Water Softeners

[bfam5]

Does anyone have experience shopping for water softeners?  No salt water softeners?  Water softners for extremely hard water? Lifesource brand water softeners?  I have talked with 3 different aquaintances about water softeners and they all have different opinions.  My water is just hydrated limestone, I have to do something about it and I know it ain't gonna be cheap.

[jraabe]

I just added some Google ads to the forum template today (it helps pay the rent!  8-))

And I noticed that the ads are related to the forum topic. Information on Water Softeners! That's pretty cool Everytime you refresh the page (F5) the ads update.

Also - Each time you click one of the ads a nickel drops into the Design/Build Forum bank account  

[Amanda_931]

I've already clicked on a folding windows link--be absolutely great if they didn't run a grand/linear foot.

Consider rain water.

Here's where you start.  Then use the link on the Texas Manual for Tank Town and the Rainwater Harvesting for the Mechanically challenged from that site, and consider looking up Art Ludwig or Brad Lancaster, or if you live in a very low rainfall area, the expensive--looks like an ad for Earthships^tm book from them--I think Mike Reynolds is listed as the author.  They've got people cheerfully using and re-using water and not doing without on 5-7 inches of rain a year.  They get to have a roof that doesn't spill any of that precious rain--or snow.

but you do start here:

http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/publications/reports/RainHarv.pdf

(could be worse, could be a chalybeate spring or well)

Ludwig and Lancaster are supposed to have books on actually catching rainwater any day now--although I think the Lancaster is not until this winter.  Ludwig has been known for years for greywater systems, has a book on storage.  Lancaster is the new kid on the block.  while his first book is interesting, it's not quite what I wanted to know RIGHT NOW.

It's probably going to be cheaper than a difficult well and ongoing water treatment.

Also Cottage Life magazine has a (by now, older) book on cottage water systems, I found it very informative.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/096969220X?v=glance

Aha--notes about both authors on Ludwig's site:

Lancaster's with review and excerpts.

http://www.oasisdesign.net/water/rainharvesting/drylandsbook/index.htm

and the page above that on the site.

http://www.oasisdesign.net/water/rainharvesting/index.htm

While I'm at it, the book from the tank town people:

http://rainwater.org/rainwater_collection_how.html

Earthship^tm propaganda:

http://www.earthship.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1090228158&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&

and then their book--I really do think that the 40 bucks is steep, but worth it if you are serious:

http://earthship.com/secure/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23&products_id=46

(some of these books are easiest gotten from either their own web-sites, or the publisher--Chelsea Green in the case of the Lancaster rather than the 500 pound gorilla)

[keyholefarmhouse]

Culligan and Eco Water (formerly known as Lindsey) are the big boys in water treatment.  I know Sears and every big box store carry their own line of products.  These are a fraction of the price but their performance is also a fraction of what you'll want.  Both Culligan and Eco-Water probably have local distributors that would be glad to test your water while pitching their product.  For more intensive testing you'll have to take a sample to a lab.

We bought a slightly used top of the line softner through the paper for $500-.  I think the top models are @ 2,000-.

For serious problems, I would recomend only the best models.

[JRR]

"Feed water" for industrial boilers must be conditioned to very exact parameters or the boiler tubes take a beating.  Water softeners are part of the arsenal.

So if you have any boiler suppliers in your area, they can give you some literature that is easy to understand on the subject.