Install Water softener or no

[Tom09]

Hi, wanted to install a water softener for our hardness before our build. Further research I’ve found is high CH causes extra work in cleaning the SWG. I took a water sample from my house to have Leslie’s test it and it’s pretty much aligned with my CH test. With that being said, would I need a water softener for my pool, the CH levels show low already?

 

[HermanTX]

A water softener for the house has unique advantages such as a nice soothing shower or bath, no hardness buildup in the toilet or on the faucet aerators. My incoming tap water is about 150 ppm of CH.
For the pool, assuming you have a gunite pool, you would have CH in the 300-500 range. But when you add water, if your water softener is hooked up to your external water supply (for hose, pool autofill,) then you are NOT adding calicum so it is easier to manage the CH levels overtime. In fact I have to add CH occasionally since I add no calcium via my fill line to the pool

 

[Tom09]

A water softener for the house has unique advantages such as a nice soothing shower or bath, no hardness buildup in the toilet or on the faucet aerators. My incoming tap water is about 150 ppm of CH.
For the pool, assuming you have a gunite pool, you would have CH in the 300-500 range. But when you add water, if your water softener is hooked up to your external water supply (for hose, pool autofill,) then you are NOT adding calicum so it is easier to manage the CH levels overtime. In fact I have to add CH occasionally since I add no calcium via my fill line to the pool

Thank you for your reply. I am looking to install a water softener for the house at one point, but at the moment this would be dedicated for the pool since there’s no easy way to plumb it to the pool. I wanted to know would it be worth it in the log run since it’s not extremely high.

 

[HermanTX]

Thank you for your reply. I am looking to install a water softener for the house at one point, but at the moment this would be dedicated for the pool since there’s no easy way to plumb it to the pool. I wanted to know would it be worth it in the log run since it’s not extremely high.

I didn’t pick that up in your original post. Thanks for clarification. Some areas with very high calcium in the fill water use a RV type of water softener for the pool fill line. Since yours is under a 100ppm, I would not set up a dedicated water softener For the pool. If and when you get a whole house water softener, then you can set up a spigot to add water to your pool As needed. However, I would also keep 1 outside spigot that would be before you water softener so you can access standard tap water if needed.

 

[Tom09]

I didn’t pick that up in your original post. Thanks for clarification. Some areas with very high calcium in the fill water use a RV type of water softener for the pool fill line. Since yours is under a 100ppm, I would not set up a dedicated water softener For the pool. If and when you get a whole house water softener, then you can set up a spigot to add water to your pool As needed. However, I would also keep 1 outside spigot that would be before you water softener so you can access standard tap water if needed.

Thank you for your feedback.

 

[duraleigh]

No need whatsoever for a water softener when your fill water is 100 ppm........That's VERY low, especially for most parts of California.

Depending, you may have to ADD calcium rather than subtract.

 

[Tom09]

No need whatsoever for a water softener when your fill water is 100 ppm........That's VERY low, especially for most parts of California.

Depending, you may have to ADD calcium rather than subtract.

Thank you so much, fortunately i tested it before obtaining one.

 

[mknauss]

You do not say where in Central California, but if you add significant fill water due to evaporation, and do not get copious amounts of rain in the winter that overflows the pool, your CH will rise over time. Not as quickly as some, but it will rise.

 

[an1vrsy]

I took a water sample from my house to have Leslie’s test it

You had Leslie’s test your tap water? I don’t trust Leslie’s results. On post #1, Leslie’s results indicate CYA 5. I don’t think municipalities add cyanuric acid for water treatment.

If your own test results shows CH less 100 ppm for your fill water, that’s a good thing. Your pool water CH will still rise, but the rise will take so much longer. During my build, I had a softened water line added for my pool’s make up water from our whole house water softener tank. However, I still use my outside spigots periodically to ensure I keep my CH at around 350 ppm.

 

[Tom09]

You had Leslie’s test your tap water? I don’t trust Leslie’s results. On post #1, Leslie’s results indicate CYA 5. I don’t think municipalities add cyanuric acid for water treatment.

If your own test results shows CH less 100 ppm for your fill water, that’s a good thing. Your pool water CH will still rise, but the rise will take so much longer. During my build, I had a softened water line added for my pool’s make up water from our whole house water softener tank. However, I still use my outside spigots periodically to ensure I keep my CH at around 350 ppm.

Hi I did, but it’s in line with my CH test. When ever I do decide, there will be an outdoor faucet that I can manually add soften water.

 

[Tom09]

You do not say where in Central California, but if you add significant fill water due to evaporation, and do not get copious amounts of rain in the winter that overflows the pool, your CH will rise over time. Not as quickly as some, but it will rise.

Thank you for your feedback, I’ll have to keep an eye on it but can manually add softened water if I install one.