Please advise concerning not having a water softener....calcium buildups, pipes etc?

Question

Please advise...I have purchased a home some time ago. The house is on well water and not city water. Because I did not have any strange "sulfuric" smells I did not install a water softener.

Someone has advised me that this is a bad idea that I should get one because calcium deposits will build up and destroy my pipes. Please advise me if this is true or not. Should I get a water softener...I will hate to pay a 25 dollar a month to the Culligan people. Do you have and ideas or alternatives.

Answer 1

i would not worry about any build up in the pipes. in most cases it takes a long time before you would have to worry about replacing the pipes. my mother owned her house for 50 years without a softener and she never had to replace 1 pipe!!!

Answer 2

With a well, it is advisable to have the water tested on occasion.

You can buy a prepaid sample bottle that comes with mailing labels and such. You collect a sample and mail it in and then you get a report back to advise you if you have any issues that you need to treat.  

Good luck.  

Answer 3

The easiest way to check your water softness is if you can suds your hands and if your laundry is satisfactorily coming clean. Especially the whites. This would mean your water is close to a  neutral ph or 'soft'. If all of these indicators are ok then I would not bother with a softener. You can buy little test kits from Lowes and Home Depot that are really inexpensive and reasonably accurate. Sulphur smells have nothing to do with the water softener. They can come from a number of natural causes but the leading cause in the home is an electric hot water heater a couple of years old. If you are concerned do not try any home remedies like vinegar or epsom salts. These chemicals are not meant to be introduced in a potable water system without someone knowing what they are doing and what the result will be. Call  one of the major water treatment firms and get one of the free quotes. Try several firms and try to see through the sales pitches. Usually the more honest and direct people will show through easily and may even tell you that there is no concern. Hope this helps.

Answer 4

It depends greatly on where you live and the hardness of your water. Testing is the first step. After you test (you can get the strips at a Culligan store), you will know what you are dealing with. We live in Central CA, and have a terrible time with calcium and lime. We got a whole house filter - problem solved.

Don't rush out - the others on this post are correct - it takes a long time for the stuff to build up to the point of messing your pipes up.

Answer 5

Actually many, many cities have much worse water than any rural community I've ever lived or worked in.  I've been on a well out in the country for all my adult life, and have never had a single problem with pipes because of lime, or calcium buildup.  Buildup occurs when water is static, (not moving around much), as in a water heater tank.   Makes no difference, electric or gas, if you have a high concentration of lime or calcium in your water, it will eventually precipitate out and collect in the bottom of the tank of the water heater, where it will eventually eat through the tank causing a leak.   Once this happens it's time for a new unit.  It usually takes about 10 - 15 years for this procedure, without a softener.  If you should decide to install a softener, it could extend the life of the water heater to maybe closer to 20 years, but I certainly wouldn't rent it, buy it outright.  

Answer 6

It takes a very long time for calcium to build up.You can also run Vinegar through your pipes,as it destroys calcium.If you want a water softener for anything,try Epsom Salts.It's cheap and softens water.