Our water is okay. We drink it and wash with it, but the clothes are a little dingy. I have been researching water purification and ran across a "non-salt" based softening system. See http://www.greatwaterco.com/e-information-course-conditioners-carefree.phtml What I would like to know is whether these ideas are valid or is this just another high tech way to separate me from my money. I also have seen charcoal filters in the $500 -$1,000 range that do the whole house. Anybody have any experience with these? Thanks.
Hang on to your wallet. If it sounds too ggod to be true, it probably is a scam. Look here and decide for yourself: Catalytic Water Softner Scam This and magnetic softeners are just a scam to separate you from your hard earned cash. For what its worth, the author of the above article has a whole page devoted to water "pseudoscience", http://www.chem1.com/CQ/
1/2 a cup of white vinager in your wash load will make the clothes much cleaner and softer. You can put in as much as 1 cup if you are in a really hard water area.
I wonder if those clamp on in line gadgets for supposedly increasing a car's gas mileage would also fall into the same scam category?
My mother softened the very hard water we had by heating the wash water on the wood cookstove in a wash tub, and putting in a couple heaping teaspoons full of lye. When the water got hot a brown or tan skum formed on top of the water. She skimmed the skum off and had soft water for the wash. It don't get any cheaper then that.
Thanks, Stush. So, I guess I am back to using a whole-house charcoal filter for part of the job. Anyone have experience with those that can "back-wash" themselves, verses the throw away filters?
Check with culligan water systems the charcoal filters they have you can empty and refill from a 5 gallon can of activated charcoal. Much cheaper that replacing the charcoal filters.
We had one in our house in NH. We had the house 18 months and never had any problems and never had to DO a thing to it; no salt, no filters, nothing. We did have it rebedded when we sold the house but that was pretty reasonable if I remember right. Beware though, the system itself cost a pretty penny but for a family our size, we figured it was worth it and the no maintenence was great.
The salt substitute for water softeners is potassium chloride. Hubby worked for a company in FL for about 10 yrs. 14 yrs in water treatment altogether. You can us it in place of the salt in any softener out there. So if you find a system you like, just replace the sodium for potassium. Word of advice is never buy a rainsoft or kennetico or whatever it is (the one that offers free salt). Culligan is good, Water Resources' home office is in Pheonix AR they have offices all over the USA, they can be a little on the pricey side but the quality is good. Home Depot offers a good water softner BUT, their salesmen will sell you just about anything they think they can get you to buy whether you need it or not. He helped to write the Customers Maintenance Manual for chlorination systems using well water so I suppose he knows what he's talking about. He did the installs as well as the maintenance. IF you would like to email him with any questions:frerydr@netzero.net
