Whole house water softener.

[MikeVillages]

Whole house water softener.

What is your experience using a whole house water softener? Do you have salt, potassium, or something else? How satisfied are you with washing your hair, using the dishwater, and buildup around showers & faucets?

[JMintzer]

Whole house water softener.

What is your experience using a whole house water softener? Do you have salt, potassium, or something else? How satisfied are you with washing your hair, using the dishwater, and buildup around showers & faucets?

Our house came w/a Pegasus system, using Potassium.

We had no buildup at the faucets, the dishwasher and laundry worked fine. We did notice a "slippery feeling afer a shower, but no biggie...

Unfortunately, the Potassium gave SWMBO and the dog some "GI issues", so we switched over to salt. No noticeable change in the efficiency of the softener, still bo scaling at the faucets, and after a few months, the Potassium was completely replaced by salt and the Dog's GI issues went away.

SWMBO still insists on me getting the 5 gallon water jugs and we bought a free standing water cooler/heater, where the water jug sits underneath in a cabinet.

I drink the water from the fridge door with no problems...

[villagetinker]

We have a Sears water softener and whole house filter since 2013, NO salt in the water, I have a test kit to verify, NO buildup on any plumbing, dishwasher, refrigerator, or washer. On a side note, if the system is working properly, you will not have any residue in the house water.

[CarlR33]

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/contractors-services-91/water-conditioner-filter-softener-350667/?highlight=Softener

[Two Bills]

Totally recommend system.
Have salt whole house softener. No problems with pipe/tap scale.
It uses about half of as much soap/shampoo/washing products than with hard water.
The remaining seventeen hairs on my head have never been so soft and manageable.
The main drinking cold tap (UK building regs.) in the kitchen is a separate supply of mains water.
The kitchen tap has a ceramic filter, otherwise water tastes like it has been pumped from a local swimming pool!

[MikeVillages]

A plumber stated that it is not a code violation to drain a water softener discharge to the storm sewer. He would have the discharge go slightly underground to the curb where it will drain to the nearby storm sewer. Has anyone done that?

PS. I learn a new initialism: SWMBO :)

[retiredguy123]

///

[retiredguy123]

A plumber stated that it is not a code violation to drain a water softener discharge to the storm sewer. He would have the discharge go slightly underground to the curb where it will drain to the nearby storm sewer. Has anyone done that?

PS. I learn a new initialism: SWMBO :)
The plumber is correct, but most systems just have a pipe that sticks out of the garage wall and the water is discharged downward directly onto the ground. It is not necessary to pipe the water to the curb. Also, note that, if you pipe it to the curb, you will be installing pipe through the street "right-of-way", which is land that you do not own.

[gorillarick]

Salt water softener. Your water will feel slick, you'll need less soap in the shower and washing machine. Soft water will dry-out your skin less than hard water, and leave less residue/build-up on your skin, clothes, and plumbing. Your clothes might even seem whiter/brighter after washing.

Softener may or may not make your water taste better (but not worse); but a filter on your fridge and the cold-water side of your sink (if a decent filter - like one with charcoal), will make it taste tasteless.
Worth the investment; and while these filters seem expensive, they are dirt cheap if you can only drink bottled water, and what a hassle dealing with the big or even little bottles.

Potassium is more expensive compared to salt; but I have no experience with them.

***
I plan to replace my water softener soon. Current unit is very old, and it is very expensive to change the media. In my opinion at this point - not worth it; start over.
But, I plan to have a particle/sediment filter installed on the input. My theory is the softener will last longer if it doesn't have to fight garbage floating thru the pipes in addition to dissolved minerals. Should make the media last longer.

btw: We get a report on TV water once a year. We have pretty good water (safety wise / EPA wise), but they/we can't afford to have all the minerals removed.

Ironic - we remove minerals and then take vitamin/mineral pills to replace them. But, there is some bad stuff that needs to be removed.

[jrref]

Salt water softener. Your water will feel slick, you'll need less soap in the shower and washing machine. Soft water will dry-out your skin less than hard water, and leave less residue/build-up on your skin, clothes, and plumbing.

Softener could make the water taste better, but a filter on your fridge and the cold-water side of your sink (if a decent filter), will make it taste tasteless. Worth the investment, and while these filters seem expensive, but are dirt cheap if you can only drink bottled water, and a hassle.

