Water is way too soft.. what to do?
dri...@phr33k.com
from my girlfriend regrading the shower water. I dislike the
slipperiness too. I have read a bunch of other posts but still am left
with questions. From what I understand (and I am new to this)
softwater is a good thing for my plumbing. I am glad to have softwater
for that reason. What I am wondering is: Is there a way to soften it
less? Slower dissolving salt? Some sort of regulation of the
softening equipment? ...and if there is a way to soften it less, am I
causing problems in the long run?
One last thing, not only is the slimey feeling there after a shower but
after my girlfriend blow-drys her hair (10 mins worth of blowdrying),
her hair still looks wet or like she put gel in it or something.
Any help is greatly appreciated!
Chris Lewis
Turn off the water softener for several days (it should be installed with
a bypass valve so that you can completely take it out of the circuit), and
then get your water tested for hardness. Get them to venture an opinion on
whether it's "very hard", "moderately hard", or "not very". At the same
time, decide _yourself_ which way you prefer it.
Water softening is pretty much all or nothing. The most you can do
by playing with the controls is "lose softening" for a portion of the
cycle.
Very hard water can be rough on electric control valves (such as dishwashers
and clothes washers), and greatly decrease the effectiveness of soap.
Most people find soft water something you need to get used to, but once you do,
you'd never switch back.
[We have moderately hard water. Not enough to warrant needing a softener,
_except_ for the dishwasher. But the dishwasher has a builtin softener.]
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.
BobK207
for the un-softened water in your home. You might be fine w/ the
un-sfotened (hard) condtion.
short answer on how w/s works.
the small tank has resin beads that hold sodium ions (hence the need
for salt re-charge; either form your big salt tank or back at the water
soften company plant)
as the hard water passes thru the small tank magnesium & calcium ions
are captured & replaced w/ sodium ions. Mg & Ca ions react with soap
binding it up, Na (sodium) no where near as much, hence the slippery
feel of un-removed soap.
one work around I have used.......... just soften the water going to
the water heater, when you're done showering adjust the shower water to
slightly colder & the increased amount of hard cold water will scavange
the remaining soap. This way the washer, dishwasher & shower will get
the benefit of soft. Plus you won't be drinking all those extra sodium
ions (if you drink the tap water)
secoind way (never done thsi) maybe a water temp manual tempering valve
could be used to do a partial bypass of the w/s. That way you could
add some hard water back inot the soft water downstream of the water
softener and ajdust it to get just the feel you want.
btw I thought slippery was good :)
cheers
Bob
SQLit
<dri...@phr33k.com> wrote in message
news:1131025822.1...@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Find the unit and use the bypass valve. Find the make and model and then
get a manual. All of the softeners I have ever had that I put salt into had
a method of changing the settings. They even came with a test kit.
Or call a plumber for service to the unit.
Edwin Pawlowski
To make it easier to understand, let's clear up the terminology. Water is
either soft or hard. If it is soft, it is soft and it is not more soft or
too soft. So now we know that if the water is not soft it is hard. There
are, however, degrees of hardness. Sounds like you want to go from soft to
some degree of hardness. I've heard your complaint from a few others as
they just can't seem to get used to being really clean and not having
minerals deposited on their bodies. Feels like the soap is not rinsed off
because your hand slides so easily. I'm a bit surprised about your
girlfriend's hair though, as mot like the feel and appearance of hair washed
in soft water. Years ago, people used to save rainwater for just that
reason; washing hair.
The salt is just used as a carrier to exchange ions.
You can read more here http://www.lenntech.com/water-softener-FAQ.htm
Water softeners are specific ion exchangers that are designed to remove
ions, which are positively charged.
Softeners mainly remove calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) ions. Calcium
and magnesium are often referred to as 'hardness minerals'.
Softeners are sometimes even applied to remove iron. The softening devices
are able to remove up to five milligrams per litre (5 mg/L) of dissolved
iron.
Softeners can operate automatic, semi-automatic, or manual. Each type is
rated on the amount of hardness it can remove before regeneration is
necessary.
A water softener collects hardness minerals within its conditioning tank and
from time to time flushes them away to drain.
