I already asked some questions about our gas supplier in another thread—thanks again for the feedback.
Now we are facing the decision: "Water softener system—yes or no?"
Our house is about 10 years old (just bought it). Unfortunately, we have very hard water here (around 23). You can already see it on the faucets (where the water comes out), and of course, this isn’t ideal for cleaning or for the pipes either.
We were advised to install a water softener system (we had the idea before, too). However, the local utility company advises against it, and I have also read that these systems can be prone to bacterial growth if they are not properly maintained. Also, chemicals are said to be added to the water (I initially thought it worked through a special salt). Maintenance and service costs also seem quite high, on top of the initial purchase price.
How have you dealt with this? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages?
At the moment, I am leaning toward not installing one.
Now we are facing the decision: "Water softener system—yes or no?"
Our house is about 10 years old (just bought it). Unfortunately, we have very hard water here (around 23). You can already see it on the faucets (where the water comes out), and of course, this isn’t ideal for cleaning or for the pipes either.
We were advised to install a water softener system (we had the idea before, too). However, the local utility company advises against it, and I have also read that these systems can be prone to bacterial growth if they are not properly maintained. Also, chemicals are said to be added to the water (I initially thought it worked through a special salt). Maintenance and service costs also seem quite high, on top of the initial purchase price.
How have you dealt with this? What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages?
At the moment, I am leaning toward not installing one.
Alexius schrieb:
Unfortunately, we have very hard water here (about 23). That definitely makes considering a water softener worthwhile.
Alexius schrieb:
However, the municipal utility advises against it On what grounds?
Alexius schrieb:
They are prone to bacterial growth if not properly maintained. An ion-exchange water softener basically consists of a filter bed with a huge surface area. The risk of bacterial growth is indeed present, both during operation and installation. In proper systems (tested according to DVGW standards), a chlorine cell is installed, which disinfects the filter bed regularly during regeneration. With these systems, the risk of bacterial contamination is close to zero.
Alexius schrieb:
Also, chemicals are supposed to be added to the water (I initially thought this works through a special salt). For some conspiracy theorists, even salt counts as chemicals.
Alexius schrieb:
The costs for maintenance and servicing also don’t seem to be cheap It needs salt, electricity, and drainage. Service is optional; you can have your plumber handle it when they take care of your heating system.
The heating technician was already here because of the heating system – even though I had asked him about the descaling system – he said it was a good idea (but of course, he also profits from it). On the other hand, as I mentioned, I've already been advised against it by others.
As far as I understand, the local utility company advises against it due to bacteria concerns and because the water quality here is excellent, which would then be reduced (apart from the limescale). Unfortunately, I don’t know enough about it, and online you find a lot of arguments both for and against it.
What are the actual costs? Around 200 euros per year? Is that correct?
P.S.: Water hardness is only about 22 – but I don’t think that really changes anything.
As far as I understand, the local utility company advises against it due to bacteria concerns and because the water quality here is excellent, which would then be reduced (apart from the limescale). Unfortunately, I don’t know enough about it, and online you find a lot of arguments both for and against it.
What are the actual costs? Around 200 euros per year? Is that correct?
P.S.: Water hardness is only about 22 – but I don’t think that really changes anything.
Similar situation here. The plumbing professionals say yes, the municipal utility says it’s nonsense. Consumer testing organizations are not convinced by these devices either. The costs are not low—over 1500 (approximately 1500 US dollars) including installation and tax for a quality system, according to the plumbers. The water, which is also very hard here, tastes good and is healthy as drinking water just as it is. Replacing the faucet—well, for 1500 (approximately 1500 US dollars) I can get many new faucets, even if the washing machine lasts a little less time, so what. The dishwasher already has built-in regenerating salt and water softening. – That leaves tiles and similar issues. But Cillit Bang handles that. – Conclusion: we’re leaving it as is. K.
Alexius schrieb:
because the water here has extremely good quality, which would then be reduced (apart from the limescale). Here in Germany, we generally benefit from exceptionally good drinking water. Even the removal of hardness-causing minerals does not reduce this quality; on the contrary.
Alexius schrieb:
What are the actual costs? 200 euros/year? Is that about right? You can calculate that yourself. A small Grünbeck system needs a maximum of 40g of salt per cubic meter of water and degree of German hardness (°dH). So, if you want to reduce the hardness down to 8°dH, you need (22-8)*40g of salt per cubic meter of water. Multiply that by your annual water consumption, and you’ll know how much salt you need. A 25kg bag costs well under 10 euros. The same applies to wastewater; for that, you have (22-8)*3 liters of wastewater per cubic meter. Adding about 10 watts of electrical energy consumption gives you your annual operating costs.
A technical necessity for water softeners rarely exists. However, when hardness exceeds 20°dH, the improvement in comfort, in my opinion, is significant. Similar to a controlled mechanical ventilation system, you shouldn’t expect to make such an installation economically profitable.
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