i'm looking into a water softener that doesn't require hauling the bags of salt ...it's just getting to much for my old body , does anyone here have one ? any suggestions ? seems like there are several out there but which one really does the job thanks for any help
water softner
- Thread starter FT92
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We have a Kinetico as do my parents. ~300lbs lasted us 6 months but we’re pretty hard on water usage... family of 4 soon to be 5, so we run baths pretty often.
Concur it is PITA and I am healthy active 50 year old. My 15 year old daughter (athletic) helps me always with it as she calls out it is out as her showers don't feel right. Ours takes 7-8 50lb bags so a small production to fill etc.
If the softer is working I would pay a neighborhood kid to fill the salt for you. $10/time to help you unload car, carry to softer and fill? It would be far cheaper than replacing the unit. Great first job for a 12-14 year old kid.
If the softer is working I would pay a neighborhood kid to fill the salt for you. $10/time to help you unload car, carry to softer and fill? It would be far cheaper than replacing the unit. Great first job for a 12-14 year old kid.
Pretty much all water softener companies I'm familiar with continue to offer salt delivery service that includes filling up your brine tank. They obviously charge a fee for that convenience, but for older folks or those with disabilities, it really does get tough lifting those 40 pound salt bags yourself.
Also make sure your softener is sized and adjusted correctly for your water conditions. In some situations you can regenerate with as little as 6 lbs. salt per cu. ft. resin and less often than once per week. This can reduce your salt use substantially.
This is an excellent tutorial on softener efficiency: https://www.aquatell.ca/pages/ultimate-water-softener-guide
This is an excellent tutorial on softener efficiency: https://www.aquatell.ca/pages/ultimate-water-softener-guide
You might also consider upgrading the control head to one that meters the water used and only regenerates when needed as opposed to a fixed schedule.
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What are your water symptoms that you require a water softener?
As has already been pointed out, all water softener systems require salt. There are saltless ones but they do not actually exchange the ions and remove them. Those types are also not appropriate for moderate to high hardness water.
The only thing that will give you soft water without salt is a reverse osmosis system. But you will be trading inexpensive salt for VERY expensive filters. They'll be lighter though, as will your wallet. 
WAVES - Morton Salt
www.mortonsalt.com
Probably don't have to worry in FL, but you get mineral deposits on faucets and sinks and soap doesn't lather or rinse well from clothes.
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Yes, we get that in Florida, a lot because there is quite a bit of limestone in Florida. A water softener is probably going to do the trick for you. You should consider finding a company that specializes in water purification systems. They will come out and test your water, show you the results, recommend and install the system and most of them have a package you can buy that they come out and maintain it, fix it when it breaks and keep it full of salt on a monthly basis. With that, you just "pay the man" and they do everything for you. To me, that sounds better than scrubbing hard water spots off everything every week and replacing fixtures every three years.
See if you have Culligan water softener tank exchange in your area. I use it in my current house as my county prohibits the use of softeners that discharge salt brine. The tanks need to be exchanged every 28 days by culligan, so it is a service, but no hauling bags of salt is required.
A new system could significantly reduce your salt use depending on how old your current system is. Of course it depends on hardness, but my 4 year old softener at a hardness setting of 12 GPG regenerates every 2200 gallons or so...2 person household and I buy (2) 40 lb bags of salt every 6 months or so.
Use one of the softener companies to add salt periodically. I checked with Culligan about a two years ago and it was $9.00 a bag. About four dollars a bag at that time. I guess that would be worth it for some who can't handle the chore. I have to think about installing three bags of salt every three months. Kind of sneak up on it. Time is coming when I will have to use them or one of the other companies in that business.
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I am confusing about choosing Reverse Osmosis or a water softener for my home. I need some suggestions about this problem so I hope someone can willing to help me. Thanks!
They perform different duties! RO is for drinking and WS is for using with all the appliances etc and is not recommended for drinking.