Potassium is more expensive compared to salt; but I have no experience with them.

***
I plan to replace my water softener soon. Current unit is very old, and very expensive to change the media. In my opinion, not worth it; start over.
But, I plan to have a particle/particulate filter installed on the input. My theory is the softener will last longer if it doesn't have to fight garbage floating thru the pipes in addition to dissolved minerals. Should make the media last longer.

btw: We get a report on TV water once a year. We have pretty good water (safety wise / EPA wise), but they/we can't afford to have all the minerals removed.

Actually, its the chlorine in the water which shortens the life of the water softener. Its best to put a sediment and carbon filter such as a Nova Filter or equivalent before the water softener.

[CFrance]

We have Nova softener plus their whole house filter. We started with a water softener back in the late '80s when we were on well water. We had to. Once you get used to it, you may never go back. I can tell the minute the salt needs replenishing in the softener--my skin starts to itch.
As for whole house water filter, it has made all the difference in the taste of our water. We don't buy bottled water. We use our own bottle.

[RedChariot]

We have a Nova whole house water filter. Took that chlorine taste out of the water immediately when it was installed about 10 years ago. I have bad scaling at faucets and on the granite. Have been reluctant to get the softener due to all the salt. That can't be good for us. I really don't want to start buying all those cases of water to avoid taking in all that sodium.

[villagetinker]

We have a Nova whole house water filter. Took that chlorine taste out of the water immediately when it was installed about 10 years ago. I have bad scaling at faucets and on the granite. Have been reluctant to get the softener due to all the salt. That can't be good for us. I really don't want to start buying all those cases of water to avoid taking in all that sodium.

If the softener is working properly, there will be NO salt in your house water, if you do not believe me, please do some research.
I have been using water softeners for over 50 years, and have never had salt in the house water unless the system malfunctioned, had this happen once, and it was a very simple repair.

[djrudd]

We have Pegasus system and use salt. Absolutely no problems. No scale no build up no problems

[jimkerr]

We bought the Nova water softener and it’s excellent. The water tastes great. There are no rings or etching on our granite. That’s one of the things a softener helps with. We use DaLeon ours. You do not get any salt in your water.

Don’t let people tell you it adds salt to your water. That’s 100% false. They just don’t understand the science behind the salt and how it’s used to to clean the resin beads in your softener.

[Rzepecki]

Our house came w/a Pegasus system, using Potassium.

We had no buildup at the faucets, the dishwasher and laundry worked fine. We did notice a "slippery feeling afer a shower, but no biggie...

Unfortunately, the Potassium gave SWMBO and the dog some "GI issues", so we switched over to salt. No noticeable change in the efficiency of the softener, still bo scaling at the faucets, and after a few months, the Potassium was completely replaced by salt and the Dog's GI issues went away.

SWMBO still insists on me getting the 5 gallon water jugs and we bought a free standing water cooler/heater, where the water jug sits underneath in a cabinet.

I drink the water from the fridge door with no problems...

I get a report once a year that shows what is in the water I get from my tap. I have no idea what’s in bottled water.

[Rocksnap]

The plumber is correct, but most systems just have a pipe that sticks out of the garage wall and the water is discharged downward directly onto the ground. It is not necessary to pipe the water to the curb. Also, note that, if you pipe it to the curb, you will be installing pipe through the street "right-of-way", which is land that you do not own.
Using salt, then having the system back flush into the grass will kill the grass and/or landscaping that may be around the discharge outlet. Which is why many of us use potassium.

[Rzepecki]

We love our whole house softener and filter by Kinetico/Kwater. It’s non-electric; it runs on water power, backwashes in 17 minutes based on usage, not timed intervals and in almost 2 years , we are only using our third bag of salt.

[retiredguy123]

I get a report once a year that shows what is in the water I get from my tap. I have no idea what’s in bottled water.
When I buy bottled water, I always buy purified water, not spring water. I am skeptical that Evian spring water (or any spring water) can come from the same source year after year and still taste the same. Am I missing something?

[LuLinn]

We have a whole house water filter and salt-free softener system. We're very pleased with our decision. I didn't want to store and lift pellets. Once a year, we have someone from Torri Plumbing come and change both filters. We have the tankless water heater cleaned at the same time. We are pleased with our choice.

