Is Water Softener System necessary in Irvine

M

Michigan

New member
There is an upgrade option of water softener system for a new house in Irvine. Does anyone know what's this system for and whether it is necessary? We didn't have a water softener system for our home before.
 
We have a whole house water softener system and love it.  We originally got it to help with my daughter's eczema and it did wonders for her skin.  I noticed a difference immediately on my skin and hair.  Much better for your appliances.  If using a tankless water heater, then will prolong the life of the heater.  Irvine water is very hard.  Any reputable water sofener company will come out and test your water so you can see for yourself.  Here's a tip.  Salt-free whole house water softeners don't work well and I would never recommend one of those.  It's simple chemisty, you need salt to neutralize the elements that cause hard water.  Most companies use the one tank system which regenerates on a timer usually every 10-14 days.  Others like Kinetico, use 2 tanks and don't need electricity.  This is the system which I will probably install in my next home.  There's a ton of info out there and not all manufacturers are created equal.  Check out gardenweb, there's tons of discussions on this topic over there.  Just an FYI, softened water is not recommended for watering plants or discarding into the sewer as there's an environmental impact.
 
Use USCTCPA's GE link.  You can get the 45,000 grain water softener for about half the price Home Depot is selling it for.  Just need to find a reputable installer now....
 
I'm curious if the softened water is drinkable. Would it have too much salt/sodium content?

OCgasman said:
We have a whole house water softener system and love it.  We originally got it to help with my daughter's eczema and it did wonders for her skin.  I noticed a difference immediately on my skin and hair.  Much better for your appliances.  If using a tankless water heater, then will prolong the life of the heater.  Irvine water is very hard.  Any reputable water sofener company will come out and test your water so you can see for yourself.  Here's a tip.  Salt-free whole house water softeners don't work well and I would never recommend one of those.  It's simple chemisty, you need salt to neutralize the elements that cause hard water.  Most companies use the one tank system which regenerates on a timer usually every 10-14 days.  Others like Kinetico, use 2 tanks and don't need electricity.  This is the system which I will probably install in my next home.  There's a ton of info out there and not all manufacturers are created equal.  Check out gardenweb, there's tons of discussions on this topic over there.  Just an FYI, softened water is not recommended for watering plants or discarding into the sewer as there's an environmental impact.
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I don't think drinking the water after it was softened would be safe. 

I remember hearing about how the water softener is capable of extracting lead into the water or what not..
 
Data is inconclusive on the safety of drinking softened water.  Some ppl say it's safe, some ppl say avoid it.  Softening water just deplete the calcium and magnesium content and adds little sodium.  You would get more sodium just eating a slice of bread than drinking your softening water.  Some ppl say avoid using softened water in areas with really hard water for making baby formula.  FWIW, we use bottled water for drinking in our household.  I think softened water tastes nasty.
 
No salt with the system.  But they're like 5.00 for 50lbs at HD.  I think the 45K model holds 260 lbs of salt, so about 25.00 to start.
 
gaogi said:
No salt with the system.  But they're like 5.00 for 50lbs at HD.  I think the 45K model holds 260 lbs of salt, so about 25.00 to start.
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How long does that 260lbs of salt last for?  I'm a newbie when it comes to water softeners.
 
USCTrojanCPA said:
gaogi said:
No salt with the system.  But they're like 5.00 for 50lbs at HD.  I think the 45K model holds 260 lbs of salt, so about 25.00 to start.
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How long does that 260lbs of salt last for?  I'm a newbie when it comes to water softeners.
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I have a brine tank that hold 150 lbs.  If I fill it all the way up (which you shouldn't do cuz it crushes the salt at the bottom), I could probably get around 6 weeks usage, and that's for a family of 3.  You don't really need a brine tank that big if it's just you.  One great use and I know you'll appreciate this, is softened water is so much better for car washing.  Better slickness and none of that calcium spotting.  If you do decide to get a water softener, make sure to pipe it to your outside or garage wall bib, unless you use that bib to water plants, than you shouldn't pipe it there.
 
So if they plug the whole house system water softenerer into the main line into the house, does that mean your garden faucets will have softwater too? 
 
annabanana said:
So if they plug the whole house system water softenerer into the main line into the house, does that mean your garden faucets will have softwater too?
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I suppose so.  My guy installed it in my garage and I had him pipe it to my garage bib since I don't use that bib for watering plants.  I think some companies will try to install it only to the water heater but that's not ideal as only the hot water will get softened.
 
I am seriously debating installing such system for the new home..big question I have is does this void the builder warranty if they have to do extensive work to connect the system to existing drain?
 
Is Irivine's water really that hard? I've spent some time out in the IE, and you can't even take a sip out of the tap without making making one of these cringeworthy ??? faces.  Since then, my rule of thumb is if it doesn't taste that bad, its probably not that hard.  That said, when buying a new construction house, we opted for the option ot pre-plumb for a water softener system....just in case...
 
thedude111222 said:
Is Irivine's water really that hard? I've spent some time out in the IE, and you can't even take a sip out of the tap without making making one of these cringeworthy ??? faces.  Since then, my rule of thumb is if it doesn't taste that bad, its probably not that hard.  That said, when buying a new construction house, we opted for the option ot pre-plumb for a water softener system....just in case...
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Irvine water softness is all over the map.  It's anywhere from 6 to 16 grains at any given moment.  Which makes it the most unreliable to program for.

If you have a tankless water heater it is best to get a water softener in Irvine.  Otherwise you'll run into problems with such a huge variety of hardness of water flowing in.  Some tankless water heaters automatically voids their warranty if you don't have a water softener.  You should check.

In the city of Orange, their water is always 32 grains.  Very consistent so it's easier to program and plan for.
 
Irvine's water is a bit hard to track b/c it comes from a couple different sources but most institutions put it at moderately hard to hard.
 
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