[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Nana2Teddy

You are likely using the potassium salt rather than the sodium. The sodium works great and is very cheap. I think less than $10/bag. The water tastes better too with the sodium IMHO.

Exactly. Our Pegasus system was initially set up for Potassium. Unfortunately, it caused GI issues for SHMBO and for the dog.

When we had the system serviced, I asked about switching to Sodium. The tech said to just start using sodium and eventually, all of the Potassium would be flushed out of the system. No adjustments needed to ba made to the settings. Since we're still not full timers, the 40 lb bag lasts 4-6 months...

[metoo21]

Originally Posted by Battlebasset

If the discharge from the WS was piped out the side wall of my garage, it would not be a long trip to discharge directly into my cleanout which is in the flower bed. Has anybody done this vs just letting it spill on the ground, or creating a drainage sump?

I'd say that is a bad idea. You'd probably have sewer gases backing up in your softener system. Pipe it to the curb? I wouldn't discharge it onto the driveway as sodium chloride will damage concrete over time. A drainage sump would need to very big as the system uses quite a lot of water during its cycling.

Originally Posted by Topspinmo

Isn’t sodium bad for vascular system? Every one I even knew with high blood pressure was told to reduce sodium intake?

Yes it can be bad but there isn't a significant amount of sodium in the softened water to make a difference for someone - especially in the amount of water one would drink daily.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by metoo21

I'd say that is a bad idea. You'd probably have sewer gases backing up in your softener system. Pipe it to the curb? I wouldn't discharge it onto the driveway as sodium chloride will damage concrete over time. A drainage sump would need to very big as the system uses quite a lot of water during its cycling.




Yes it can be bad but there isn't a significant amount of sodium in the softened water to make a difference for someone - especially in the amount of water one would drink daily.

Piping it to the curb would require you to install underground pipe through the street right-of-way because you don't own the property all the way to the curb. You woud need permission from the county (or whoever owns the right-of-way) and I doubt that they would give it. Also, you would be discharging contaminated water into the street, which could be consumed by pets.

[Battlebasset]

[QUOTE=metoo21;2436697]I'd say that is a bad idea. You'd probably have sewer gases backing up in your softener system. Pipe it to the curb? I wouldn't discharge it onto the driveway as sodium chloride will damage concrete over time. A drainage sump would need to very big as the system uses quite a lot of water during its cycling.

Found this on the Pinellas government website:

Per Florida Building Code, household wastewater of any type (including greywater) must be discharged to the sanitary system. This includes water from sinks, tubs, toilets, water softeners, dishwashers, washing machines and floor drains.

If correct, then it seems it should discharge into a utility sink, or some other city sanitary system connection. Which I don't hear anyone doing.

[Ruger2506]

Originally Posted by chrisinva

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!

There are no cons that I can think of. Not comparatively. The water here is some of the filthiest nastiest water I've ever drank. A whole house filter and water treatment system is a must here.

[metoo21]

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