Need Help with Well Water

[Zee]

We have a 4 year old well (our first well) and need some advice. We had the water tested before occupancy and found we had a high manganese level. The plumber put in a filter system that requires us to put bags of salt. I am assuming this is called a water softener? I am not happy with the water however. The water doesn't rinse soap well and I find that washed clothes don't have that nice clean "laundry" smell. Also hair does not shine after shampooing. The water does not have any bad taste.

My next step is to get the water retested and to find a reliable contractor to give us advise, who won't soak us. Any suggestions as to the problem or a reliable contractor would be helpful.

[Pineedles]

Softened water can leave you feeling kind of slick and slippery after a shower. The reduced mineral content prevents you from feeling that squeeky clean feeling but you are clean.

[Merrymeeting]

Originally Posted by Pineedles

Softened water can leave you feeling kind of slick and slippery after a shower. The reduced mineral content prevents you from feeling that squeeky clean feeling but you are clean.

Zee,

We also have softened water. As Pineneedles states, the irony is that you are actually better rinsed than with "hard" water. The softener removes many of the minerals from the water, whereas hard water still has many of them left in. It's a feeling you are not used to since most water is "hard".

Here's a good explanation of why you don't feel it rinses as well.

http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthi...waterrinse.htm

[ishoot308]

Zee;

You should also be able to drastically reduce the amount of soap you use in your washing machine, dish washer, etc. etc, as softened water requires a lot less soap for the same sudsing effect.

Dan

[Irrigation Guy]

Give Terry a call at Lakes Region Pump and Irrigation. He lives right nearby in Suissevale(Moultonboro). He installed my water softener and I'm very happy with it. He'll give you good advice.

Great guy very fair on pricing too.

476-8453

[Zee]

Thanks all for your advice. I will give your suggestions a try. I am now going to take a shower and brush my dull hair.

[Kamper]

Is manganese is only a problem if you consume too much of it?

You might be able to restrict the water softener to a cold tap in the kitchen and bathroom for potable water. This will also cut cown on the use of salt. I know many folks in Florida who added softeners to their exisitng homes and some preferred a small under the sink unit for drinking, cooking and to T into their ice-makers.

Good luck!

[jeffk]

As I understand it, water softeners are put in mostly to eliminate damage to the water system (scale buildup in pipes and water heater, stains in sinks and tubs) and to reduce the amount of soap needed (50% reduction?) for bathing, laundry, etc. Softeners specifically remove calcium and magnesium.

I have not heard that drinking the extra minerals is, in general, harmful to health.

Are you sure that the under sink units are not filters instead of softeners? There are many water conditions that require a filter or another type of treatment to make the water taste better or remove potentially toxic contaminants.

[SIKSUKR]

When I bought my house I had higher levels of manganese and was told it was not harmfull.I did however notice that the sink fixtures showed some green color and I attributed that to the manganese.I was wrong.It turns out I had acidic water from salt runoff from a nearby highway and the green was actually the copper from my pipes being eaten away from the acid.Yikes!So I had to install a softener.First thing I noticed was the same slippery,"i'm not rinsed off"feeling.Either it got better or I got used to it cause I don't notice it now.I definately found I can use a lot less soap.

[Mee-n-Mac]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

I definately found I can use a lot less soap.

Errr, OK, if you say so.




(note to self : stay upwind of SS next FF)

[Zee]

I was told by the plumber who installed my conditioner that manganese is hamless to the human body but can cause staining in laundry, toilets and sinks. For those of you who have conditioners, how often do they cycle? For a two person household we were told to cycle it every third day. Does this make sense?

[Bob M]

Gilford Well installed our water softener and with a two person household they set the system to recycle every 15 days at about 3am. Three days seems way too frequent unless the system your plumber is recommending is vastly different than ones that I am more familiar with.

[Merrymeeting]

Ours is a 5 person household and it cycles once a week.

We installed ours because we have a high maganese and iron problem. Neither are health problems. But they cause severe staining of everything without the softener.

Whites don't stay that way long, plumbing fixtures become permanently stained rust/brown, etc.

[Kamper]

Originally Posted by jeffk

...
Are you sure that the under sink units are not filters instead of softeners? ...

Yes. Sometimes referred to as "reverse osmosis water generators," they are also being made for salt-water boaters. Obviously, that application does not need a salt supply.

I guess what you install depends on what the minerals are and what effect they have on your total water needs.

[jeffk]

Originally Posted by Kamper

Yes. Sometimes referred to as "reverse osmosis water generators," they are also being made for salt-water boaters. Obviously, that application does not need a salt supply.

