I should have put water softeners and counter tops. My water softener was bought in 2006. By the time I had problems with it - there was a power outage and the timer got messed up - and I just unplugged it and never started it again. That was about a year ago. My area is big on power outages so its an on-going problem. Anyway, another reason I did not bother to hook it up was that I was already having problems with calcium/lime deposits. I have dark colored Wilsonart standard laminate counter tops and the calcium/lime deposits showed up on them. I have now scrubbed the color off the counter tops behind the faucets. I even bought a large sheet of the laminate and had someone from Handy Man come out and replace a part of it. That's still o.k. but the other side is bad looking. I have been looking for new counter top material and got new estimates on replacing the entire kitchen counter top area. I do not want to spend money on Silastone or Granite for my cabinets. They are o.k. - got them replaced in 2003...but not that great. I am probably going for the Wilsonart Premium laminate. But I am afraid that after I get new ones I will still have the same problem with the hard water. (My county changed their recipe for water about two years ago - didn't used to be this bad). A new water softener is expensive -- it would add over a thousand to the total. My current one isn't that old -- but I will need help disconnecting it so I can clean it very well before actually using it again. And the bottom line is - it didn't help that much with the problem. One of my neighbors does not have a water softener and isn't having any problems. The other neighbor does have one -- he also has Silastone counter tops - and no problem with hard water. So -- it's hard to know what to do.
Any advice on how to handle this would be appreciated.

Dottie wrote:
I should have put water softeners and counter tops. My water
softener was bought in 2006. By the time I had problems with it -
there was a power outage and the timer got messed up - and I just
unplugged it and never started it again. That was about a year ago.
My area is big on power outages so its an on-going problem. Anyway,
another reason I did not bother to hook it up was that I was already
having problems with calcium/lime deposits. I have dark colored
Wilsonart standard laminate counter tops and the calcium/lime
deposits showed up on them. I have now scrubbed the color off the
counter tops behind the faucets. I even bought a large sheet of the
laminate and had someone from Handy Man come out and replace a part
of it. That's still o.k. but the other side is bad looking. I have
been looking for new counter top material and got new estimates on
replacing the entire kitchen counter top area. I do not want to
spend money on Silastone or Granite for my cabinets. They are o.k. -
got them replaced in 2003...but not that great. I am probably going
for the Wilsonart Premium laminate. But I am afraid that after I get
new ones I will still have the same problem with the hard water. (My
county changed their recipe for water about two years ago - didn't
used to be this bad). A new water softener is expensive -- it would
add over a thousand to the total. My current one isn't that old --
but I will need help disconnecting it so I can clean it very well
before actually using it again. And the bottom line is - it didn't
help that much with the problem. One of my neighbors does not have a
water softener and isn't having any problems. The other neighbor
does have one -- he also has Silastone counter tops - and no problem
with hard water. So -- it's hard to know what to do.
Any advice on how to handle this would be appreciated.

I don't know much about hard water , but Nevamar brand plastic laminate
has what they call "ARP" surface . It's apparently infused with some kind of
metal/oxide , and the surface is very durable - fabricators hate it (I did!)
because it's hard on tooling , dulls files quickly . It sounds like you
don't have postform tops , a good installer/fabricator can replace the
laminate in situ if that's the case .

--
Snag

On Sat, 3 Jan 2015 04:52:10 -0800 (PST), Dottie
wrote:

I should have put water softeners and counter tops. My water softener was bought in 2006. By the time I had problems with it - there was a power outage and the timer got messed up - and I just unplugged it and never started it again. That was about a year ago. My area is big on power outages so its an on-going problem. Anyway, another reason I did not bother to hook it up was that I was already having problems with calcium/lime deposits. I have dark colored Wilsonart standard laminate counter tops and the calcium/lime deposits showed up on them. I have now scrubbed the color off the counter tops behind the faucets. I even bought a large sheet of the laminate and had someone from Handy Man come out and replace a part of it. That's still o.k. but the other side is bad looking. I have been looking for new counter top material and got new estimates on replacing the entire kitchen counter top area. I do not want to spend money on Silastone or Granite for my cabinets. They
are
o.k. - got them replaced in 2003...but not that great. I am probably going for the Wilsonart Premium laminate. But I am afraid that after I get new ones I will still have the same problem with the hard water. (My county changed their recipe for water about two years ago - didn't used to be this bad). A new water softener is expensive -- it would add over a thousand to the total. My current one isn't that old -- but I will need help disconnecting it so I can clean it very well before actually using it again. And the bottom line is - it didn't help that much with the problem. One of my neighbors does not have a water softener and isn't having any problems. The other neighbor does have one -- he also has Silastone counter tops - and no problem with hard water. So -- it's hard to know what to do.
Any advice on how to handle this would be appreciated.

Get someone that really knows what they are doing to properly set up
the softener and move on.