[crash]

We have a Sears water softener and whole house filter since 2013, NO salt in the water, I have a test kit to verify, NO buildup on any plumbing, dishwasher, refrigerator, or washer. On a side note, if the system is working properly, you will not have any residue in the house water.
If you have a water softener and put salt in it regularly where do you think the Na goes. A water softener trades sodium ions for Mg and Ca there will be an increase in Na small but still there.

[Cuervo]

I had a whole house Pelican water system installed years ago, when the person installed it, he claimed that I would notice a difference in the water immediately. He said I would no longer need to change the water filter in my refrigerator, and he was telling the truth saving me $120 a year just on the frig. Though I could have done it myself they I had a service that would flush out the system and change the filter twice a year and the UV light once a year.
Now in the past few years I don't know if they had change hands or what happened, but they had dropped the service.
Next month I'm having the system replace with a filter system called Halo, which if I understand it is more of an open market system that many companies install and takes less maintenance.
I don't know if these systems pay for themselves in the long run, but it's one of those things that after you install it you forget it's there.

[treylagger]

We recently bought a one-year old home in Dabney that came without any water treatment system. There was significant calcium build-up in the shower which took some scrubbing to get rid of. We also hated the chlorine smell the water had and bought bottled water to drink. The very first home improvement we made was adding a water system After researching we opted for the Pegasus system. Not cheap..... $2,700 installed and they recommend using potassium which is more expensive than salt (about $40 a bag, plus it supposedly takes more potassium to treat your water than it does with salt). The improvement in water quality was immediate and we love our water now. The jury is still out on whether we stick with potassium (we're a month in to owning our home).

[dtennent]

We had a Kinetico softener (NaCl) system up north for 30 years on well water and loved it. Down here, we put in a KCl system which works as well. However, if I were to do it over, I would go back to a NaCl system. See no reason to pay 5 X for a bag of KCl vs. a bag of NaCl. Since we travel a lot, I like the Kinetico system which works on demand rather than a time based system. If the taste of chlorine is a big deal to you, put in a carbon filter at the house inlet. Much cheaper than the filter on refrigerators.

[BlackHarley]

The ONLY down side I've noticed with a softener is the brown bacteria ring that will form in the toilets due to the lack of chlorine to kill it.

[PugMom]

go Pegasus. the water is so easy on your skin & hair, -there's no buildup and my skin is soft. i wouldn't live without it, because i can drink water right out of the tap with no nasty taste. i'm pretty sure i fill the unit with potassium. the bags are big and heavy, but for a fee Pegasus delivers it to my door and they fill my tank. it's typically a Friday delivery.

[PugMom]

The ONLY down side I've noticed with a softener is the brown bacteria ring that will form in the toilets due to the lack of chlorine to kill it.

use a bleach toilet cleaner or dry Comet, it comes off real easy

[PugMom]

The plumber is correct, but most systems just have a pipe that sticks out of the garage wall and the water is discharged downward directly onto the ground. It is not necessary to pipe the water to the curb. Also, note that, if you pipe it to the curb, you will be installing pipe through the street "right-of-way", which is land that you do not own.

yep, mine is set up that way

[retiredguy123]

Using salt, then having the system back flush into the grass will kill the grass and/or landscaping that may be around the discharge outlet. Which is why many of us use potassium.
You may need to direct the outflow so that it doesn't kill the grass or possibly dig a French drain. But I would not run the pipe to the curb. I see several possible issues with that. The pipe could clog up in your front yard, pets could drink the water at the curb and get sick, and you don't own the right-of-way, so you may need permission from the county.

[Marathon Man]

You may need to direct the outflow so that it doesn't kill the grass or possibly dig a French drain. But I would not run the pipe to the curb. I see several possible issues with that. The pipe could clog up in your front yard, pets could drink the water at the curb and get sick, and you don't own the right-of-way, so you may need permission from the county.

Good points.

[ffresh]

Whole house water softener.

What is your experience using a whole house water softener? Do you have salt, potassium, or something else? How satisfied are you with washing your hair, using the dishwater, and buildup around showers & faucets?

