Hard Water Questions

[CharityLynn]

We have a well and hard water, this is our first home and we are gradually learning about owning a home. I am having issues with our washing machine (Orange build-up where the hose connects to the washer) I know this is due to the hard water. I have been known to clean the orange out with a knife, CLR, paper towel etc.

I have recently found out that a Water Softner should fix this and they can be rented. Where do they install these in the house? I know these use salt, is that something you do on your own? Is it easy? Or does the company take care of that?

Are we ruining our washer at this point? I am sick of the orange stuff on the shower/bath etc. I hate the slimey feeling I get when taking a shower.

Any advice or tips will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Charity

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

It is probably cheaper to but a water softener if you are planning to be in your home more than a year or two. I can tell you from experience that if you don't get one, your clothes will be ruined and have to be replaced more often, and your toilet flushing components will get eaten through constantly. A new water softener can be found for $600/$800 depending on the size of your house. They are also called water conditioners in some areas.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

I grew up with well water and my parents still live there. My mom will tell anyone who listens that she will never buy a house with well water again!

 

[tOSU]

The orange is due to iron in your water. You will be better off to buy a water softener than to rent one. It will be installed near where you water line enters your house. The salt can be purchased at many places. I seem to find it cheaper at big box stores - home depot/lowes. It comes in 40lb bags.

It certainly is not doing your washer any good - also not good for your hot water tank.

 

[tvguy]

I grew up with well water and my parents still live there. My mom will tell anyone who listens that she will never buy a house with well water again!

My parents have been in their house 53 years, well water. Never had a problem. But now I think about it, the house they were in the previous 10 years had a well too. I hate softened water for drinking. Nothing better than well water for drinking. My mom does put a little bluing in with loads of white laundry, never had an issue with mineral stains.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

Get the water softener. You can even clean your toilets less than 3 times a week. We were getting such build up it was horrible. I was literally cleaning all 3 toilets every other day. If I went a week, it looked like I hadn't touched them for months. Water softener means that I only clean them on the weekends now.

 

[luvflorida]

We have a well and hard water, this is our first home and we are gradually learning about owning a home. I am having issues with our washing machine (Orange build-up where the hose connects to the washer) I know this is due to the hard water. I have been known to clean the orange out with a knife, CLR, paper towel etc.

I have recently found out that a Water Softner should fix this and they can be rented. Where do they install these in the house? I know these use salt, is that something you do on your own? Is it easy? Or does the company take care of that?

Are we ruining our washer at this point? I am sick of the orange stuff on the shower/bath etc. I hate the slimey feeling I get when taking a shower.

Any advice or tips will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Charity

We never had to deal with hard water problems when we lived in New England, but here in Southern Arizona it's quite different! I'm guessing more houses here have water softeners/conditioners than not. When we first moved to Arizona and would go into a Home Depot, Lowes, etc., we'd see big bags of salt stacked up inside the entrances of the stores. At first, I was confused and didn't get why they were selling bags of salt. We're used to seeing huge bags of rock salt stacked up in stores back in Maine, because people use it in the winter for walkways and driveways. But, in Arizona?!?!??! What the heck?!??!? It took me a bit to realize it was not the same kind of salt, and definitely not used for the same purpose! But, I digress...

Anyway, when we had a house built a few years ago, we didn't have a water conditioner installed, figuring we'd be fine without it. Well, after seeing mineral deposits starting to appear on all the faucet heads and seeing how cloudy and filmy are dishes were coming out of the dishwasher, we had a softening/conditioning system installed. What a huge difference it has made! No more mineral deposits and our dishes and glasses are crystal clear.

You mention orange stains, but we've never seen anything orange. Our stains were white and could be picked off with a fingernail, unless you let it go for too long. Then it would take more than a fingernail to get it off. You also mention a "slimy" feeling. Just know that with a water softener system, you can also get that slick feeling after a shower or bath. It can make it feel like you didn't rinse all the soap off. Some people don't like that feeling, but I'll take it over the damage that hard water can do to the pipes!

