Anyone have any experience with it? Any drawbacks? What does it do to water pressure (we have tankless water heaters)?

My wife's sister, who lives in Spring, recently put in a water softener and her sister's husband thinks it one of the best investments they've made. My wife just got back from visiting and was amazed by how clean she felt after showering there. She often complains about the water here drying her skin and now wants one. I'm a little skeptical.

What water district are you in? Bryan? CS? Other?

I always thought CS water was pretty soft without doing anything to it.

I'm in CS and you're right. I just looked up Culligan's website and they say that the water here is already pretty soft. Perhaps we need a whole house water filter. We're already using their reverse osmosis system for our drinking water.

CS water is REALLY soft. One of my few dislikes about the area is how I never feel like I can wash the soap off.

Chemically, you really don't need a water softener here in College Station. A filter makes much more sense.

But one thing it's important to be aware of is that, with water as soft as it is in CS, you need to use much less soap--for dishwashers, for washing machines, and for yourself. If you use the manufacturer-recommended amount of soap in your dishwasher, you will find that your glasses will become permanently etched and cloudy. Use only half the recommended amount (fill the built-in cup only half-way).

Maybe the skin drying issue is due to the soap. I use Dove for sensitive skin for just this reason.

Good luck!

The water in CS is already soft. No need for a softener. Enjoy it. For those that did not grow up with it, its a nuisance since they don't feel they can wash off the soap. Don't worry about it. Rest easy knowing the soap you used went to cleaning filth off of you and not to precipitating a solid that sticks to you and everything else ON TOP OF the filth it didn't clean effectively. :P

You could add gypsum and epsom salts to harden it.

[This message has been edited by WC87 (edited 11/21/2011 1:46p).]

One of the things that I like about living in Bryan/College Station is that when I go out of town, no matter where I go, the water is better than it is at home.

that's one of my complaints. So difficult to wash the soap out of your hair. It feel slimy!


[This message has been edited by thedoc617 (edited 11/21/2011 8:58p).]

Let me ask a different question then. Does anyone have any experience with a whole house water filter?

We already have filters for our drinking water but we do get the red rings in the toilets. The odd thing is that I don't recall the red rings at our last house which was also on CS water.

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but we do get the red rings in the toilets

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Perhaps you should visit your physician.

"The pink stuff is actually produced by naturally occurring bacteria. Presence of the pink bacteria does not have anything to do with the water quality coming out of the faucet distributed by the water system. These bacteria are very common but cannot be seen until after they grow and multiply. Left undisturbed in areas of high humidity at room temperature, the bacteria multiply producing a pinkish-red pigment, or sometimes a dark gray color, on surfaces that are regularly moist."

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Perhaps you should visit your physician.

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now THAT'S funny - I don't care who you are! BCO - thanks for the chuckle!

Well I'm glad to hear that you are already a customer of outs. If you would like you could bring us a sample of the water and we could test it for you. We could also schedule a time to come out and give you the different options we have to fix any of the water issues you may have. Feel free to give us a call 979-846-0000.

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but we do get the red rings in the toilets.

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Bacteria colony. You need to clean your toilet more often.