Hello everyone. I live in the northeast and may be dealing with hard water/ calcifications in our well water. I was wondering if there were any ways of treating our water besides using a softener. It seems like a lot of people are not happy w/ their softeners. I plan on buying a kit to test our water. On the internet I see there are other treatment devices but I am naturally skeptical. Any input would be appreciated.

Water softeners are an ion exchange system. Water flows through a bed of beads. The beads have large numbers of sodium and chloride ions on them. Water coming in with some calcium, carbonate, and other ions are mostly replaced with the larger number of sodium and chlorine ions. Before too many calcium ions start coming thorough, the bed is recharged with brine flushing the calcium out again leaving mostly sodium. The calcium carbonate is replaced with the more soluble sodium chloride.

Specialized deionizing systems can replace the calcium ions and the carbonate ion with H3O+ OH- in separate beds which then combine to form more water. The calcium carbonate is replaced with more water. Those systems must be recharged with an acid and a base.

Another system is reverse osmosis. Pressure is used to force the water through a membrane it can go through, but not the calcium or carbonate ions. Small units for drinking water are common.

I would be willing to look at links to the whole house deionizer systems or reverse osmosis. I am sort of interested in an alternative to the softener myself, but checking them out is one more thing I don't get done because the time I waste here.

" checking them out is one more thing I don't get done because the time I waste here."

Labman, I want you to know that in AMHD your time is never wasted. Your comments and opinions are a valuable asset to this site. In my book you,(and many others here) are multi talented because you answer in so many categories while I'm confined to just one. I won't allow you to put your presence on this site down as "wasted" because it's simply not true.
Now, would you like to go back and correct that statement? Regards, Tom

I second that - but can't do so with a Comment...

I'm no psychic (don't see me posting on the Psychic Board do you? :p ) but I have to think labman was joking.

I do not believe that one minute of labman's day is wasted time.

Thanks. You are much more supportive about this than my wife.

Thanks. You are much more supportive about this than my wife.
But then we ain't sleeping with you either. LOL! Tom