suggestions for a water softener for new home with extremely hard water & high sodium

[KULTULZ]

Yes I sell filtration and have since 1962 but have never been certified nor have I ever heard of any certification for testing water for domestic filtration.

Time to read up a little...

 

[rodeorulz]

Alright here's the newest water test results. The water was retested a month after the first test.

(all numbers are reported in Milligrams per Liter unless otherwise stated)
Conductivity, umhos/cm @ 25C = 4360
pH, Units = 6.80
Total Dissolved Solids = 1907

Sodium, (Na) = 591
Potassium, (K) = 2
Calcium, (Ca) = 176
Magnesium, (M) = 77

Sulfate, (SO4) = 908
Chloride, (Cl) = 145
Carbonate, (CO3) = 0
Bicarbonate (HCO3) = 1000
Nitrate (NO3) = 4.4
Total Alkalinity (as CACO3) = 820
Total Hardness (as CaCO3) = 755
Total Hardness as Grains per Gallon = 44

Sodium Absorption Rate (SAR) = 9.3

The water was tested for Iron this time and came back as "Not Detected".

Bacteria also came back as Not Detected this time.

We learned that this lab needs the water tested within 6 hours of being drawn! Sure would have been nice to have known the first time...and they pulled a slick one (probably just forgot what they had said the month before) and we ended up paying the full bill even though they said they would redo it for free. I expected we'd have to pay for the Iron and Bacteria since they said the water test was what they would redo for free.

Anyways...looks like our water has improved quite a bit when it comes to most things. I'm thinking another water test down the road might be beneficial? Any opinions on this or how soon we should test it again?

Thanks everyone! The help and advice have been greatly appreciated!

 

[speedbump]

Your Hardness is still very high and the twin tank unit will be a must. Your TDS is also still quite high. However nothing is as bad as it looked in the first test. I would still get estimates from a couple local guys who are familiar with your water. It's the same with drilling, I have had drillers come into my area and get into lots of trouble because they weren't used to the geology here and went right past the water on their way to China.

 

[KULTULZ]

(IMO)

You most likely do not need a twin tank unit ($$$). Those are usually reserved for high gallon use-age homes where backwashing times would interfere with daily activities..

You size a softener by the amount of hardness of the water and the number of people in the household (gallons use-age).

There are also special medias that can be used to accelerate hardness removal, differing head types/down-flow or up-flow units.

How many people are in your household?

 

[rodeorulz]

Thanks again. Yes, we've contacted the company we're intending to purchase our water softener & RO System from and are waiting to hear back from them. Our driller was pretty baffled by everything (the first time, we haven't spoke to him about the second test results yet) as he is local and has drilled other wells in our subdivision as well as the general area around us.

Right now there are 4 (2 adults and 2 young children) people living here.

I wouldn't be surprised if another month to 6 months down the road we see a little more improvement...probably not much, but just what the last month has done on this new well I'm slightly optimistic. No, I don't think all our problems are going to go away with time, I understand that's not really how a well/water works. I'm just optimistic that some things may still improve since our well is still so new and hasn't had a chance to "adjust" (for lack of a better word).

 

[rodeorulz]

I should add we've even noticed how much better looking and tasting our water has gotten just since we moved in about a week ago. The water when we first started using it in the house was yellow. It looked like someone had peed in the toilets and forgot to flush :S Now it is basically clear. Did I mention it tastes better too

 

[KULTULZ]

I should add we've even noticed how much better looking and tasting our water has gotten just since we moved in about a week ago.

The water when we first started using it in the house was yellow. It looked like someone had peed in the toilets and forgot to flush :S Now it is basically clear.

Did I mention it tastes better too

WHAT!?!... the terlit water???

Just kidding. You should be looking at @ WS 2 80,000 grams. Make sure you ask and understand everything the salesman says and ask questions.

 

[speedbump]

If you have neighbors that you know, ask them what they have for filtration and if they know what is in their water. Do a comparison with your analysis. If they are similar which they should be, and they are happy with their equipment, that will help you know what you need.

Trust me, if your water is 40+ grains hard, you will need a two tank unit, contrary to what some people think.

 

[KULTULZ]

Excerpt From-

-Twin Tank Water Softeners: Do I Need A Twin Tank Softener?-

Twin Tank Water Softeners certainly have their place, and if money was no object I may even have one in my home. Unfortunately, money is an object for me.

I also understand that all too often Twin Tank water softeners are oversold as a necessity.

- Credentials On Web Page -

 

[KULTULZ]

If you have neighbors that you know, ask them what they have for filtration and if they know what is in their water. Do a comparison with your analysis. If they are similar which they should be, and they are happy with their equipment, that will help you know what you need.

How would you know if their water was analyzed properly and/or if the correct equipment was sold/installed?

There is only one answer and that would be a follow-up water analysis.

 

[speedbump]

How would you know if their water was analyzed properly and/or if the correct equipment was sold/installed?

Maybe we could get you to Google an analysis for him. That should fix everything.

 

[KULTULZ]

Maybe we could get you to Google an analysis for him. That should fix everything.

Lots to learn there.

You retaining water this week...