JDCanuck - 6-27-2022 at 06:45 AM
Opening up a topic for those who want to find non-salt based whole house solutions to this growing issue for Calcium and Magnesium hardness in whole
house systems.
So far, we have installed a TAC (Template Assisted Crystallization) whole house filter, but as this only alters the nature of and reduces scaling
caused by the common carbonate deposits, we are looking at pre-filtering systems that might remove it altogether. Major deposits are accumulating in
the water heaters at present requiring frequent flushing and maintenance.
Reverse Osmosis systems would require replacement of the filters too often, while bulk softening using lime/soda softeners is too complex for a
residence. Ultrafiltration maybe? Anyone have good recommendations on whole house systems that effectively remove Calcium/Magnesium Carbonates using
backflushing to waste rather than element replacements?
RFClark - 6-27-2022 at 07:04 AM
JD,
Minerals in the water are a problem in Baja we treat the hot water with a rechargeable resin softener using Potassium Chloride. This seems to work
fine. The well water here runs about 2300 ppm dissolved solids! If possible find better water. We don’t have a cold water problem so we just filter
it. Generally the further inland the well the less salt in the water. One of the local wells has iron/sulfur in the water so water from there gets 8
Oz of H2O2 added per 400 Gal.
JDCanuck - 6-27-2022 at 07:20 AM
Hi RFClark: Yes, we are avoiding any resin based ion exchange system as we reuse the water from our septic system and don't want to add any additional
salts through rinse/backflush cycles.
Our goal is to have the Calcium/Magnesium Carbonates bypass the house systems but it won't have any negative effect on irrigation use. Looking for a
backflushing filtration system that removes dissolved impurities down to about 0.1 microns without the need to replace the filters frequently. Will
likely require a high pressure backflush pump to accomplish this.
PaulW - 6-27-2022 at 07:31 AM
My experience
For both homes we use reverse osmosis for cooking and drinking only. Other water is untreated. And yes the buildup on the shower head and spots from
the untreated water is significant.
Options for reverse osmosis that I have in two homes.
1) Get delivery of RO water to a local tank at your home
2) Use an under sink RO system
Regarding filter change. It not an issue I have only changed my under sink filters once in 10 years. That system in on well water with very high
particulates and dissolved solids. Yes, with high usage the flow decreases during the flush process. What I have is a GE system bought at Home Depot.
BTW, the water from the well is way worse regarding dissolved solids plus particulates than the city water we get delivered in San Felipe.
JDCanuck - 6-27-2022 at 08:32 AM
Thanks PaulW: Whole house reverse osmosis would solve the problem no doubt. As backflushing losses are not an issue as it gets recycled as irrigation
water anyway, it may be what we eventually go to. Drinking water we purchase and it's cheap. The eventual solution we come to will be somewhere
between ultrafiltration and full RO at the TAC conditioner. Lowest maintenance and operating costs will be our deciding factor.
Calcium and Magnesium Carbonates presently precipitate out very rapidly above 120 deg Fahrenheit, mainly in the 4 hot water tanks and flushing and
cleaning them is both time consuming and costly. Shower heads, sink faucets etc are not the issue as they are easily dealt with after adding the TAC
conditioner.