Water Softeners and Air Filtration Systems - Water softener question

Hi, I've recently moved into a house with a Kenmore Ultrasoft 100 water softener. It appears from the documentation the previous owner left that the unit was fitted in April 2003. Unfortunately, I don't think he was the most fastidious of individuals when it came to maintenance. Despite following the manufacturers instructions, the house water is still very gritty and our kettle is filling with chalky deposits almost daily. Does anyone have any experience with this unit or know any way to check that it's working properly? Thanks

Check and see if its not just on the hot water. Thats all we do here. Does it have salt in it???? The salt did it bridge across and no salt down in the water?????

Check and see if its not just on the hot water. Thats all we do here.

If you have a softener only on the hot water then you have hard water. What's the point?

We have very hard water here but it works like a top Just on the hot water. It also is better to drink the hard water. Work just fine in the shower Like 1/2 and 1/2
house water is still very gritty .
Is this from the water softner???????

"How hard is very hard water"?

So you go to the expense of buying and installing a softener and still run hard water through every faucet, all the toilets, shower, dishwasher, icemaker, hose bibs, washer, and all the cold plumbing? Everywhere the cold and hot come together the water is hard.

I am a little confused too why someone would want hard water and soft water to mix. Outside of some particular industrial applications and for those who are misinformed, I see no sound reason to 'blend' hard and soft for residential, let alone as a rule.

And why would hard water be better to drink? If you ever look at the results of an electrolysis sample, you would never drink hard water again.

What is meant by 'gritty'? Is that a positive thing?

Kenmore is the Huffy bicycle of the softener world. If you do decide to replace it, go with quality.

Andy Christensen

Hi, I've checked the reservoir and the 'system saver' that I put in has been dropping steadily, so it doesn't appear to have been crusting over. I thought you might have been right about the softener working on the hot water only, but it appears that the Town water enters the softener before the 'treated' water then continues seperately to the cold water supply and water heater. As I'm new to water softeners, I'm completely puzzled.

Make sure that the softener is NOT in bypass.

What you need to do is monitor it durning a regen. Does it have a backwash? Does it sound like it IS backwashing with a forceful flow of water? Durning the fill phase can you watch the level in the salt tank rise? Then go back down during brining? If all this is happening, then most likely the mechanical portion of your softener is ok. Another test I just found out about recently...taste the drain water immediately after the brining begins. It should first be slightly sweet/bitter...but NOT SALTY. Then after a few minutes/perhaps 5-10, it WILL go salty when the brine rinse finally reaches the top of the resin tank. This lets you know if the brine is actually going INTO the resin tank, and eliminates the possibility of the brine being redirected before it can do it's job. Just a few things to check. You can view documentation at kenmorewater.com for this unit. These are some simple, inexpensive ways to make sure everything is working ok. If all is well here, have your water tested to determine exactly what it is you're seeing in it.

Ok, thanks for all the advice. It's good to know there's always someone 'out there' to help.

I just had to get back in here. As I said we have hard water here. Most of the homes here just have the softener on the hot water. On some homes we put a 3 pipe set up hot soft cold soft and cold hard. . If you dont the salts in the water is BAD BAD for your heart . The plane cold water is for coffee and mixed drinks and to drink. Thats like if you check in most the restaurants The water for the bar drinks and to any of the coffee makers is just plane water is all. So think about it . Do you want the doc to do a bypass on your heart or not Cut out the salt is the first thing they say. ;)

And again I ask, "How hard is YOUR very hard water"?

Ed says... I just had to get back in here. As I said we have hard water here. Most of the homes here just have the softener on the hot water. On some homes we put a 3 pipe set up hot soft cold soft and cold hard.

Then where you live "some homes" have correct softener installations and some don't. Regardless of how you do it where you live, it's still hard water. Your location and the fact that doing it wrong is common place still doesn't make it right.

Ed says... If you don't the salts in the water are BAD BAD for your heart.

Cut out the salt? Two words, potassium chloride. Use that in your softener instead of sodium chloride and your cardiologist will be happy.

Ed says... The plain cold water is for coffee and mixed drinks and to drink.

Hard water kills coffee makers and other appliances that use water, like dishwashers. Not to mention every faucet, washer, toilet, washing machine, and icemaker.

Ed says... Thats like if you check in most the restaurants.

Wrong, most restaurants I see have soft water and use it specifically for dishwashers and other water using appliances.

Ed says... So think about it . Do you want the doc to do a bypass on your heart or not Cut out the salt is the first thing they say.

Right after the doc says "cut out the salt" he/she says "salt substitute" which is what potassium chloride (KCl) is.

Bottom line, the harder your water is the more benefit your get from soft water. Either install the softener correctly and reap the benefits of soft water or save your money and don't bother with a softener. By softening only the hot water you are still consuming HARD WATER at every hot & cold junction, fixture, and appliance.

I am not sure where you are getting your information concerning "salt" in the water following a softener, Ed. If the softener is working correctly, there is very little salt in the water. The excess "salt" should be backwashed out during regeneration. The sodium attaches to the resins and is released while hard water minerals replace them; please don't confuse salt with chlorides.

If someone is so worried about sodium then you should not be eating bread, crackers, pasta, and nearly all the typical foods which contain far more sodium than the water you drink.

There are numerous documented reports that compare how sodium intake from food and drink far exceeds that of soft water.

I don't know where you come from, but untreated drinking water served in restaurants does not pass code here. The restaurants I prefer have ice cubes that practically disappear in the water indicating that dissolves solids have been reduced to a minimum.

During my product presentations I take one glass of untreated (city or well) water and a glass of RO water and apply electrolysis to them. Within a minute the untreated water has a collection of horrible looking sludge at he top and the RO is barely affected. It makes sulfates, chlorides, iron, calcium and a host of other elements visible.

This process adds NOTHING to the water but simply separates it from the liquid. It is not very appealing and most people are shocked at what they have been drinking. I am not raising any health issues, but aesthetically, it is not pleasing.

Boil to glasses of water, one untreated well water and the other RO. Place a couple of Lipton tea bags in and compare the color, appearance, aroma and taste and then tell me that untreated water is preferred in any of those aspects. Also, notice that the untreated water will leave a frothy curd at the top and the tea starts to look like coffee while the RO tea is a nice orange color (Lipton is an orange pekoe) and people actually start using less sugar because the taste is refreshing rather than bitter.

You can go on keep believing the advantages of untreated well water for consumption purposes, but I am afraid you are not going to convince me.

As I am not a health professional and I do not give advice or warnings concerning health issues. Are you a health care worker or professional?

Andy Christensen, CWS

Well to add to the pot here. We could just put in a hako water conditioner. that way no salt at all . Then on the coffee brewers and the ice machines. Put the calgon micromet feeder. ;)

Ed,

Is there a reason you won't divulge the incredible hardness of your water?

As far as stirring the pot, of course you are free to deal with your water conditons however you see fit.

Perhaps you should consider a magnetic or electronic softener. That way you'd have no salt to concern yourself with and no soft water either. ;)