We have used salt-based systems for years and love the benefits. The only minus I find is, especially in FL, the salt pellets tend to form a solid block in the bottom of the tank, after a while due to the high humidity, and must be manually broken up to restore efficient operation. One has to be careful to not poke holes in the tank. :pray: We use a whole-house filter before the softener - all works well!

[Justputt]

We had a salt-based system when we lived in TX and the backwash was directed into the sewer line. You don't want to be dumping salt on your grass! I don't have a problem with the water here, don't like the feeling of a slick on the skin, and see zero reason to spend the money.

[Nancy Rodriguez]

What does it stand for?

[Veracity]

A plumber stated that it is not a code violation to drain a water softener discharge to the storm sewer. He would have the discharge go slightly underground to the curb where it will drain to the nearby storm sewer. Has anyone done that?

We had a Pegasus system installed on a new-construction Villages home immediately after closing (before we moved into the house). The discharge pipe went through the garage wall and water ended up on our cement patio/walkway. We had our landscaper divert the water underground to discharge onto the grass on our front lawn just before the utility easement. The purpose was to get the water off of the cement near the foundation of the house. This was included in our ARC approval for the landscaping (we had always planned to upgrade the Villages-provided landscaping, so including the pipe extension was no big deal). We were told that ARC does not review water drainage and it's ok as long as water does not drain onto a neighbor's property (ours does not). We have been here about a year and have had no issues with anything regarding our water system or the landscaping. Pegasus was here last week to perform their one year FREE maintenance/inspection and found no problems. The grass around where the water discharges is as green as the rest of the grass. Love the Pegasus water system, but because it was installed before we moved in, we have nothing to compare it to (we don't know what our water would be like without it). Many of our neighbors have also installed water systems; some purchased Pegasus and others went with different brands. We have heard no complaints about any of the various types of water systems in our neighborhood. Everyone seems happy with their selections and their water quality. Some of our neighbors' systems discharge directly into their shrub beds, and nothing has died as a result. I hope this helps answer your question.

[Nana2Teddy]

Actually, its the chlorine in the water which shortens the life of the water softener. Its best to put a sediment and carbon filter such as a Nova Filter or equivalent before the water softener.

We have the Nova filter and soft water system, and are very happy with both. We didn’t like the potassium so we changed to the salt, which is cheaper too. I still don’t like the taste of the tap water though, which to me has a slight metallic taste, but I just use the water from our fridge door. Even the metallic taste of the water is better though than the very strong chlorine taste we had before the system was installed.

[Two Bills]

In UK, there must be one direct mains water supply to tap in the kitchen, in case of any possible salt contamination.
We have a ceramic fitter system on that one tap to get rid of the swimming pool tase and filter away any other nasties. Far cheaper than keep buying bottled water.
The salt water backflow, is piped straight into the nearest waste outlet pipe.
Definitely do not want to let backflow into any area of vegetation. It will over time, kill the soil

[Kathryn Putt]

We installed the NIVA system that was designed by a fellow The Village resident. It uses potassium that is environmentally safe. We have no residue, no rings in the toilet, softer skin & hair. Good Luck

[Nana2Teddy]

We installed the NIVA system that was designed by a fellow The Village resident. It uses potassium that is environmentally safe. We have no residue, no rings in the toilet, softer skin & hair. Good Luck
Do you mean NOVA? If so, then it actually uses either potassium or salt. We chose salt after trying potassium for awhile. The potassium was making my skin itch, and it was much more expensive than the salt.

[jrref]

I just wanted to point out, everyone has their own opinion on which water softener works best and that's fine. But be aware except for the saltless systems, most water softeners work on the same exact principal, and are all basically the same except for the price. You can get a Pegasus for $2,700 or a Nova softener for about $1,200 and at the end of the day, the longevity and effectiveness will be basically the same. The only feature that the more expensive systems might have is a bypass valve that diverts non-softened water to your home while the regeneration process is running. This means you won't have the water cut-off at 2:00 am whenever the regeneration process is running. All the newer systems use a Usage system vs a Timed system to know when to regenerate so there is no concern if you are a snow bird and no one is using the water for several months.

Also, what's very important is having a sediment and carbon filter installed Before the softener because the chlorine in our water will shorten the life of the softener. The Pegasus has a non-replacable carbon filter that is used for the life of the unit and with Nova you can get a three stage filter where you can change the filters once a year. I would be concerned using a softener with a non-replacable carbon filter because after many years I find it hard to believe it's still effective and I wouldn't want my water washing over a filter with many years of dirt.

