Water Softener question

[deadeye]

About a year ago I noticed my softener would leak from the head big time when it regenerated so I unplugged it. Being I was having septic issues at the time (since corrected by adding a tank and replacing the drain field) I did not look into replacing it.  It's been over a year now and my wife just started bringing it up so I started looking into replacing it.  The existing one is 22 years old called "Turbo-Soft" by Westburne Supply Inc.  I never looked into the leak but suspect a gasket or some cracked plastic and was not interested in fixing it.
I am looking for advice (yes, I know that's a tough thing to get here) on anyone who has experience with low water usage and little or no salt softener systems including reverse osmosis. I have my own well and the water isn't exceptionally hard and has no iron or discoloring. 

[glenn57]

my opinion............. i wont do a water purifying system, i believe as you refer it to the reverse osmosis, but i wouldnt go without a water softner.

a plumbing and heating friend of mine says the softner  will in the long run be better for your pipes, less laundry soap etc. i had my softner hooked up i a way my kitchen cold water doesnt go through the softner as i prefer not to drink soft water, and i drink alot of water.

at 22 years old i'm thinking it should be replaced, not only that they are more efficant nowadays.  its only me and the wife and i usually have to add salt only every 4 months or so. i'm not real sure how much a service call would be to fix it either????????

like i said my opinion.

[markn]

Deadeye, I agree with Glenn (somehow can’t believe I said that 😉) and I’d look into replacing your softener also. 

[glenn57]

Deadeye, I agree with Glenn (somehow can’t believe I said that 😉) and I’d look into replacing your softener also. 

[Steve-o]

I don't know dittly about well water up nort' - but did you get your water tested for hardness?

Is there a possibility that your water is already "soft" enough?

You'll want to know 'cause after you install the system, it will ask you how hard your water is as a setup step.  The harder the water, the more frequently the conditioner cycles, the more salt you use.

[glenn57]

My water gets really hard. In the freezer.

[Gunner55]

Our softner here, Itasca Co, is only 7-8 y/o & is a North Star, Ultra model. Our well water tested pretty hard at 25 mineral/25 iron & we use a bag of salt about every 2-3 months. Normally it's just my brother & I, 80-90% of the time, for 9 1/2 - 10 1/2 months of the year.

[Dotch]

This was a little sneaky deadeye but when we did the addition on the house, one of the Kinetico-type outfits was in hot pursuit to have us put in a drinking water treatment system. Apparently one of those bounty system deals where someone had given them our name. The guy gave me the hardness, 26 grains/gallon, which I wrote down after he left. Iron had all but disappeared once we got rid of the old galvanized pressure tank. Noticed that in the inline water filter & our water buckets. When we had a new softener put in shortly after the addition was done, we got an on demand system from FF designed for well water that uses 40 - 50 lbs. of salt every 3 - 4 months.

[LPS]

I grew up in SW MN.  If you didn't have a filter/softener it looked like you painted the shower orange in a short time.  Up here on the north border all we have is a whole house filter that I installed right by our new pressure tank.  I change it every couple of months.  We are just fine with no softener.  Soft water does make soap lather up better though. 

[Bobberineyes]

So I'm guessing you have a whole house filter as well deadeye , most softners have a bypass so you basically did the same thing unplugging it. Doesn't sound like its changed your water over the past year, but I wonder what its doing to your water heater without softened water? Might need to change out the anodized rod perhaps. If it were me I'd replace the softener, even with a good filtration system. Oh and Glenn, most cold taps in the kitchen are not softened.. LPS and I posted at the same time..

[LPS]

Yup replace it don't fix it if you want a softener.  New ones are much better but more expensive too.  Fracko in Luverne makes a great one.  They sell them around the state.  Family business that has been doing it for over 50 years.  Plug for a friend of mine.  An unsoftened faucet in the kitchen for drinking and to a frig with a water spigot is mandatory.

[glenn57]

So I'm guessing you have a whole house filter as well deadeye , most softners have a bypass so you basically did the same thing unplugging it. Doesn't sound like its changed your water over the past year, but I wonder what its doing to your water heater without softened water? Might need to change out the anodized rod perhaps. If it were me I'd replace the softener, even with a good filtration system. Oh and Glenn, most cold taps in the kitchen are not softened.. LPS and I posted at the same time..

didnt know that.......i got the softner well after the house was built. i simply asked if it could be done?????????

[glenn57]

Yup replace it don't fix it if you want a softener.  New ones are much better but more expensive too.  Fracko in Luverne makes a great one.  They sell them around the state.  Family business that has been doing it for over 50 years.  Plug for a friend of mine.  An unsoftened faucet in the kitchen for drinking and to a frig with a water spigot is mandatory.

no offense LPS but that water spigot and ice maker in the freezer are a joke.........never again.

[LPS]

I smile every time I use it.  Hope it lasts for a long time.  The pup comes running anytime we use it so he can get a cube.  We make him sit before he can have a cube. 

[Gunner55]

  Both ours up here have them & we use them all the time too, LPS! The new refrigerator in Ia doesn't have it & the freezer is actually in the bottom & is kind of a PITA. That was all we could find when the old 1 went down last summer, my sister just got her new 1 last week after ordering it last Spring. Forgot to mention earlier that we have a filter in line between our pressure tank & softner as well. That gets changed every couple months as well.

[glenn57]

I smile every time I use it.  Hope it lasts for a long time.  The pup comes running anytime we use it so he can get a cube.  We make him sit before he can have a cube.

i know some like it....we did at first but then quit making ice. think its a 75 repair. that water spigot is a joke. it doesnt keep much water cold. we just had a bad experience with ours and for the extra money those costs i wont do it again. if i need cold water....i just put ice from the trays in it.

[LPS]

I got tired of that.

[deadeye]

Thanks, all good information.  Just to clarify I don't have and don't plan to get a house filter. I used the osmosis term thinking that's part of some new softener systems. I guess it's not.  I agree it's not worth fixing the leaking 22 year old softener.  Although it's not terrible I could always tell the difference when salt was gone.  Mostly in the shower. I'm sure it also has an impact on clothes and the dishwasher.  I will probably be putting in a new system soon so was looking for options. 

[Dotch]

Not a plumber or a softener expert but have been told that if the softener hasn't been used long enough the resin beads lose their effectiveness. That length of time seems to depend on who one talks to and whether they want to sell you a new one. Glad we changed ours out as it was an old Culligan rental salt hog. You're right about the whole house filter too deadeye. If you don't need it I wouldn't put one in. One more thing to leak or mess with. Or to find gaskets & filters for once they discontinue the model.  Ours was put in when we had the old galvanized pressure tank and the stroke-type pump. Filter is still there but after the new pressure tank and submersible pump we probably don't need it.