Pros & Cons of getting a water softener
 

We're thinking of getting a water softener installed. Spouse has heard about & is kind of worried about the build-up of gunk/scale in the pipes which could lead to (costly) repairs or replacement of current pipes. Heard the build-up of gunk/scale reduces the effectiveness of the flush function. About once every 10 days we might need to flush 2x.

House was built in 2019; we're the first owners, been here 6 yrs now, Fenney area. Only the two of us, each aged 70+. Plan on staying till ...we exit feet first.

What are pros & cons of a water softener? (besides having a hard time rinsing in the shower) Thanks!

The Villages potable water supply is pretty average. Not particularly hard or soft water. I have never had a water softener anywhere I have lived, and I have never incurred any additional plumbing expense.

Water softener will make the soap in the shower go farther (you will use less).

When you mention flushing, you are referring to the toilet? The water softener has nothing to do with that, the flushing is caused by the water already in the tank and not the water coming through the pipes.

I don’t believe a water softener has anything to do with gunk in pipes. I can’t think of what it might do to cause that or prevent it.

We had one in MD but not here (Brownwood area). I notice the difference but don’t feel I need one here. Been here part time since 2018 and full time since 2020. Some small amount of mineral buildup but nothing significant. I like that I no longer need to worry about keeping salt in the tank or where the waste water is going.

We have had a water softener installed for over 30 years. To my mind there are no drawbacks, and it will give pipe work a new lease of life.
You save a lot on washing detergents, soap and shampoo as well. You can pretty much halve consumption.
Never had a problem rinsing either.
No limescale build up on shower glass, tiles, or tap and shower heads.
You must have a mains supply to water tap in kitchen for cooking and drinking, as softened water is not recommend for drinking.
JMTC.

PS. Plumb the waste water into main drain pipe for disposal during cleaning.

Don't you need to offset the cost savings on detergents with the cost to purchase, operate, and maintain the water softener?

I don't know exactly what you mean by a new lease on life for water pipes, but there are many houses in The Villages that are more than 30 years old with no water softener, and the pipes have never needed to be replaced.

Have never heard of a problem with cooking and drinking softened water. Did it for 20 years in MD.

My sewer line is nowhere near the location where I would install a softener so plumbing it in is not ideal. Directly connecting seems to be not recommended anyway.

Hate them… they are a pain and constant upkeep! No thanks

We’re in the Fenney area as well and got one 2 yrs ago.

Pros ; better for skin, sudsier soap, minimal calcium buildup on shower, faucets, etc., better tasting water. Won’t need to use a water filter in your refrigerator.

Cons ; takes up room in garage, it’s an added expense, waste water needs to drain somewhere (hopefully not in a flower bed), need to buy salt / potassium (potassium more expensive), salt/potassium bags be heavy (40 lbs I think, they need to be added to unit). You’ll also need an electrical outlet to plug it into.

I think it was worth it.

Investigate Home Depot / Lowe’s for purchase as well as Nova and that other brand (can’t think of the name).

We're debating this right now. We always had one in Indiana due to lots of lime in the water, which really isn't an issue here. Water in Indiana was very hard, over 30 grains, so a softener makes a big difference.

I just tested our water here in Amelia and it's about 8 grains. Anything over 4 is considered hard, so 8 is not extremely hard. Although still considered hard.

When we moved here a couple years ago we thought the water tasted terrible, so we put in a NOVA filter sytem. It made a big difference in taste.

With soft water soap is much more active since the solids in the water have been removed. White clothes will be whiter, you use less soap and detergent , and to us it tastes better and feels better on our skin and hair.

All that said, it's really personal preference. Llke I said, the water here isn't near as hard as what we had in Indiana so the difference a softener makes is not going to be as drastic.

We're leaning towards buying one from NOVA ($1200), but we're not 100% sure at this point.

For us it’s a quality of life thing. Always had a WS. And for ten years here a recirculating pump for hot water. She LOVES both!!!

We installed a Nova water softener along with their filter system, you can't beat their pricing. It makes a world of difference in taste, softness, laundry, showering, white spots on plumbing fixtures, etc. and you no longer will need fridge filters. I would not go without it. As far as discharge it goes out onto the side lawn or beds, we use Potassium and it does nothing negative to the lawn or plants, you don't need to install it near a sewer line.

The hardness of our water will vary depending on how much they are pumping from the upper and lower aquifer. Here in Osceola Hills when I measureed, we had 12-13 grains which is not too hard and not too soft. We got a Nova softener and are very happy with it. The price is fair and all we need to do is fill the salt bin up once a month.

If you purchase a softener please don't go and buy an expensive one. All salt based softeners work on the same principal. There is no magic. Some have better build qualities over others or may have an automatic bypass valve but the way it works is the same. I like Nova vs the Home Depot or Lowes softeners because if anything goes wrong, Nova is local and I can get parts or service in a day vs dealing with a big box company who has to ship parts to you or use a third party repair company.

We've had a water softener since the late '80s, when we were on very hard well water. I wouldn't want to be without one. I can tell the minute the salt runs out--my skin starts to each.

