beekeyknee
Well-known member
Why don't more people use water softeners?
I have a light to moderately used Maytag 806 washer from 1979 that I restored last summer. It had a hard water ring on the under side of the lid from splashes. The collector tub lid had some hard water rings under the gasket and deposits on the top of the lid around the little holes that let splashed water drain back into the tub. There wasn't much build up under the agitator at all and the stem and drive shaft were clean as a whistle. I didn't have to pull out the wash basket because there wasn't any evidence of water or oil leaks underneath the tubs, so I don't know what the inside of the collector tub looked like. I don't know if these people had a water softener.
I bought a HA 408 from 1976 in January and have been working on it this summer (I will post later) and it's a damn mess. Agitator stuck on, mineral deposits everywhere, corrosion, awful. If these people hadn't been using that hard water this machine wouldn't be that way.
We had an old Culligan that wasn't working correctly and replaced it with a new one in January. They put in 120 lbs. of salt (three 40 lbs. bags) at installation and we still haven't had to put in any more salt. We use about 80 or 90 gal. of water a day for two people. The old one regenerated every two or three days whether it needed to or not. The new one monitors the water hardness and only regenerates when necessary. A big savings in water and salt. The water softening is set to 0 grains of hardness.
I can't speak highly enough about this machine. After using it for four or five weeks the hard water ring under the lid of my washer disappeared, the clothes are cleaner, we don't use as much soap, when you get out of the shower your skin is much softer, it takes less water to wash you hands and the dirt just melts away.
My Mother says, "It's not good for you to drink that water. It puts too much salt in your diet and it takes all the minerals out of the water for your bones. And all that salt is not good for the water supply".
I say nonsense. The new ones use much less salt than the old ones and the amount of salt in the water compared to what you eat is minimal. I've learned to use less salt on my food and use different types of spices and herbs instead. I'll need to do it as I get older anyway. I use mineral supplements to replace the minerals that have been taken out. I suppose if a person was that worried about it they could have a separate drinking water line run to their kitchen sink.
As far as the salt in the water supply, I think that's probably better than the tons of soap, different types of cleaners and laundry additives, and harsh chemicals people use to clean their toilets with. My toilet practically cleans its self with the soft water. But then again, my toilet is one of the old types that use a lot of water. I refuse to use those stupid low water toilets. When I do clean it I just put a dab of dish liquid in the bowl, brush all around, wipe the outside down, the tank the base and all, throw the rag in the dirty rag bucket and wash my hands and arms well and dry with a clean towel. A toilet doesn't need to be autoclaved to be usable. And don't even get me started on those battery powered soap pumps. People are so gullible. Oh my god. I have to touch the top of that dirty soap pump, touch the water faucet, and then dry my hands on that towel that everybody has been using. Gosh, I wish I didn't have to touch the top of that dirty soap pump. Stuuuupid. Derailed there for a minute.
Anyway. The sinks are cleaner, the toilet is cleaner and the inside of the tank is mineral free, the tub and tiles are cleaner, the appliances are cleaner and won't break down as often, the hot water heater doesn't get as much crap in it and I don't have to work as hard. What do you think is better for the environment? Using all those cleaners, working myself to death and possibly throwing away water using devices or buying 20 or 30 dollars of salt a year? I'll pick the salt.
If you have hard water and have never been around a water softener you probably won't understand. I love that machine.
I have a light to moderately used Maytag 806 washer from 1979 that I restored last summer. It had a hard water ring on the under side of the lid from splashes. The collector tub lid had some hard water rings under the gasket and deposits on the top of the lid around the little holes that let splashed water drain back into the tub. There wasn't much build up under the agitator at all and the stem and drive shaft were clean as a whistle. I didn't have to pull out the wash basket because there wasn't any evidence of water or oil leaks underneath the tubs, so I don't know what the inside of the collector tub looked like. I don't know if these people had a water softener.
I bought a HA 408 from 1976 in January and have been working on it this summer (I will post later) and it's a damn mess. Agitator stuck on, mineral deposits everywhere, corrosion, awful. If these people hadn't been using that hard water this machine wouldn't be that way.
We had an old Culligan that wasn't working correctly and replaced it with a new one in January. They put in 120 lbs. of salt (three 40 lbs. bags) at installation and we still haven't had to put in any more salt. We use about 80 or 90 gal. of water a day for two people. The old one regenerated every two or three days whether it needed to or not. The new one monitors the water hardness and only regenerates when necessary. A big savings in water and salt. The water softening is set to 0 grains of hardness.
I can't speak highly enough about this machine. After using it for four or five weeks the hard water ring under the lid of my washer disappeared, the clothes are cleaner, we don't use as much soap, when you get out of the shower your skin is much softer, it takes less water to wash you hands and the dirt just melts away.
My Mother says, "It's not good for you to drink that water. It puts too much salt in your diet and it takes all the minerals out of the water for your bones. And all that salt is not good for the water supply".
I say nonsense. The new ones use much less salt than the old ones and the amount of salt in the water compared to what you eat is minimal. I've learned to use less salt on my food and use different types of spices and herbs instead. I'll need to do it as I get older anyway. I use mineral supplements to replace the minerals that have been taken out. I suppose if a person was that worried about it they could have a separate drinking water line run to their kitchen sink.
As far as the salt in the water supply, I think that's probably better than the tons of soap, different types of cleaners and laundry additives, and harsh chemicals people use to clean their toilets with. My toilet practically cleans its self with the soft water. But then again, my toilet is one of the old types that use a lot of water. I refuse to use those stupid low water toilets. When I do clean it I just put a dab of dish liquid in the bowl, brush all around, wipe the outside down, the tank the base and all, throw the rag in the dirty rag bucket and wash my hands and arms well and dry with a clean towel. A toilet doesn't need to be autoclaved to be usable. And don't even get me started on those battery powered soap pumps. People are so gullible. Oh my god. I have to touch the top of that dirty soap pump, touch the water faucet, and then dry my hands on that towel that everybody has been using. Gosh, I wish I didn't have to touch the top of that dirty soap pump. Stuuuupid. Derailed there for a minute.
Anyway. The sinks are cleaner, the toilet is cleaner and the inside of the tank is mineral free, the tub and tiles are cleaner, the appliances are cleaner and won't break down as often, the hot water heater doesn't get as much crap in it and I don't have to work as hard. What do you think is better for the environment? Using all those cleaners, working myself to death and possibly throwing away water using devices or buying 20 or 30 dollars of salt a year? I'll pick the salt.
If you have hard water and have never been around a water softener you probably won't understand. I love that machine.
