If you have your water tested at the tap, then set your softener
accordingly, it should make up for any hardness at the tap, shouldn't it?

If you have your softener at the tap, then yes, you are correct. However,
if your softener is at the main valve (like mine) or any location where you
are trying to soften water throughout your home, then as the softened water
travels through the existing pipe containing mineral buildup, it will be
picking up minerals (which makes water "hard") along the way and thus, will
become "less soft."


"Curt Martin" wrote in message
...


rdkapp wrote:

Another thing....if you're adding a softener to a home water system that
has
existed for many years and you live in a hard water area, your pipes
will
have hard water buildup inside them. As the soft water travels through
the
pipes, it will pick up hard water minerals and make the water "less
soft"
than if you had new pipes. Our home (and pipes) are 34 years old. I
added
the softener when the pipes were approximately 26 years old. I've
noticed
that newer homes with softeners have softer water than I have in my
home,
but it's still an improvement and I wouldn't do without it in any home
that
I reside.



If you have your water tested at the tap, then set your softener
accordingly, it should make up for any hardness at the tap, shouldn't it?