Nova whole house filter and WS is what we did. Our water tastes fabulous. Before we got this system, the water tasted terrible and smelled. We are just north of 466A.

Been here seven years in a fifteen year old house. No WS and no issues. We use a Brita filter for water that we drink with no complaints about the taste.

Not to be rude but: you will have already exited feet first before you ever have a buildup of gunk in the water pipes.

Lots of cons and we installed our own!!! Just basic plumbing knowledge. We had a lot of gunk and red stain in toilets. Soft water is so much nicer for everything; cleaning, drinking, and the list goes on.

And there are some houses in TV that have needed pipe replacement due to the pipes getting gunked up.
Water systems are a 2 part system. A filtration system and a water softener system. You can have one without the other, depending on water quality, likes and needs.
You can do nothing. We personally couldn’t drink the tap water, even after going thru the fridge filter or our Brita filter.
So we opted for a Pegasus system. It has a single canister that has a 4-way filter medium that will backflush itself to keep the filter medium clean. And a softener canister that can be used with cheap salt, or a more expensive sodium potassium. Using regular salt will kill the grass/bushes where the backwash exits the house. The potassium salt will not do that. Either version is safe to drink, obviously.
The other filtration system here is Nova. They use up to 3 filtration canisters/filters, whose filters must be replaced every so often, as they will clog and you lose water pressure. And it can also use a stand alone softener canister. Again with either version of salt.
The softener makes you feel like you didn’t rinse the soap off well. But you actually just have to trust that you have. It does not actually take any more time to rinse soap off, so you just have to trust it’s off. And the softner will also keep your shower/fixtures much cleaner.
You would be happy with either system. I chose Pegasus and sodium potassium salt for the softner medium. I don’t want to be changing any filters.

This thread is about water softeners, not water filters. They are two different systems. My post was about a water softener.

South of 44, we got a softener to avoid mineral build up on faucets and fixtures. We selected Nova but that was a mistake. The Nova system mostly worked for a while but then the tank broke and dumped resin into our water supply clogging the faucet aerators. Nova fixed the tank but it is barely soft now and we are getting mineral deposits on the faucets. We will be replacing the Nova system.

So, yes we need a softener here but not a Nova.

We have had Nova filter and WS systems installed for most of the time we’ve lived here since buying new south of 44 2.5 years ago. We hated the taste and smell of the tap water, and wanted to prevent any hard water build up on fixtures, etc, from the beginning. We started with the potassium salt, but switched to sodium eventually. It’s less expensive and I thought the water tasted metallic when we were using potassium. We still mainly drink the water from our fridge filter because we like it cold, but I’m okay with using water from the tap in the bathroom.

The only con for us is the space used in the garage, and that’s minor. We have Nova change our filters annually for about $140, but you can change them yourself if you prefer to save a few bucks on labor.

Wow, we’ve never had an issue in 2.5 years, also south of 44. Nova is so highly recommended all over the villages that this must be a very uncommon issue. So sorry it happened to you.

We have a Kinetico filter and softener and love it. No more mineral build up. Doesn’t require electricity. We use about 1-1/2 bags of salt a year. Small footprint. Backwashes one tank at a time when needed, not on a timer

Sort of hard to believe your new house could be having scale build up since 2019. Might be the type of toilet you have in your home. Ours is a 2008. We had similar double flush issues and replaced ours with 4 inch flush valve toilet. Believe it was model “ Champion 4 inch” model from either of the big box stores. Solved the problem.

Our alternative to a water softener
 

Several of my neighbors have cartridge style whole house filters installed in the garage by the inlet valve. We also installed this years back and we feel it made a great improvement. We use the PUREPLUS 5 Micron 10" x 4.5" Whole House Sediment and Carbon Water Filter Replacement Cartridge. The water tastes great due to carbon filter and have no residual on any of the faucets. I don't know if it reduces the hardness much but it does filter down to 5 microns. You can also purchase 1 micron filters, though more expensive, but we didn't think we needed to go that small. We get a 2 pack unit from Amazon for $30 and I replace them once we use about 20,000 gallons or roughly 6 months. I believe it would cost about $200 to have a plumber put in the assembly. It's interesting that you posted as I just changed the filter the other day. Take a look at the filter used for 20,000 gallons and the new one.

I have a Nova filter and a Nova water softener. No issues and a noticeable difference in the quality of the water
You can get 25 lb bags of salt delivered by door dash

We had our Nova system installed in 2018 and it's still going strong and would buy from them again if needed. I'm sure there are occasional problems that pop up just like any other product on the market. I'm pretty sure that Nova is the most popular brand being used in TV especially south of 44.

We have NOVA filters and softener. They keep the deposits from building up on shower heads and keep the dishes and glassware free of water spots. We use potassium chloride not salt so it can drain without harming plants. Nova will deliver and fill your softener with bags of the pellets, so you don't have to deal with going to the store, lifting and hoisting the big heavy bags.

