New2Wellz
Active Member
Hi, all.
I just signed up to ask a question about my well pressure tank, so I thought I would first post a pic of a water softener I recently installed.
I was recently laid off, and moved into this house only a few years ago, so am taking advantage of my free time to work on the project backlog.
So far I've done faux painting, installed this water softener, built an oak mantle, built a cornice for above my patio door, installed recessed and under cabinet lights, plumbed for a new bathroom vanity, and lots of other stuff.
I had my water tested not long after I moved in through a local university extension program. (I ended up taking a Master Well Owner's program though them). Everything was fine with my water except the hardness...it's 225 mg/l. I had ruined coffee makers and aggravated my kidney stones, so I have been lugging in bottled water, dealing with the empties, etc.
I opted for a salt-based system because I needed to remove the minerals for my kidney stone issue, not just suspend them. Due to lack of floor space for a multi-tank system, I decided to install one of the Whirlpool units sold at Lowe's. The reviews from those who had this unit for a period of time were all good.
This is Model WHES33...33,000 grains @ 14.1 lbs of salt.
I also installed a particulate filter (we have mica particles in our water) as well as a charcoal filter. I put in bypass valves just in case. Another benefit to this install was moving the particulate filter from the crawlspace to the main floor, where I can get to it easier.
This was my first attempt at using PEX. I think I'm in love . I installed the configuration you see in the pic, and ran supply lines over 40' to the pressure tank at the other end of the house. Not an ideal situation, but it is what it is. While I was in the crawlspace, I reran the lines to relocate a bathroom vanity.
Not a single PEX fitting leaked. The only minor leaks I encountered was where I connected 3/4" npt plastic male into 3/4" copper female fittings at the filters and then the reverse at the inlet/outlet of the softener. They did not leak...they seeped maybe a drop a day...all 6 connections. Seeped just enough to be aggravating.
So I told myself that there was a reason I did this type of work myself, took them apart and resealed them. Of course I had to cut and reinstall the PEX that they were attached to...again, not a single PEX fitting leaked.
I also tied the discharge/overflow lines into the a/c condensate line, ran it outside and emptied into the corrugated runoff pipe used for the gutter. It dumps into the woods away from the house and yard, not into the septic tank.
Regarding the Whirlpool unit:
It's been in place for over 5 months now and works fine. I drink a lot of water, and no kidney stones yet. I have also had no coffee maker issues. It seems to be highly efficient regarding salt consumption.
The only thing I have noticed...and I may be wrong about this...is that occasionally when I wash my hands, I do not get that slippery softened water feeling, and the soap rinses off easily. It makes me wonder if this unit periodically passes through unsoftened water. Or maybe sometimes it passes through water that is more softened than at other times. It does not have a salt bridge. And I always get fully softened water under high use, like when doing dishes or taking a shower.
Other than that, as I said, I am not getting any physical side effects or clogged coffee maker/tea kettle, so it's certainly doing the job the vast majority of the time. And it's great to be free of all those water bottles. I live in a rural area where I have to cart my trash to a dropoff station, and was getting tired of carting all those empties to be recycled!
I just signed up to ask a question about my well pressure tank, so I thought I would first post a pic of a water softener I recently installed.
I was recently laid off, and moved into this house only a few years ago, so am taking advantage of my free time to work on the project backlog.
So far I've done faux painting, installed this water softener, built an oak mantle, built a cornice for above my patio door, installed recessed and under cabinet lights, plumbed for a new bathroom vanity, and lots of other stuff.
I had my water tested not long after I moved in through a local university extension program. (I ended up taking a Master Well Owner's program though them). Everything was fine with my water except the hardness...it's 225 mg/l. I had ruined coffee makers and aggravated my kidney stones, so I have been lugging in bottled water, dealing with the empties, etc.
I opted for a salt-based system because I needed to remove the minerals for my kidney stone issue, not just suspend them. Due to lack of floor space for a multi-tank system, I decided to install one of the Whirlpool units sold at Lowe's. The reviews from those who had this unit for a period of time were all good.
This is Model WHES33...33,000 grains @ 14.1 lbs of salt.
I also installed a particulate filter (we have mica particles in our water) as well as a charcoal filter. I put in bypass valves just in case. Another benefit to this install was moving the particulate filter from the crawlspace to the main floor, where I can get to it easier.
This was my first attempt at using PEX. I think I'm in love . I installed the configuration you see in the pic, and ran supply lines over 40' to the pressure tank at the other end of the house. Not an ideal situation, but it is what it is. While I was in the crawlspace, I reran the lines to relocate a bathroom vanity.
Not a single PEX fitting leaked. The only minor leaks I encountered was where I connected 3/4" npt plastic male into 3/4" copper female fittings at the filters and then the reverse at the inlet/outlet of the softener. They did not leak...they seeped maybe a drop a day...all 6 connections. Seeped just enough to be aggravating.
So I told myself that there was a reason I did this type of work myself, took them apart and resealed them. Of course I had to cut and reinstall the PEX that they were attached to...again, not a single PEX fitting leaked.
I also tied the discharge/overflow lines into the a/c condensate line, ran it outside and emptied into the corrugated runoff pipe used for the gutter. It dumps into the woods away from the house and yard, not into the septic tank.
Regarding the Whirlpool unit:
It's been in place for over 5 months now and works fine. I drink a lot of water, and no kidney stones yet. I have also had no coffee maker issues. It seems to be highly efficient regarding salt consumption.
The only thing I have noticed...and I may be wrong about this...is that occasionally when I wash my hands, I do not get that slippery softened water feeling, and the soap rinses off easily. It makes me wonder if this unit periodically passes through unsoftened water. Or maybe sometimes it passes through water that is more softened than at other times. It does not have a salt bridge. And I always get fully softened water under high use, like when doing dishes or taking a shower.
Other than that, as I said, I am not getting any physical side effects or clogged coffee maker/tea kettle, so it's certainly doing the job the vast majority of the time. And it's great to be free of all those water bottles. I live in a rural area where I have to cart my trash to a dropoff station, and was getting tired of carting all those empties to be recycled!