How do I Make Soft Water Less Slimy

        In today's world not having hard water can create many problems in the home; with things like water spots on dishes, corroding of the water heater, dry hair and skin, staining of clothes, clogging of pipes and the list can go on. The remedy; a water softener, but why are water softeners so expensive?  Those are the two biggest questions in the beginning. Once the sticker shock has been dealt with, then it is time to buy a water softener. This water softener has the best reviews and the overall quality outweighs that of all the others. It is far more inexpensive than the others as well and the parts are easy to come by and less expensive than the others.

Benefits of a Water Softener        

        Having a water softener has many benefits like; less soap, conditioner, and softener are needed for clothes, hair and body. It cleans out the calcium build up in the pipes and more importantly it removes the calcium build up in the water heater and allows it to function more economically. Here is a visual of what happens to a water heater without a soft water. Having a water softener also allows clothes to keep the color, prevents staining caused by hard water. There are other benefits as well; overall, spending the money on a water softener saves money in the long run.

Cons of Having a Water Softener

        There are a couple of things to consider when owning a water softener; firstly, there is the high sodium content in the water. "In general, typically softened water contains about 12.5mg of sodium per 8oz glass. If this water were graded according to the same scale the Food and Drug Administration uses for foods, it would be considered “very low sodium.” (https://www.verywellhealth.com/is-my-water-softener-raising-my-blood-pressure-1763997 By 

Craig O. Weber, MD. 

If that sodium level is still is too high for you, then a Reverse Osmosis for drinking or cooking would be in order.

        

        The slimy feeling from soft water can be a problem for some. Usually it is a person that has had hard water most of their lives and when they no longer have that dry rough skin, or the feeling of still having soap on the body it can be a difficult transition. That, to many is a welcomed benefit from having soft water; while others want the benefits of soft water, not all of the benefits of soft water are wanted. This being quite the conundrum, there are some ways to fix the most unwanted consequence of having a water softener, Slimy Water. Of the many ways, only one will be discussed here. It is the simplest and has the greater ease of calculation when making adjustments. 

        

       How to make slimy water not slimy; the bypass behind the water softener can be adjusted so as to allow unsoftened water to mix with softened water, this also provides for easy marking when making adjustments.

 Making adjustments; simply turn the bypass knobs toward the bypass position, start at the halfway mark.

Then use this kit to test for hardness but allow enough water to have gone through the faucet before testing, write down the results. 

Use the soap method by using the same soap that is used for bathing, wash hands and arms and feel to see if this is the particular water hardness/softness desired.

If it is still too slimy, continue to turn the bypass valves toward the bypass position.

If it feels too hard, return back towards the service position until the desired feel is attained.

Once the desired feel is attained, test for hardness again and write down that number and put it on your water softener for future reference. 

Fleck 5800 Review

Fleck 5800 Review

As time progresses the water softener industry is always trying to make a better water softener and invent ways to better transform water full of constituents to clean healthy water that is tasty and not full of contaminants that make water unpalatable and not suitable for drinking.  Through the years I have seen many variations of water softeners both new and old and have found that they for the most part all work the same.  However, some companies keep trying to make a water southerner with more features than what is really necessary though it may be helpful for the maintenance tech but not necessarily for the consumer which is why I'm here to help support and give objective opinion not only in blogging but in my youtube videos-low cost water softeners.  There you can find helpful videos for the consumer that answer most questions and if not then you can ask the questions you need answered and I will get back with you.

The Next Generation Water Softener 

Over time Fleck has made some very good water softeners and the ones they have made are still on the market and functioning still today.  I suppose that every now and then a company may hire a young vivacious individual who is wanting to show what they know and try to make what is already great even better.  Now Fleck has to very popular valves, the 5600 and the 2510 for the consumer.  These are my most favorite valves when it comes to longevity and durable.  The only thing that needs replacing after many years is the piston seals and spacers.  Aside from those particular parts there is absolutely nothing else that really needs to be changed to include the motor.  On occasion one may have to replace the motor but more often than not it is the piston seals and spacers that need replaced. Around 2010 Fleck came out with the 5700 series valve which was seemingly built to be the competitor with the Clack valve.  It wasn't very long after its arrival that it soon left.  From my understanding there were too many flaws and it didn't live up to its name which I find interesting because I know these engineers spend a lot of time trying to perfect these valves and I would have thought that it would have made a big hit but it soon fizzled out and then Fleck came up with its next big idea.

Flecks Next Big Idea

Fleck has now recently come out with the 5800 valve in which I from a technicians point of view is a superb model.  It has many functions that a technician needs sometimes in order to troubleshoot the water softener when other valves won't allow you to do so and when that occurs you must rely on total experience in order to troubleshoot the valve and fix the problem.  From a DIY point of view it has way to many moving parts and is too difficult to work on for your average person in my opinion and that is why I always stick with the Fleck 5600 for the DIY type of person.  Below you can watch the video on the Fleck 5800 and decide for yourself, I hope it makes the cut for the sake of Pentair and their Fleck products.