Water purification
 

I recently bought a house in TV. Just sat thru a presentation from water purification company which indicated that the water in TV not only had high amounts of chlorine but limestone. This high pressure salesperson was persistent even indicating failure of the water piping under the concrete slab. Is a water purification system something that needs to be seriously considered?

Many people have water systems. We don't. Water system salesman can be quite annoying and not entirely truthful.

Many say not needed. I didn’t necessarily buy all of the “science” that was presented to me, but I did buy a system. Nothing scientific about it but all I know is the water smells better, tastes a LOT better and I actually get soap suds when showering in it. Is it a must? Well that’s up to you to decide. But I am happy with mine even if someone came to my home right now and took out a kit to prove to me that I didn’t really need it.

The 2017 Drinking Water Quality Report arrived with my recent bill. I don't have a chemical or biology background so it's pretty darned detailed to me, but maybe you'll find it helpful. Meanwhile, I'm happy with the water that comes out of the tap.

http://www.thevillageswaterwisdom.co...7-CCR_FDEP.pdf

You may be interested in reading this poll and thread.

Tap Water Smell & Taste (Poke Here)

I don't think a filtration or softener is needed. Why filter all of your water, when most of it is used to flush toilets or take a shower? Also, I would be a bit concerned that the filter itself could harbor germs if not properly maintained.

Yeah...those guys lie until you over-pay 3x the price. Water pipe failure is after the softener/filter, so it has no effect.

Just go to Home Depot and buy the GE GXMH31H softener/filter for $800 and pay a plumber $250 to install it.

I buried 1/2" PVC from the softener drain pipe out to the road...Not difficult at all.

171 mg/L is average hard water (low for Florida) but my water tastes like absolutely nothing and there is no calcium build up anywhere and zero chlorine smell. Just set the softener at 11 Grains per gallon.

Before you decide or take any action, look into the Nova whole house water filtration system. We have had this system installed in both our Villages homes and would not be without it. NO high pressure sales and at a cost that is way way less than the guys who come knocking at your door. Novafiltration dot com or call Bob at 352 566-2649. total cost is under $600!

Water Softeners are a matter of taste, if you've always had one, you'll probably want one. Nova will install along with the filtration system for $995. Check out their website, it will answer many questions you might have.

We also had it installed along with others in our neighborhood.


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I have a Reverse Osmosis water system that fits nicely under the kitchen sink inside the cabinet. I use it exclusively for cooking (such as boiling water for pasta), making coffee/tea and drinking. I even fill up a glass pitcher with the water and put in the fridge for ice cold water. The rest of the house is The Villages water which is used for showering, washing dishes. I absolutely LOVE it. No taste. Change filters under the cabinet once a year, and it has a thin faucet that goes next to the main faucet. You need to have a granite guy come out to drill a hole if you want to install and have granite/quartz. Not sure about laminate.

There are two "issues" with water in The Villages: chlorine and hardness. The Villages water has about 1.5 ppm of chlorine and the hardness (calcium and magnesium ions) is about 12 grains per gallon (this is pretty hard water). Neither of these is a health issue. The hardness can result in some build up on appliances and the heater elements in your hot water heater. Also, softened water requires less detergent and many people prefer the feel of soft water.

You can remove the chlorine and improve the taste of the water by adding a carbon block filter and a sediment filter (to protect the carbon block filter from the small amounts of sediment in our water). A dual canister 20" x 4.5" "Big Blue" filter enclosure is all you need. These are the "gold standard" for filtering household water and are available off E-bay for a low cost. For example:

Dual Big Blue Whole House Water Filter System, 20" x 4.5" 1" NPT copper thread | eBay

Populate the enclosure with a washable sediment filter such as:

Flow-Max Full-Flow (BB) 20" x 4.5" 5 Micron Pleated Filter

and a carbon block filter such as:

Pentek EP Big Blue 20" x 4.5", 5 Micron Carbon Block Cartridge

Our water is pretty clean and you can hose off the sediment filter every other year. The carbon block filters are typically good for about 40,000 gallons of water assuming 2 ppm of chlorine. For many households, this should be about 2 years since our chlorine level is 1.5 ppm.

If you want to remove the hardness then also get a water softener. There are many brands at the big box stores for around $500. They will typically last about 10-15 years, at which time the resin has deteriorated and you can just buy a new system.

Alternatively, you can buy a "hybrid water softener" for a bit more money, say $600-$800. These system will filter sediment, remove chlorine, and soften the water. These are also available at big box stores.

Any licensed plumber or handyman can install these system if you are uncomfortable gluing CPVC together.

We have been eating food cooked in TV's water and have also drank it many time over the 10 years we live here. We have had no problems with hard water and do get suds from the soap in the shower. Don't be fooled by people who try to sell you the Empire State Building. We have had no ill results from the water. (I did sprout a 3rd hand out of my ear, but no other bad results) Save your money.

Excellent post [emoji847]


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be careful
 

since when has limestone been bad? i actually like the taste of it growing up drinking it in the South.

in central Texas, these Bozo's would offer you a $50 Wal-Mart gift card to show you how "bad" your water is. they would open their case and poor a bunch of chemicals into a jar and say "see, your water is bad! order our $3000 purifier installed." you would refuse then they would offer the $800 tap filter.

a total scam. pull out the wife's rolling pin and run them out of your house. they were probably scoping it anyways for when you are gone. be careful the strangers you let in your house.

Again, bad for your health? Probably not. Is the water, as-is, fine for some people? Certainly seems to be. Maybe it depends on where you are from and what you are used to. Take the snake oil science with a grain of salt. I didn't have to be convinced my water was bad. All I knew was, in comparison to what I was used to, it had an unpleasant odor, an unpleasant taste (even when just pouring something packaged over ice), and it took a lot more soap in the shower to get anything resembling suds. Is it worth the asking price? Heck no! But I paid nowhere close. What speaks to me are the results. We drink a lot of water, or things that are made with tap water, including ice from the ice maker. No more odor, no more bad taste, and a normal amount of soap yields plenty of suds to wash clothes or yourself. So, maybe the real question to ask is - does your water have to be a certified health hazard in order to make it better? If so, save your money, as I haven't heard of anyone dying here from drinking the water. We are super pleased with the results we got because it addressed the issues we had and exceeded our expectations. And, when we had the system taken out for a week to get the garage floor epoxied, we missed it terribly and couldn't wait to get it put back in.