change the filters once a year or whenever you want them too and it is quite alarming the amount of sediment and stuff the old filters are full of.
Great product, great price and great people.
Andy

[Bay Kid]

A Nova water system gives me great water! I am a country boy and hate city water taste/smell, it is like being in a swimming pool. Now with Nova I have no smell or bad tasting water.

[ggnlars]

I had the Nova people in the last month. Great people and excellent product, very easy to work with.

Do you need a water treatment product in your home? “Need” probably no.

However, as Brad & Tom’s pic show the filters are picking up some junk.
Soft water leaves fewer deposits on what ever it touches. It takes less soap for any job. That is particularly true in the laundry. My wife is convinced that the cleaning jobs are easier.

Asking what is the difference between two good softeners of different cost is like asking the difference between a Chevy and a Lexus. They both do the same basic job. The more expensive model generally has more features to do a “better” job for you.
In the case of softeners, the cheaper models use a mechanical control and are set up to run on a fixed sequence, no matter the actual water use. This run uses water. The more expensive models use digital controls. They often sense the amount of water used since the last run, the implied hardness of the water and some other items. They often have variable run times. In addition they also know how much salt you have and have a means to tell you when it is low.
Do you need these features, no. However they do save both water and salt. The last softener I had up north was like the latter. Had it eleven years with no repairs. The last mechanical timed softener I had lasted around five years.

[CFrance]

I'm wondering who told you you need a water softener in Fenney. Was it a door-to-door salesman, a neighbor, a sales agent? The reason I ask is because perhaps Fenney is in a particularly hard water area that the rest of us living elsewhere in TV wouldn't know about.

I wouldn't trust the door-to-door salesman. But I probably would listen to a neighbor who has lived there and used the water for a while.

[villagetinker]

as a follow uo to my initial post, a previously poster mentioned having a Sears system, that is what we have, 2 separate units, softener and filter, the combined units came out shortly after. In any case, we have had sears water softeners for over 40 years, typically last 10 years, then throw away and replace. Great water, and my wife no longer buys bottled water. Soaps go farther with the softened water.
Also, as stated previously, the water here is well within legal limits (do not listen to the door to door sales people), the water company sends out yearly results, and does quarterly testing, so if you do not have any personal problems with the water, save your money. if you do not like the taste or hardness, you now have info for several options. (I would not recommend Sears only from the point that they may be going bankrupt... know idea what would happen for repairs, parts, etc.)
Hope this helps.

[vintageogauge]

We also live in Fenney and I got quotes all over the board for these systems. I ended up calling Nova and ordered the system over the phone, they installed the triple filter, softer, set for potassium 2 days ago. There price was excellent and there are lots of good referrals here and elsewhere. We noticed the difference in the water the next day. We had rust stains in the toilets, white deposits on the bronze faucet bases, couple clogged shower head holes already, it was time to get one after just a few months of owning down here.

[CFrance]

We also live in Fenney and I got quotes all over the board for these systems. I ended up calling Nova and ordered the system over the phone, they installed the triple filter, softer, set for potassium 2 days ago. There price was excellent and there are lots of good referrals here and elsewhere. We noticed the difference in the water the next day. We had rust stains in the toilets, white deposits on the bronze faucet bases, couple clogged shower head holes already, it was time to get one after just a few months of owning down here.
I would conclude from your experience with the water stains, especially the rust stains, that your water is a lot harder than in the more northern areas of TV. Are you on well or city water?

When we were on well water in MI, there was no question about whether a softener was needed. That was the first time we got a softener (late '80s), and we've never looked back. We can tell immediately when we need to replenish the softener tank. Our skin starts to itch. We never have a problem with water stains with the softener. Cleaning is a breeze.

Now if only I could soften our goldens sleep-drooling on the tile floors! (Sorry... TMI)