I guess what you install depends on what the minerals are and what effect they have on your total water needs.

Water softeners remove calcium and magnesium from water and replace it with sodium (salt). It is the calcium and magnesium presence that defines "hard" water. This process is typically called water "softening".

From what I understand of the reverse osmosis water generators the primary purpose is to remove salt from brackish water. The reverse osmosis process can remove lots of other stuff as well including bacteria.

It may be a matter of specific terminology related to the water treatment process and who is describing it.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by Kamper

"...I know many folks in Florida who added softeners to their existing homes..."

Mother Nature supplies the Florida lake I'm on by rainwater only, so the water is incredibly soft. I opted out of a water softener in Florida, and draw directly from the lake for all non-potable uses, distilling the water with which we actually cook and drink.

Local wells in central Florida can contain the carcinogen EDB near orange groves where the herbicide's use has leached into shallow Florida wells. (Not a problem with Florida's deep 900'+ wells—or in New Hampshire that I know of) .

Originally Posted by jeffk

"...Water softeners remove calcium and magnesium from water and replace it with sodium (salt). It is the calcium and magnesium presence that defines "hard" water. This process is typically called water 'softening'..."

Lakeside communities—even on large lakes like Lake Michigan—are finding that water softener salt is intruding into lake water quality.

"…because communities that now use well water would no longer need to use water softeners filled with bags of salt.

"Many communities use water from deep wells, and it is hard water, meaning it contains minerals that can clog plumbing and make drinking water distasteful.

"Softening with salt reduces those immediate problems but transmits dissolved salt or chloride…'The whole idea behind that is that softeners would be abandoned,' Fratrick said..."

http://www2.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=805452

[navymom01]

I have had a lot of well issues as well. We just added a sand seperator to keep the ledge filings out (the well is over 700 feet deep) and now Intergrated water tells me that I need a water filter/softner system to eliminate the iron. I wanted to know if any on has used Intergrated Water systems ? The system is very expensive, I think, but I am not living there year round yet!!! They quoted me $3600.00 for the system......I know nothing about water filters or softners.... Any help of thoughts would be appreciated....

[SIKSUKR]

1 -My system is set to flush once a week.(not my toilet M&M)
2 -M&M is a very funny man.

[dan]

Originally Posted by navymom01

I have had a lot of well issues as well. We just added a sand seperator to keep the ledge filings out (the well is over 700 feet deep) and now Intergrated water tells me that I need a water filter/softner system to eliminate the iron. I wanted to know if any on has used Intergrated Water systems ? The system is very expensive, I think, but I am not living there year round yet!!! They quoted me $3600.00 for the system......I know nothing about water filters or softners.... Any help of thoughts would be appreciated....

Intergrated put our system in about 10 yrs. ago. We are very happy with it. They ck. out my Uncles house next door the year after they did mine and told him to save his money as his water was fine. He was all set to buy and they saved him the needless expense. If it is owned by the same people I think you will be happy with them.

[MJM]

We've been using softened water for 12 years, and will probably never own a home with hard water again.

~ That "slippery" feeling is actually the feeling of clean. We're used to hard water, which contains minerals. Those minerals cause the 'gritty' feeling, so when they are removed, and only pure water is used, there is no grit - just smooth, skin-on-skin.
~ We use 1/3 to 1/2 the amount of detergent (laundry, dishwasher) recommended, and get great results.
~ We have a Kinetico system, which is excellent (but pricey). It is preset to the specific condition of your water. It runs on a meter, so it only regenerates when it needs to, and uses no electricity. We've been very satisfied with it, with one exception: the company is protective of its dealer network, so it's difficult to find info and parts if you ever need to do any repair to it. They want you to use your local dealer.

[Rattlesnake Guy]

We have owned two styles of softeners. The first was a standard system that would cycle in the middle of the night when "enough" water had been passed to warrant a regeneration cycle.

The point of my email is the one we have had for the last 14 years is a cool design with two smaller tanks. No electricity. The totally water powered system alternates between tank A and tank B so that you can use water without paying attention to the cycle aspect. Works well.

I keep thinking I should add an alarm light so I know when the salt level gets low. RG gets cranky when I forget and the water gets hard. I don't think she likes her skin being the salt level warning device.

[BlackCatIslander]

High concentrations of manganese and/or iron are commonly found in many New England groundwater supplies. Many municipal supplies relying on wells are forced to install treatment plants or seek alternative supplies when complaints of discolored laundry become too numerous to ignore. There are no harmful effects on humans.