Here is a photo of the system we had installed. The small tank to the left is where the salt goes. The taller tank to the left does other stuff to the salt. I'd have to get the paperwork out to really explain it. Something to do with carbon filtration. Most sytems here are installed in garages, but they can also be installed outside. A previous poster mentioned a price of around $600.00, but we paid a lot more than that. Part of the reason is because they had to dig under our walkway to run pipes to the garage. Total costs for the system and installation was $2400.00. Adding to the cost was the reverse osmosis system that we added under the kitchen sink. We use it for cooking and drinking water.

The system requires very little attention. We replace the salt in the small tank about every other month, and drain the water tank under the kitchen sink once a month (for the reverse osmosis). I have to say, it was worth every penny!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

If we had a system installed in this house it would probably be in the 1500 range and they would put it in the basement here. Our issue is lime.

So of course I had to go poking around to find an article. This article is super detailed and comprehensive. I think what you are describing is what they call iron bacteria. Click on link for more info. This info is on page 13.

IRON BACTERIA

Water containing iron and manganese in substantial amounts can cause the growth of iron bacteria. Iron bacteria is not a known health problem, but more of a nuisance.

When dissolved iron and oxygen are both present in the water, these bacteria derive the energy they need for their life processes from the oxidation of the iron to its insoluble form. These bacteria accumulate within a slime‑like substance which covers submerged surfaces.

A slimy, rust‑colored film on the interior surface of flush tanks of comodes is a fairly good indicator of the presence of iron bacteria.

Iron bacteria can reduce the output of the well by clogging the pump and/or the piping. A gradual decrease in water pressure is a good indicator of this. This bacteria may also cause an unpleasant taste and odor (similar to rotten eggs) to the water or discolor and spot fabrics and plumbing fixtures.

A detectable slime also builds up on any surface with which the water containing these organisms comes in contact. Iron bacteria may be concentrated in a specific location and may periodically break loose

and appear as bits of rust colored material.


Iron‑removal filters or water softeners may remove iron bacteria; however, they often become clogged and fouled very soon because of the slime buildup.

http://www.scdhec.gov/environment/water/dwor/docs/wqproblems_full.pdf



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[Nancyg56]

I have a well and it is the bane of my existence. I do not have a water softener. I have issues with the orange staining. I have found that in laundry and the dishwasher you need to be careful what products that you use, especially if you use hot water. I avoid bleach. I use borax and oxi clean if I need a whitener. I never buy dish tabs that have bleach so I have a limited selection. I am constantly scrubbing the bathroom and will add bleach to teh bowl to sanitize but even though teh water is cold it does turn an orangy yellow.

 

[whatname]

We have hard water and iron in the water. You can have hard water without the iron. Anyway, we have a system to remove the iron and another machine that softens the water. Just because you have a water softener, it does not mean that it will take care of the iron. My cousin has a softener but still has the iron in the water. When we moved into our house, the previous owners had installed the system to remove the iron but not the softener.

So, you may want to have a water company come out and tell you what you need. Both of ours are easy to maintain. Just add salt to the water softener as needed. We have to add a chemical to the iron remover maybe once a year. It is definitely worth it to us to have both of them.

 

[wiigirl]

Get the water softener. You can even clean your toilets less than 3 times a week. We were getting such build up it was horrible. I was literally cleaning all 3 toilets every other day. If I went a week, it looked like I hadn't touched them for months. Water softener means that I only clean them on the weekends now.

Thats the best reason right there.

 

[bballmom56]

We have hard water from our well. It is so obvious when our softener runs out of salt - you get no lather in the shower or when washing dishes by hand, the dishwasher does not get the dishes clean, stains appear on faucets and toilets.

As someone else mentioned, I would get the water tested so you know what the issues are. We rent our softener which works well for us. The softener has needed to be replaced 3 times since we have been here (20 years) which does not cost us anything more than the normal rental fee. Plus we have had times when it was not working properly and the technician would come out, also with no cost to us. When we first moved here the monthly fee was about $12.00. Now it is $16.00.