Ion exchangers are often used for water softening. When an ion exchanger is
applied for water softening, it will replace the calcium and magnesium ions
in the water with other ions, for instance sodium or potassium. The
exchanger ions are added to the ion exchanger reservoir as sodium and
potassium salts (NaCl and KCl).
jtno...@yahoo.com
potassium chloride rather than sodium chloride. It is a little less
soluble than sodium, and more environmentally friendly on the
discharge. It is, however, more expensive.-Jitney
Brian
marad...@UNLISTED.com wrote:
>
> I have extremely hard water. It pegged the color strip test. But I
> have the best tasting water around. I would not change it for
> nothing. I just have to use a little extra detergent in the washer,
> but considering the cost of water softening, I'll spend a couple extra
> bucks a year for detergent. If I was to soften, it would only be for
> the washing machine. I refuse to drink soft water. All that salt is
> not good for ones body.
>
Hmm, most places soften either hot water only, or cold water everywhere
but kitchen and outside faucets.
Unless you taste water from toilets, bathrooms - why do you care?
To original posted:
Try increase regeneration cycle to 7 days.
dri...@phr33k.com
builder for manuals. I will also look for manuals on-line (once I get
home and get the make/model of the equipment). After reading all your
responses, I may try to "get used to" the soft water as I see it as a
benefit now. I do not drink the water so the salt content is not an
issue. The womans hair is definately greasy though. I am going to
give the water system a good cleaning to make sure there is nothing
else in the water that would cause that to happen. She did try to
rinse her hair this morning with a bottle or store bought water and her
hair was NOT greasy. I will post the outcome after some manual
reading. Thanks again!
nospambob
is NOT an issue. Our softener works for everything but toilets and
hose bibs, for 28 years.
Chris Lewis
It's most people's experience that while the water feels more slippery,
cleaning with soap is more effective with soft water than hard. Your
experience seems to be the exact opposite.
As another experiment, get her to try a different shampoo - especially one
that's a bit more natural soap based not-quite-so-exotic. As one to try,
try Johnson's baby shampoo, and see if it works any better. If it does,
it may be something odd about the shampoo she was previously using, and she
just needs to look around for something different.
Borax
store and purchase a little plastic tray with rectangular chambers in
it. It will loof similar to a muffin tin, but the holes will be
rectangular (in a pinch a muffin tin can be substituted).
Take this device and add your "too soft" water to it. Carefully place
the device in the freezer for 1-2 hours (your time may vary). When
removed you will be amazed at how much harder your water will have
become.
Edwin Pawlowski
I took your advice and wow, the water sure was much harder. I now have a new
problem. I was not feeling well and took a couple of aspirin with a glass
of the now hard water. It was more difficult to swallow and hurt as each
lump wend down my throat. Nest, I wanted to wash my hair. It did not suds
up as well and I have welts on my scalp from when my wife dumped a bucket of
the hard water on my head to rinse.
What am I doing wrong?
Gary Slusser
for detergents"! A 1/16" of scale on an electric water heater element
can cost you up to 27% of every dollar you spend to heat water. In gas
and oil fired heaters, it's up to 33% of every dollar. AND, there are
many other hidden costs you aren't aware of, like everything you
launder in hard water wears out faster, water using appliances and
plumbing valves fail quicker etc..
If you'll check the label on your loaf of white bread, you should see
about 120-150 mg of sodium per slice. A glass of skim milk is said to
have 530 mg of sodium. The sodium added by a water softener is 7.85
mg/l, roughly a quart, per grain per gallon of exchange. I.E. 12 gpg
hard water = 7.85*12 is 94.2 mg of added sodium per roughly a quart. So
eat a sandwich less or drink less skim milk or give up a pretzel or
potato chip and get on with life
And not softening all the water in the house may be okay, although IMO
it's a dumb idea, but if there's iron and/or manganese in the water,
who wants rust stains in their toilets and kitchen sink? The vast
majority of softeners soften all the water to all fixtures in the
house/building. That's the right way of doing it because then you get
the benefits of softened water everywhere.
Water is either soft(ened) or hard. It can not be "too soft"; it's
either got one or more gpg of hardness in it or 0 gpg of hardness in
it; speaking strictly of residential waters, commercial/industrial
waters in many cases require less then 17.1 ppm/mg/l (1 gpg).
