New house came with a Rainsoft Water Softener and....

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nate81

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Too expensive, IMHO. Look for a national lab, which could run around $200 for everything you need. Some of the pro's have suggested some names in other threads.

To get all the tests done locally through the county it would r un around $475. When I searched terrylove.com forums for well water testing......this thread came up lol Maybe someone reading this can chime in and suggest a more affordable yet reliable source for testing my well water.
 

Mialynette2003

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If you have an A&M university you might call them to see if they do water testing. When I was in Tx they did one that covered IIRC 50 elements for around $10.00
 

Mikey

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Lifespeed

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Use google. You can knock a few bucks off the price, but your first test will be the most expensive. Thereafter you can probably narrow it down a bit and monitor iron and e. coli.
 

nate81

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So I got my test kits in the mail today, for hardness and iron. And as I suspected I have no iron in my water....we had our water tested at a pool store, and they said we had no iron. We filled our pool with our well water and when we added the chlorine we didn't get any discoloration as you would if you had iron and when i did the test today, it wasn't showing any.

As far as hardness goes, i'm showing 8 grains per gallon as CaCO3
 

nate81

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So I got my test kits in the mail today, for hardness and iron. And as I suspected I have no iron in my water....we had our water tested at a pool store, and they said we had no iron. We filled our pool with our well water and when we added the chlorine we didn't get any discoloration as you would if you had iron and when i did the test today, it wasn't showing any.

As far as hardness goes, i'm showing 8 grains per gallon as CaCO3
 

ditttohead

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An iron and hardness test kit are helpful, but... a real test should be done. Other contaminants, pH, etc all are part of a well test, not just iron and hardness. You have equipment that would usually be installed for reasons other than iron and hardness, why was it installed? Some companies will sell and install equipment that is not needed, but this is not a common practice. I will let others try to help you until you get a proper water test done.

Hope this helps.
 

nate81

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I'm looking for help on turning my water softener back on. I intend on bypassing the other equipment until I can afford a full water test like you recommend.
 

Lifespeed

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$219 complete test. A savy prospective buyer considering a property with a well would have done this (and a well flow test) as part of the home inspection. Still not too late.
 
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ditttohead

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Several of my customers use that service and swear by it. Many cities and counties require a proper water test prior to a property being sold or transferred. We find more wells with Arsenic and other contaminants that people have been drinking from for too many years.
 

nate81

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$219 complete test. A savy prospective buyer considering a property with a well would have done this (and a well flow test) as part of the home inspection. Still not too late.



I'm assuming you mean savvy. Your comments are not helpful and totally unnecessary. Even though you have such a judgmental disposition, i don't feel i need to explain but will anyways....we were first time home buyers, i'm sure you have some idea of how overwhelming it can be to be searching/researching a new home....and how easy it could be to miss a detail, like testing the well water.

We will get the comprehensive test when finances can afford it, I came here simply asking how to 'reactivate' my water softener...not to be judged and ridiculed for having no experience in well water.


In reply to Dittoheads comment, we do not drink the water here....we never have, but I can definitely appreciate the concern.
 

ditttohead

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Nate, I wouldnt take the comment personally. In our feild,most of us have tested well water that is ready for bottling, and water that should be sent out as toxic waste. Since you are bathing in it, breathing it (steam and atomization of the water moecules in the shower), etc, a comprehensive test is the first thing that comes to most of our minds when it comes to a new house that is not on a municipal supply. Municapalities are required to do extensive testing and to make these tests available to their customers. Wells are somewhat unregulated. Many states now require proper water testing be done prior to the sale of a house. Considering the equipment that was there, you could have a simple, or serious problem. Without a proper water test, the liability is simply to great for most companies to make a recommendation. A simple example would be if you have a very low pH, and you have copper plumbing, you could destroy your plumbing in a matter of a few months due to the lack of proper water treatment.

Try to budget for a proper water test to see if your water is safe for you or your plumbing. There are indicators that can clue you off, (blue-green staining in the sink may indicate a low pH) etc, but many contaminants have no odor, taste, or appearance. This is not an acceptable method since all water supplies, aquifers, levels etc will have some variances, but you might try calling the local water treatment dealer and ask him if he knows of any regional problems that are common. They may even offer some fairly decent testing for a minimal charge. of course they will also want to sell you the solution, but it may be worth the phone call.

Hope this helps.
 

Gary Slusser

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Nate, the big tank on the left is a retention tank and it is used to allow adequate time for the chemicals to work before you use the water.

The squarish tank with the removable lid is the salt/brine tank for the softener, follow the 3/8" line from it to the softener control valve. You add a bag of salt to it periodically before it gets too low (no salt above the water line after a regeneration) or runs out.

Click the Click Here link in my signature to learn how to develop the data to program your control valve for the compensated hardness, K of capacity and salt dose (lbs per regen).

And don't let the anti DIYers here get to you. IMO that is everyone other than mialynette.
 

nate81

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Do you think there could be an issue of the beads getting toxic or dangerous to us....the system has been off for a while now.....would turning it back on suddenly somehow introduce whatever crap was resting on those beads into our house?
 

Gary Slusser

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I don't know what you mean by beads but I seriously doubt the water is toxic or the old lady would not have survived to her matured age.

I also think you made a mistake in not continuing to use and maintain the equipment. Now to get it online again you need to be able to test after the retention tank to make sure the solution feeders are injecting the correct strength and volume of 'chemicals'. IOWs, so you know the water quality is what it should be before it gets to the softener and fixtures.

No one can tell you what 'chemicals' or their strength and volume is needed without hardness, pH and iron test results at least.

Then someone here may tell you how much of what is needed and in what order it should be injected etc. but I suggest it is best to have someone come out that really knows solution feeder and test the raw water and then get the equipment going by cleaning injectors etc. and then test the water out of the retention tank and adjust things until it is where it has to be.

As it is now the softener is not setup to do its thing without the solution feeders doing their thing so using it without them probably is not good for the softener.

And since you know little to nothing about the equipment or how the equipment works, or why that specific equipment was used, you can not really disagree with what the guy that comes out tells you. So trust but verify. As to the comprehensive water test being suggested here, after the equipment is operating as it should you can spend the hundreds of dollars it costs anytime in the future that you want to, or not.
 

nate81

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Having the professional come out next Wednesday....he's going to test my water, turn my system back on and answer any questions I have on the operation of what I got. Anything important I should be asking?

It was verified that i do have a 'carbon bed'...anyone explain in lamens terms what this means/does?
 

nate81

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They told me that the carbon bed needs to be dumped every 2-3 years and that I may be due...it'll be $200 to 'dump'. Sounds like a lot of money just to get rid of a smell.
 

Gary Slusser

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I'd ask the what if that doesn't get rid of the smell and how much that will cost but didn't you say you have everything in by pass?

$200 for the carbon and them to come out to do it isn't all that bad but then it depends on how much carbon. You'd have to know how much and what type of carbon and then check the price for it online.
 
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nate81

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Service call is going to be $145...if i wanna dump carbon its gonna be *i think she said * $375

Everything is in bypass...but we're getting grime/dirt in our toilets and showers. We'd like install new fixtures, but dont want to ruin them with our dirty water. I'm having him come back out to turn our water softener on and answer any questions I have. I did this once before and they sent out an introvert...i got nothing out of him. He wouldnt talk to me. So this time they are sending their "25 year veteran" to answer my questions. Even in our phone ...she admitted that the first guy they sent out wasn't very "sociable"...what a joke and money wasted. I want to make sure I get my moneys worth this time.
 
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