ᐅ Do you have a water softening system installed?

That’s why we have a separate line in the kitchen (sink) where the water does not run through the water softener ... and that is what we drink ...

We usually handle our drinking water like @Snowy36, except that we weren’t clever enough to install a bypass line all the way to the kitchens. We only do not soften the garden water.
The taste of water is not determined solely by hardness, so making a comparison is somewhat difficult. We notice a clear difference – the water that hasn’t passed through the softener simply tastes better as plain water. For tea, the softened water tastes better, and in coffee (and I’m quite particular about that) there is surprisingly almost no difference.
Monitoring the sodium content in the water is definitely correct; however, I don’t see a problem in our case, and we reduce it by about 20 points.
Since we have more than 20 connected water-bearing components in the house, from simple taps and the steam oven to the toilets, a water softener was a given for us.

hampshire schrieb:

When it comes to drinking water, we mostly approach it like @Snowy36, except we weren’t smart enough to install a bypass line all the way to the kitchens. We only avoid softening the garden water.

The taste of water isn’t determined solely by its hardness, so comparisons can be tricky. We notice a clear difference—the water that doesn’t go through the water softener simply tastes better as regular water. For tea, the softened water tastes better, and with coffee (and I’m quite particular here) there is surprisingly almost no difference.

Monitoring the sodium content in the water is generally a good idea. I don’t see a problem in our case, and we do reduce it by about 20 points.

Since we have more than 20 connected water-bearing components in the house—from simple faucets to the steam oven and the toilet—a water softener was essential for us.

Do you get your drinking water from the garden then?

Thank you for your assessments. Let’s start with taste: Water certainly changes in taste depending on how much it has been demineralized. Some say the more demineralized, the better, while others believe the taste worsens as demineralization increases. I don’t like the taste of demineralized water either. However, I have tried water with just above zero, 4° and higher (about 8°) hardness, both chilled and at room temperature, at friends’ places—and it feels like a blind test in music: Yes, there seem to be differences (there were days between tastings), but every change in coffee or tea type, even between batches, will surely have a greater effect—and what is “better” or “worse” I can’t judge. For me, that is really irrelevant.

Bypass via hose: Via hose? Preferably one that is not food-grade?? And even drinking-water approved PE pipes (marked with a blue stripe) are not something I want installed in my home. Laying a composite pipe all the way to the main tap point (kitchen) does not seem reasonable to me as long as I do not completely avoid sausage, cheese, pickled fish, or any kind of meat. And that is out of the question. By the way, I have not found a neutral, scientifically (1) verifiable (2) treatise on this topic—only more or less extreme personal opinions, expressed with varying intensity.

MayrCh, many thanks for your detailed explanation. This is the first time I have seen it presented this way (Sweet spot). Do you have a link for me to read further? I find it interesting that there is supposedly little difference between soft water and medium hardness (from 8°dH, Bremen, for example, has 5°). Because if that is true, one could kill two birds with one stone and certainly stay below the limit value. Manufacturers advertise energy-saving modes based on not softening down to 0°. Why don’t they advertise that 8-10° is easily sufficient?

I am increasingly inclined to install such a system without a bypass and operate it at 4°dH.

Best regards
Stefan

Stefan31470 schrieb:

Let's start with taste:

Taste is subjective. Seriously: in Germany, there are more than 5,000 water extraction companies with a significant number of water extraction facilities. Accordingly, there is a wide variation in water composition. The extent of ion exchange will have more or less influence on the taste of the water. Whether it is "better" or "worse" depends individually on the person testing it and the source water.

Stefan31470 schrieb:

And I do not want drinking-water-approved PE pipes in my house.

Do you know what materials the water supply infrastructure, at the distribution level, has been almost exclusively made of since the 1990s? Well, those pipes do (literally) come into your house.

Stefan31470 schrieb:

Manufacturers advertise with energy-saving circuits based on not fully softening water to 0° dH. Why don't they promote that 8–10° dH is enough?
I am increasingly inclined to install such a system without a bypass and operate it at 4° dH.

Actually, water is always fully softened. The hardness at the system’s outlet is adjusted using an internal bypass and a mixing valve. But all water passing through the ion exchanger is softened to 0° dH. At least the reputable manufacturers state in their product documentation that full softening is not sensible. This is mainly for corrosion protection reasons, as hardness helps to buffer the pH.

Who said the bypass is a hose?
What kind of pipe does your regular drinking water run through???
I didn’t quite understand the part about giving up sausage...
Our regular drinking water bypasses the water softener... with or without softening, there is always a pipe that leads to the kitchen where you draw your water from, right?!