Let's talk water softeners

[undercoverbrother]

I was wondering about people's thoughts on water softeners. My neighbour swears by his, claims the water he (Sylvan) is very hard.

Is there a positive to having a water softener?

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Is there a positive to having a water softener?

Softer water

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

Softer water

I thought Captain Obvious got banned


What are the benefits of softer water?

[Stillman16]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I was wondering about people's thoughts on water softeners. My neighbour swears by his, claims the water he (Sylvan) is very hard.

Is there a positive to having a water softener?

Also be careful, if you have high blood pressure, the softener "swaps" out the "hard" ions (Ca and Mg through ion-exchange), and adds sodium (or potassium).

[Southside]

I find the with the water in Calgary you really don't need a softener. I've lived in other locations where you really needed them. On the whole Calgary's water is pretty good, cannot speak for Sylvan.

[Meelapo]

Originally Posted by Stillman16

Also be careful, if you have high blood pressure, the softener "swaps" out the "hard" ions (Ca and Mg through ion-exchange), and adds sodium (or potassium).

I'm not sure if you have to specifically ask for this but when we had our water softener installed it was not at the kitchen sink where one would get drinking water because of the sodium content. The only places that had softened water were the washer, dish washer and the bathrooms for the showers.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by Stillman16

Also be careful, if you have high blood pressure, the softener "swaps" out the "hard" ions (Ca and Mg through ion-exchange), and adds sodium (or potassium).

You keep the cold water tap by the kitchen sink unsoftened.

[AMG_G]

And the line to the fridge and the outside taps.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I was wondering about people's thoughts on water softeners. My neighbour swears by his, claims the water he (Sylvan) is very hard.

Is there a positive to having a water softener?

Softer water...hence, use less soap products and what products you do use work better. Also, soft water does not leave much of a scum so cleaning up shower stalls, sinks, toilets, etc is much easier.

Soft water is easier on dry skin when living in a dry climate like Calgary.

Appliances using soft water will last longer with soft water. That goes for taps, toilets, dishwashers, etc.

We live in the Priddis area so our water is considerably harder than in Calgary. Calgary has hard water as well but it goes through some treatment before it reaches your house so it is already somewhat softer than in its natural state.

We have soft water throughout the house except for the cold water tap for the kitchen sink.

[Zevo]

Hard wter is definitely harder on appliances. You can end up going through dishwashers, hotwater tanks, etc a lot faster. I think due to the the residue build up of whatever makes the hard water hard. Also like redforever said, you need less soap (and rinse agent) in your machines and hair.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I thought Captain Obvious got banned


What are the benefits of softer water?

I answered the only question in your original post, if you want to know the benefits of water softners maybe google would be a good place to start.