Rinsing is no problem. The biggest issue is that it rids the water of any chlorine which is why the gunk builds up. Had I known that, I would never have it installed. We have to put chlorine discs in toilet tanks about once a month or so. The gunk also builds up in your faucets and you have to remove the end faucet part to clean or you lose power.

I agree with most of this
 

I have a water system for 19 years here in the villages. I agree with everything said except that the softened water is not recommended for drinking. That is one of the main reasons we installed the water system. The local water taste bad in my opinion. It makes everything you use it for, like coffee, tea or drinks taste bad.
The system only use a small amount of salt added back to the filtered water. The cost of the system over the years of use is very small for the benefit it gets. My installation includes quarterly servicing at no extra charge. I use Glacier Water and I recommend them. If you’re considering it I would suggest you at less checking them out.

Same problem with Pegasus WS system
 

At our Village of Collier house, my wife and I experienced the same breakdown with a Pegasus salt-based water softener system. Instead of fixing for $2,600 we chose to replace it with the 3-cartridge Nova filtration system for $750. And instead of Nova’s 2 sediment filters with 1 carbon filter configuration, we upgraded to 1 sediment filter with 2 carbon filter’s configuration. Water smells and tastes great, and no issues with scale or mineral buildup. And no more messing with salt, etc. Whatever you do regarding getting a water softener, I highly recommend getting the Nova filtration system with 2 carbon filter canisters and 1 sediment filter canister.

You realize that can happen with any salt based water softener. I'm very surprised because this is the first time I've ever heard this problem with a Nova softener. In speaker with the owner of Nova they specifically replace the filter and other components and upgrade them so this kind of event doesn't happen. But nothing mechanical is perfect.

Strange. We have never had to do that in 40 years of water softeners and 7 years of Nova water filter system. Do you leave the house empty in the summer?

With a Nova softener, how much water is discharged to the lawn? Thinking of maybe burying a small “drywell” type setup if we get one in order to protect the lawn. Thoughts?

Nova never told us there was more than one configuration for their filter system, and our water softener system is a separate system from the filter system that we added from Nova a few months after the filter system. We wouldn’t have soft water if we only had the filter system that you described, so I’m confused by your comment.

Nova doesn't advertise this option but you can ask, for an additional charge, for one Sediment and two Carbon filters vs the two Sediment and one Carbon filter configuration. They offer this because most competitive systems use two Carbon filters. Is it better? You will have to do the research but some feel it is.

The Nova softener system is a separate unit connected After their three stage filter system. Personally, I like this type of system because its easier to service if needed vs an all-in-one softener system.

Hope this helps.

Had the Nova water filter and softener system installed in June last year. I too was concerned about the flushing onto the lawn and how it might impact the grass.

Started out using the potassium tablets to protect the grass, but at $40 per bag was pretty expensive. Switched to the salt tablets, at well under $10 per bag, and haven't looked back and the grass near the discharge seems fine.

We moved into a new home down south recently and considered Culligan, Nova, and Pegasus. Culligan was outrageously expensive, Pegasus was shady and similarly expensive, and Nova were extremely informative, responsive, and didn't pressure us to buy anything we didn't need.

We have friends who live between the 6's (CDD 10) who also have Nova but do not have either the softener or the Reverse Osmosis (RO). I have personally seen their bathroom faucet clog dur to calcium build-up for which they simply removed it and soaked in CLR.

Personally, we didn't want that calcium affecting our appliances, pipes, and faucets so we had the softener installed along with an RO for our drinking water and ice (they spliced it to our refrigerator). After we moved in, we had another salesperson - fell victim to a postcard from "Florida Water Analysis" offering a free testing but which was actually another company trying to sell us the same system for more money. While the agent was here, I had her test both the TDS and acidity of our water: both pre-RO (so whole-house filtered and softened), post-RO (whole-house, softened, and RO) and bottled spring water from Zephyrhills. Shockingly, the bottled water was by far the worst: while the TDS was similar to our new tap (whole-house filtered and softened) at ~200 TDS, the chemicals were shockingly high. And the RO was really clean with a TDS ~15.

In short, we absolutely LOVE both our softener and RO. Not only due we feel our home is more "protected" from the Florida tap, but the water also feels amazing to shower and clean with. And Nova charges like $22 a bag - which isn't a lot - and you can order them from Amazon for less, including free delivery, under a subscribe and save scheme. I would highly recommend the softener and would push you to consider adding the RO system too. You won't regret either, especially if you value clean water, and Nova are excellent to work with.

Culligan is probably the best system you can get. The build quality, features and warrenty are the best but as you say it's expensive. Nova is good quality for the price you are paying. Plus they are local so any service or issues can be address quickly.

Okay, I guess I misunderstood your comment. I thought you were saying your filter system and water softener were all one system, not the two separate systems we have. Thanks though for the info on the alternative filter system. I’m going to ask them about it.

We switched from potassium to sodium too, but mostly because I thought the tap water had a metallic taste and wanted to see how it tasted with the sodium instead. It’s much better so we’re sticking with sodium, and as a bonus we’re saving quite a bit of money too.