Before you purchase a water softener do your research. Check the warranties, find out how you can get parts and service and read the reviews of people who have used the systems. There are many YouTube videos on the topic which will enable you to make an informed decision.

The reason why I went with Nova is because of the fair price and that they are local. Meaning if I need service or parts Nova will be able to repair my softener within a day or two. Also, since they have been in the Villages for many years, they know our water and what is needed and works best.

[biker1]

There are water softeners available for $600. Typically, they will last 10-15 years, at which point you should just replace them because the resin, which does the ion exchange, will probably have deteriorated. A carbon block filter (Big Blue compatible 20" x 4.5" is a popular choice and readily available on Amazon and other sites), before the water softener, may extend the life of the resin by removing chlorine, which deteriorates the resin. While you might be able to replace the resin, why bother? Virtually all water softeners will provide bypassed unsoftened water during regeneration; the water does not cut off. Some actually have 2 resin tanks, which alternate regenerating, so you never have bypassed unsoftened water during regeneration. I don’t really think that is necessary. Mine regenerates in about 20 minutes at 2AM and bypasses unsoftenened water during regeneration. I paid about $600 and put it in myself. Regarding whether you need a water softener in our location, it is a personal chance. Our water is pretty hard at 12 grains per gallon, which I measured. To provide context, there are areas in the country with twice that level. Softened water has essentially 0 grains per gallon. I measure mine each year to verify that the water softener is functioning correctly.

I just wanted to point out, everyone has their own opinion on which water softener works best and that's fine. But be aware most systems work on the same exact principal, except for the saltless systems, and are all basically the same except for the price. You can get a Pegasus for $2,700 or a Nova softener for about $1,200 and at the end of the day, the longevity and effectiveness will be basically the same. The only feature that the more expensive systems might have is a bypass valve that diverts non-softened water to your home while the regeneration process is running. This means you won't have the water cut-off at 2:00 am whenever the regeneration process is running.

Before you purchase a water softener do your research. There are many YouTube videos on the topic which will enable you to make an informed decision.

[MikeVillages]

My TDS (Total dissolved solids) is 147.

[jrref]

There are water softeners available for $600. Typically, they will last 10-15 years, at which point you should just replace them because the resin, which does the ion exchange, will probably have deteriorated. A carbon block filter (Big Blue compatible 20" x 4" is a popular choice and readily available on Amazon and other sites), before the water softener, may extend the life of the resin by removing chlorine, which deteriorates the resin. While you might be able to replace the resin, why bother? Virtually all water softeners will provide bypassed unsoftened water during regeneration; the water does not cut off. Some actually have 2 resin tanks, which alternate regenerating, so you never have bypassed unsoftened water during regeneration. I don’t really think that is necessary. Mine regenerates in about 20 minutes at 2AM and bypasses unsoftenened water during regeneration. I paid about $600 and put it in myself. Regarding whether you need a water softener in our location, it is a personal chance. Our water is pretty hard at 12 grains per gallon, which I measured. To provide context, there are areas in the country with twice that level. Softened water has essentially 0 grains per gallon. I measure mine each year to verify that the water softener is functioning correctly.
So why should someone pay $2,700 for a Pegasus?

[biker1]

They probably shouldn't but people overpay for lots of things such as internet speeds they can't come close to needing. The Villages is a "target rich environment" for vendors.

So why should someone pay $2,700 for a Pegasus?

[Garywt]

We have a NOVA whole house filter that we love but we hate water softeners. A house we have stayed at and I never felt rinsed off. My hair and body almost felt slimy which I did not like that feeling.

[Freehiker]

We have a Nova water softener (and filter). Potassium.

Love it.

[djlnc]

I bought a Rheem water softener from HD 2 years ago for $399 and had it installed by Torri Plumbing for $225. Works fine.

[yankygrl]

Whole house water softener.

What is your experience using a whole house water softener? Do you have salt, potassium, or something else? How satisfied are you with washing your hair, using the dishwater, and buildup around showers & faucets?
I have lived in TV 14 years and have had filters and softener at each of my 3 homes. Currently I have a salt softener installed by EcoWater. I am only one person so it doesn’t use a lot of salt.