Some people, although very few, add some hard water back into the
softened water rather than get used to their skin's natural oils making
them feel slippery while they shower in softened water.
The use of potassium or sodium chloride makes no difference in the
softness of the water UNLESS the softener is leaking hardness because
of the use of potassium chloride. In many cases you need a higher salt
dose than sodium chloride requires; from 12% to 30% for high efficiency
salt doses.
Gary
Quality Water Associates
http://www.qualitywaterassociates.com
Gary Slusser
which establishes the regeneration schedule; number of gallons or
number of days between regenerations BUT, not the 'softness' of the
water between regenerations.
And I'm sorry but, most plumbers (and well drillers), although they
should, don't know much about servicing softeners or other water
treatment equipment other than that they are installed in the cold
water line.... So only call a plumber, or well driller, that knows the
equipment or call a water treatment dealer.
BobK207
Please explain
"You're paying way more than just the cost of "a couple extra bucks...
for detergents"! A 1/16" of scale on an electric water heater element
can cost you up to 27% of every dollar you spend to heat water.""""
the electric element is inside the tank, where does the heat generated
by the element go if not into the water????
"In gas and oil fired heaters, it's up to 33% of every dollar.""
in this type of water heater scale on the inside of the tank will
effect heat transfer from the flue gas to the water but doesn't most of
the scale just drop to the bottom of the heater to be flushed out (if
one does that)
I just recently cut open an water heater installed in a very hard water
area, the scale depsoits (loose like sand) was about 6" deep
the "scale" on the side wall wal no thicker than paint a few thou at
most
cheers
\Bob
MsSteffi
LOL -
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thekma...@gmail.com
Here in New England our water runs too soft
for most pool pumps, so a bucket of Hardness
Up is required every season here.
Ed Pawlowski
> replying to Borax, MsSteffi wrote:
> LOL -
There is no such thing as too soft. It is either soft or hard, but
there are degrees of hardness.
Oren
wrote:
>Here in New England our water runs too soft
>for most pool pumps, so a bucket of Hardness
>Up is required every season here.
(waste of money)? Soft water is bad for pool finishes (plaster) and
the pool is filled with hard water and then balanced.
trader_4
to the slippery feeling it gives you when you take a shower. Water
too soft for a pool has to be corrected by adding calcium chloride.
How you fix that on a continual basis for your whole house, if you
really wanted to, IDK.
Ed Pawlowski
will soften. Once the media has extracted the minerals it will get
gradually harder until it is exhausted, but no way to do it in steps.
You could use a mixing valve after the softener and introduce some hard
water.
thekma...@gmail.com
the pool is filled with hard water and then balanced. "
store said it was simply where we live. They are
a chain with locations serving customers who need
water softener(water too hard). So its purely
geographical.
Paint...@unlisted.moo
<caedfaa9ed1216d60e...@example.com> wrote:
>replying to Borax, MsSteffi wrote:
>LOL -
(Turn up your hearing aid).
Your wife said your WEINER is way too soft, *Not* the WATER!
steve
we have a well 320 feet deep.. we are using a 0-3 generator , with a scrubbing
tank, then a 5 micron bed, filter tank . then into a 3000 gal holding/
settling tank then a pressure pump, pumps it into 2- 80 gallon pressure tanks
then this water goes thru a water softner problem is that the anodes in the
water heaters last only about 6 months and everything we find says that the
water is TO SOFT . the only way i can think of is to bypass a bit of water
before it gets to the softener and introduce it to the soft water as it leaves
the softener!! i hope there is a differential pressure but i am not sure
how accurate this will be at different flow volumes ie: filling a bath tub
vs. getting a drink of water from a kitchen faucet
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Oren
<caedfaa9ed1216d60e...@example.com> wrote:
>replying to Gary Slusser, steve wrote:
>we have a well 320 feet deep.. we are using a 0-3 generator , with a scrubbing
>tank, then a 5 micron bed, filter tank . then into a 3000 gal holding/
>settling tank then a pressure pump, pumps it into 2- 80 gallon pressure tanks
>then this water goes thru a water softner problem is that the anodes in the
>water heaters last only about 6 months and everything we find says that the
>water is TO SOFT . the only way i can think of is to bypass a bit of water
>before it gets to the softener and introduce it to the soft water as it leaves
>the softener!! i hope there is a differential pressure but i am not sure
>how accurate this will be at different flow volumes ie: filling a bath tub
>vs. getting a drink of water from a kitchen faucet
FromTheRafters
HTH
Micky
than they are, we'll hanswer his question, which doesn't depend on the
existence of Gary Slusser. I've never had well or a softener so I
can't help.
