Thoughts on furnace humidifier? Water softener?

[8 Ball]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

Lawn service is not softened, but the pipe for the rest of the home is run through the softener.

That’s unusual.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by 8 Ball

That’s unusual.

Mine is the same way

[8 Ball]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Mine is the same way

The majority of houses have their water lines plumbed for a future water softener. Perhaps unusual was the wrong word.

[TorqueDog]

I took a look at ours just to confirm, and here's what I got:

Source pipe to T connection feeding four lines:
- Unlabeled pex line
- Lawn service 1
- Lawn service 2
- Water Softener

Water softener to T connection:
- hot water tank
- other

It appears the water softener goes to the hot water tank but also to a separate line, and unsoftened water goes to another line of which I have no idea where it leads. Maybe the fridge? ... But I swear I can perceive a difference in taste. Ah well.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by 8 Ball

That’s unusual.

That is pretty standard. Never heard of water for outside taps being softened.

[sa226]

I'm probably going to put in a water softener soon. It's been too long without and for simplicity and perhaps some cost savings I'm thinking of just softening the hot line, and maybe the cold line running to the washing machine.

I don't really see the need to soften the entire system and trying to isolate drinking water. Most things affected by hard water tend to use hot water as the main source.

Sent from my SM-G973W using Tapatalk

[Twitchy15]

Originally Posted by Stillman16

Do you adjust your floor vents seasonally?

In the winter, you should close (or minimize) the upstairs vents, if open fully, the upstairs will get much hotter since the thermostat is usually on the main floor, and heat rises, so the upstairs is getting heated from the lower floor and the open vents.

In the summer, if you have AC, the same thing is happening-heat rises, but this time you need the the vents open more on the upstairs so the cool air can work where needed most. Even without AC this can help, if you run the furnace fan, you can circulate the air from lower floors to the upper, just minimize the lower vents to maximize air flow to the upper floor.

If you play with them, you can adjust the bedrooms to individual comfort as well.

I’ve tried this and there is no noticeable difference besides the upstairs also being colder. The upstairs vents come off the main trunk so I think by block king maybe more just goes out chimney?

[8 Ball]

Originally Posted by redforever

That is pretty standard. Never heard of water for outside taps being softened.

I was talking about his fridge line and kitchen sink...

[RussianSpy]

What should a decent water softener cost all in? I had a quote of ~$2500 last year, which seemed steep to me. I’ve been meaning to get other quotes, but haven’t got to it yet. We are in south Calgary, typical sized bungalow, if that matters.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by RussianSpy

What should a decent water softener cost all in? I had a quote of ~$2500 last year, which seemed steep to me. I’ve been meaning to get other quotes, but haven’t got to it yet. We are in south Calgary, typical sized bungalow, if that matters.

Ours was something like $800 installed (Xmas gift from the MIL), Canature 75V cabinet model.

The crazy specialized ones with built-in WiFi notifications and stuff, eh. Just set a calendar reminder to check the salt level every 2 months and you'll be fine.

[Red]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

It's the opposite, north has softer water than south Calgary.

Bearspaw Treatment Plant (North): Average - 173mg/L CaCO 3 - 12.1 grains/gallon
Glenmore Treatment Plant (South): Average - 215mg/L CaCO 3 - 15.0 grains/gallon

https://www.calgary.ca/uep/water/dri...arameters.html

A water softener is a game-changer. Appliances and faucets get an extended lifespan thanks to not getting gummed up with minerals. Skin and hair feel better and nowhere near as dry, laundry feels softer.

The taste difference in drinking water is perceptible, however. Some people won't care, others will. Our water runs through a built-in filter in the refrigerator, and it's hard to describe the difference, but I know it's different. It's not a deal breaker though.

Interesting. In the north my barely used toilet would bukd up a black ring at the water level. I don't have this problem in the south.

I was told it was the difference in water and that the black ring was caused by hard water.

[Red]

Originally Posted by RussianSpy

What should a decent water softener cost all in? I had a quote of ~$2500 last year, which seemed steep to me. I’ve been meaning to get other quotes, but haven’t got to it yet. We are in south Calgary, typical sized bungalow, if that matters.

Costco sells a nice one for $499. Couple hundred to install.

[EldrickOnIce]

Humidifier is probably one of the worst inventions in the history of homes. Someone really needs to design a controller that takes outside temp and inside humidity into consideration and adjusts automatically. Set and forget humidity levels can do a lot of damage inside the home.

[CroFlames]

What is the best furnace out there right now for new homes? I know people say the old ones were most reliable, but I don’t think it’s realistic to source a 40 year old furnace for a new home.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Humidifier is probably one of the worst inventions in the history of homes. Someone really needs to design a controller that takes outside temp and inside humidity into consideration and adjusts automatically. Set and forget humidity levels can do a lot of damage inside the home.

Alberta is so dry though, in the winter especially, it's not so cut and dry.

[chedder]

Originally Posted by Red

Costco sells a nice one for $499. Couple hundred to install.

Did you see this in store? All I see online is one for $580 and it's out of stock. Mine crapped out last week.

[Red]

Originally Posted by chedder

Did you see this in store? All I see online is one for $580 and it's out of stock. Mine crapped out last week.

I didnt really look lately, but pre-covid they had them in store all the time.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Humidifier is probably one of the worst inventions in the history of homes. Someone really needs to design a controller that takes outside temp and inside humidity into consideration and adjusts automatically. Set and forget humidity levels can do a lot of damage inside the home.

Barnes walks over to Ecobee > System > Humidifier > Frost Control (on).

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Barnes

Barnes walks over to Ecobee > System > Humidifier > Frost Control (on).

Yeah I was going to post this as well.

[Bill Bumface]

Between using a Nest and an Ecobee, I must say, the Ecobee really stands out as superior there. I'm not sure if it is looking ahead at the forecast as well, because even big temperature swings don't seem to lead to icy windows.