My imaginary friends I am in need of information.

The last house we had was in NC and had iron as the problem. Here in TX it’s lime(calcium). To be far I don’t know much about softeners-and my dad, the retired well driller and plumber doesn’t either. Dad had a buddy set up our system back there, but he’s no longer with us. So I leave it to you guys to help me.

Our new home has a septic system that will spray the effluent on the back part of the property bc it’s clay and won’t perk. So not your normal drain field. And there’s no way to connect to the city sewage system.

Does anyone know of a system that won’t work against the septic, if the backwash of the softener is dumped into the septic.

All I know is :
1. Bleach that does the backflush to renew the beads inside.

2. Salt that does the same

3. (New to me) a three cartridge system that uses a filter to capture debris, a filter (charcoal) to remove odor or taste and a filter to remove the lime.

Doesn’t flush into the sewage.

There are only 2 homes occupied in the 29 lots available, now and I haven’t spoken to them about it

Here’s the cartridge system info


https://nuvoh2o.com/manor-trio...&utm_campaign=4pHbqL

What say you?

Are you on well water or city water? I have a well, and the house we bought 20 years ago has a three-tank aerobic septic system where the saline backflush from the softener is dumped into the septic. Over all, the septic has been a very reliable system that isn't affected by the saline backflush. I also pour about a half cup of ResCare RK02B All-Purpose Water Softener Cleaner into the salt tank between regenerations. This does a great job in assisting the brine backflush to clean the beads. For salt, I've been using Sure Soft Extra Course crystals in 40 lb bags from Atwoods for $6.50/bag.

The calcium content in my well water is so high I only get 1200 gallons of softened water before the beads in the softener need to be regenerated. From your post it doesn't sound like you have a water softening system installed yet. If that's true, then I'd find a local company that's been around a long time to install the water softener, and preferably a Fleck system. They should also be able to recommend a filtering system for your specific water conditions. For example, my well produces more sand than normal, so I have two 5 micron 20" x 4.5" whole house sediment filter cartridges in series to catch the sand before the water gets to the softener. I change the first one out every six months and the second one every year.

The well, filters, softener and aerobic septic systems all need to work together and require a higher level of attention and preemptive maintenance, but since you're familiar with the various shipboard maintenance schedules it won't be a big deal. But if you don't keep up with filter changes and salt in the salt tank you'll wonder why you can't get any suds in the shower. We ruined some nice water glasses in the dishwasher by not keeping up with the water softener, and eventually the calcium deposits ruined the dishwasher too.

Tailhook,

We’re on city water, with very little particulate. It’ll be the same water a mile away at the new home. Same water tower too.

The sud who did the plumbing in the new house pushed the cartridge system saying it was easier than salt or other water softeners. But it knew(er) tech and I was curious.

Our septic is gonna be the same, an aerobic system, as yours.

quote:

Originally posted by MikeinNC:

Here’s the cartridge system info


https://nuvoh2o.com/manor-trio...&utm_campaign=4pHbqL

What say you?

If you go with Nuvo, or really any cartridge system, be sure your water pressure is well regulated down below the max spec. I will never own another Nuvo product after their whole house system failed and did a lot of $ of damage to our home. The plastic housing split while we were on a camping trip. Our water pressure was below 100psi, and their spec at the time was 120psi. I believe they've now reduced that spec to 80 psi max.

The forensic engineering company hired by our insurance company said they'd seen several of the same failure of that same brand. (Somehow the insurance company and all the lawyers got paid but we were still out our substantial deductible).

I looked further into the Manor Trio Water Softener system you referenced. Research indicates the softener cartridge needs to be replaced approximately every six months, but doesn't state how hard the water was during the test to justify a six month replacement schedule. I'm not going to poo-poo a system that I don't have any experience with, but I do have questions about how a much smaller system like that is going to compete with a traditional water softening system, especially given how hard the water is in Central Texas.

I surmise that the harder your water, the less likely the cartridge system is going to remain effective for six months. The replacement water softener cartridge is $99 plus shipping, so $200+ per year just for those cartridges, plus the cost of replacing the other filter cartridges? That's a whole lot more expensive than $7 bags of salt during the same time frame. (I use about 10-12 bags per year in my softener.)

The initial cost of the Manor Trio system is very expensive as well. A complete Fleck softener system can be bought from Amazon for less than half the cost of the Manor Trio, and it will have far more capacity to soften water, and at a cheaper recurring monthly cost. The only downside is that a traditional water softening system takes up a little more real estate inside your garage or somewhere else.

It won't hurt to call an established local water softener company to come out and measure just how hard your water is at your new home. Based on that, you'll have a better idea on what water softening system you really need.

I was thinking about this last week and wanted to ask if anyone has a descaler. I was looking at an A.O. Smith passive model, and not one of those ones with induction coils.

Calcium and magnesium ( what makes up hard water) do not really lend themselves well to being removed by traditional filtration. Some sort of ion exchange treatment system would likely work much better.