Do I need a softener with an RO filter if I have a well? tried to read through...

[pestario76]

tried to read through all the old threads.. but the information becomes a bit overwhelming. I have well water have no idea about mineral content. I have no idea if the coppery residue in the shower is due to copper pipes going bad.. or ... iron in the water..But I do know that the sinks and toilets dont have that same residue.. but the dishwasher does. Maybe I clean the toilets and sinks more often than the tub... but I rather thought it was from the difference in fiberglass vs steel and or porceline ( i dont think I spelled that right) I was going to put in a softener system for the house.. but I noticed in a previous post that there are filters to get too? is that nec? I know that the last tennant had a softener system bc the pipe fixtures are rt next to the water heater.. which needs replaced..
soooo the final note for all this is... I am renting.. this is not my house.. improvements are taken out of rent.. but I dont work.. I am a stay at home mom.. so we r not rich by any means.. more paycheck to paycheck.. so I need something that wont break the bank.. Rent is 1K... so keep it under that!! LOL
Thanks for the help in advance!!

[Bob999]

You need to get an analysis of your water and provide the results in order to get informed advice about treating your water. There are some places that will do a basic analysis with out charge--Sears is one. You could also check with the local health department for a recommendation as to where you can get your water tested. The other souce is to look in the yellow pages. At a minimum you should have a test for hardness, pH, iron, total dissolved solids (TDS), and manganese

Much of Indiana has very hard water because of the limestone that underlies the state. If in fact you have hard water, as suggested by the fact that the last tenent installing a softener, the coppery residue is unlikely to be due to the copper pipes going bad.

[Akpsdvan]

Yes the coppery color could be , low ph or an elect or phone line on the copper pipes..

Check the Ph, Iron, Hardness.. simple test from one of the box stores will work.. then any number of us here can give you ideas as to how to get to the goal that you would like to set for water quality.

With out knowing more about the water it is like trying to get a hair cut over the phone.

[Gary Slusser]

If you are on city water rather than your own well, you can find the water company's web site and look up the hardness on their water quality report, and use the highest figure.