Micky
someone long gone with the same question, versus those who try to
answer problems someone had years ago.
Those in the second category are sort of silly, but the first contains
posts that stand on their own.
David L. Martel
You lost me at the beginning. Why do you believe that the problems with
your water heater are caused by the softener. Anode rods should last for
years.
Don't know much about them but you may wish to investigate powered
anodes.
Dave M.
cl...@snyder.on.ca
>we have a well 320 feet deep.. we are using a 0-3 generator , with a scrubbing
>tank, then a 5 micron bed, filter tank . then into a 3000 gal holding/
>settling tank then a pressure pump, pumps it into 2- 80 gallon pressure tanks
>then this water goes thru a water softner problem is that the anodes in the
>water heaters last only about 6 months and everything we find says that the
>water is TO SOFT . the only way i can think of is to bypass a bit of water
>before it gets to the softener and introduce it to the soft water as it leaves
>the softener!! i hope there is a differential pressure but i am not sure
>how accurate this will be at different flow volumes ie: filling a bath tub
>vs. getting a drink of water from a kitchen faucet
Paint...@unlisted.moo
>>replying to Gary Slusser, steve wrote:
>>we have a well 320 feet deep.. we are using a 0-3 generator , with a scrubbing
>>tank, then a 5 micron bed, filter tank . then into a 3000 gal holding/
>>settling tank then a pressure pump, pumps it into 2- 80 gallon pressure tanks
>>then this water goes thru a water softner problem is that the anodes in the
>>water heaters last only about 6 months and everything we find says that the
>>water is TO SOFT . the only way i can think of is to bypass a bit of water
>>before it gets to the softener and introduce it to the soft water as it leaves
>>the softener!! i hope there is a differential pressure but i am not sure
>>how accurate this will be at different flow volumes ie: filling a bath tub
>>vs. getting a drink of water from a kitchen faucet
>>
JerryQ
I've noticed my dog is much more likely to drink from his bowl since I put the
softener in. Of course he always preferred puddles of rain water.
--
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Oren
<caedfaa9ed1216d60ef...@example.com> wrote:
>replying to maradcliff, JerryQ wrote:
>I've noticed my dog is much more likely to drink from his bowl since I put the
>softener in. Of course he always preferred puddles of rain water.
soft water.
Oren
nym without my permission.
Of course it's posted from eternal-september.org, which is what all the
TROLLS are using these days.
This guy is the same person as the one using the nym burfordTjustice,
who floods this newsgroup with political shit. They are both the same
person, and there are numerous other nyms being used by this same TROLL.
(All from the TROLL site, eternal-september.org,
See here:
From: Oren <Or...@127.0.0.1>
Newsgroups: alt.home.repair
Subject: Re: Water is way too soft.. what to do?
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2017 16:46:50 -0700
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ebonhunt
during the regeneration process the water fills just to the levels of the salt
(pellets) what if you can double the amount of water during the regeneration
thus diluting it by 50%
ebonhunt
ebonhunt
Ed Pawlowski
> replying to David L. Martel, ebonhunt wrote:
> during the regeneration process the water fills just to the levels of
> the salt
> (pellets) what if you can double the amount of water during the
> regeneration
> thus diluting it by 50%
>
JT
My city water is soft watet. Way too soft.. what can I do?
Carol Preiss
It may be that your girlfriend (and you) need to change the soap and shampoo
products you are using to less aggressive ones. or with a lower pH. Soft water
requires minimal detergents unlike hard water. She may also find conditioner
unnecessary.
Uncle Monster
> replying to BobK207, Carol Preiss wrote:
> It may be that your girlfriend (and you) need to change the soap and shampoo
> products you are using to less aggressive ones. or with a lower pH. Soft water
> requires minimal detergents unlike hard water. She may also find conditioner
> unnecessary.
> --
>
[8~{} Uncle Sad Monster