"Dottie" wrote in message
...
I should have put water softeners and counter tops. My water softener was
bought in 2006. By the time I had problems with it - there was a power
outage and the timer got messed up - and I just unplugged it and never
started it again. That was about a year ago. My area is big on power
outages so its an on-going problem. Anyway, another reason I did not bother
to hook it up was that I was already having problems with calcium/lime
deposits. I have dark colored Wilsonart standard laminate counter tops and
the calcium/lime deposits showed up on them. I have now scrubbed the color
off the counter tops behind the faucets. I even bought a large sheet of the
laminate and had someone from Handy Man come out and replace a part of it.
That's still o.k. but the other side is bad looking. I have been looking
for new counter top material and got new estimates on replacing the entire
kitchen counter top area. I do not want to spend money on Silastone or
Granite for my cabinets. They are o.k. - got them replaced in 2003...but
not that great. I am probably going for the Wilsonart Premium laminate.
But I am afraid that after I get new ones I will still have the same problem
with the hard water. (My county changed their recipe for water about two
years ago - didn't used to be this bad). A new water softener is
expensive -- it would add over a thousand to the total. My current one
isn't that old -- but I will need help disconnecting it so I can clean it
very well before actually using it again. And the bottom line is - it
didn't help that much with the problem. One of my neighbors does not have a
water softener and isn't having any problems. The other neighbor does have
one -- he also has Silastone counter tops - and no problem with hard water.
So -- it's hard to know what to do.
Any advice on how to handle this would be appreciated.


Paragraph is too long. Break it up, sweetcheeks.

Dottie,


It would help to know what brand and model softener you have. What do you
mean when you write "the timer got messed up"? What color are the stains?

Dave M.

On Saturday, January 3, 2015 8:26:21 AM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Sat, 3 Jan 2015 04:52:10 -0800 (PST), Dottie
wrote:

I should have put water softeners and counter tops. My water softener was bought in 2006. By the time I had problems with it - there was a power outage and the timer got messed up - and I just unplugged it and never started it again. That was about a year ago. My area is big on power outages so its an on-going problem. Anyway, another reason I did not bother to hook it up was that I was already having problems with calcium/lime deposits. I have dark colored Wilsonart standard laminate counter tops and the calcium/lime deposits showed up on them. I have now scrubbed the color off the counter tops behind the faucets. I even bought a large sheet of the laminate and had someone from Handy Man come out and replace a part of it. That's still o.k. but the other side is bad looking. I have been looking for new counter top material and got new estimates on replacing the entire kitchen counter top area. I do not want to spend money on Silastone or Granite for my cabinets. They
are
o.k. - got them replaced in 2003...but not that great. I am probably going for the Wilsonart Premium laminate. But I am afraid that after I get new ones I will still have the same problem with the hard water. (My county changed their recipe for water about two years ago - didn't used to be this bad). A new water softener is expensive -- it would add over a thousand to the total. My current one isn't that old -- but I will need help disconnecting it so I can clean it very well before actually using it again. And the bottom line is - it didn't help that much with the problem. One of my neighbors does not have a water softener and isn't having any problems. The other neighbor does have one -- he also has Silastone counter tops - and no problem with hard water. So -- it's hard to know what to do.
Any advice on how to handle this would be appreciated.

Get someone that really knows what they are doing to properly set up
the softener and move on.

I think there is also an issue with how the countertops are being cleaned.
I think the word "scrubbed" was used. I would think most any laminate
countertop could have mineral deposits from water removed without damaging
the finish. Instead of scrubbing, a chemical that will dissolve it,
eg vinegar or CLR, rust remover type product.

On Saturday, January 3, 2015 7:52:15 AM UTC-5, Dottie wrote:
I should have put water softeners and counter tops. My water softener was bought in 2006. By the time I had problems with it - there was a power outage and the timer got messed up - and I just unplugged it and never started it again. That was about a year ago. My area is big on power outages so its an on-going problem. Anyway, another reason I did not bother to hook it up was that I was already having problems with calcium/lime deposits. I have dark colored Wilsonart standard laminate counter tops and the calcium/lime deposits showed up on them. I have now scrubbed the color off the counter tops behind the faucets. I even bought a large sheet of the laminate and had someone from Handy Man come out and replace a part of it. That's still o.k. but the other side is bad looking. I have been looking for new counter top material and got new estimates on replacing the entire kitchen counter top area. I do not want to spend money on Silastone or Granite for my cabinets. They are o.k. - got them replaced in 2003...but not that great. I am probably going for the Wilsonart Premium laminate. But I am afraid that after I get new ones I will still have the same problem with the hard water. (My county changed their recipe for water about two years ago - didn't used to be this bad). A new water softener is expensive -- it would add over a thousand to the total. My current one isn't that old -- but I will need help disconnecting it so I can clean it very well before actually using it again. And the bottom line is - it didn't help that much with the problem. One of my neighbors does not have a water softener and isn't having any problems. The other neighbor does have one -- he also has Silastone counter tops - and no problem with hard water. So -- it's hard to know what to do.
Any advice on how to handle this would be appreciated.


I did use CLR and another brand. Neither did the job. But I have another question to add -- my neighbor pointed out that it is only in the kitchen that I am having a problem. The bathrooms are o.k. and the laundry room sink ... no problem. Is there a chance that there is a small leak under the faucet that seeps out ... there is no sign of water or leakage in the cabinet below the sink. And I yes I did scrub the heck out of it ... but only as a last resort. I really want to stop this problem before investing in new counter tops.

"Dottie" wrote in message
...
On Saturday, January 3, 2015 7:52:15 AM UTC-5, Dottie wrote:
I should have put water softeners and counter tops. My water softener was
bought in 2006. By the time I had problems with it - there was a power
outage and the timer got messed up - and I just unplugged it and never
started it again. That was about a year ago. My area is big on power
outages so its an on-going problem. Anyway, another reason I did not
bother to hook it up was that I was already having problems with
calcium/lime deposits. I have dark colored Wilsonart standard laminate
counter tops and the calcium/lime deposits showed up on them. I have now
scrubbed the color off the counter tops behind the faucets. I even bought
a large sheet of the laminate and had someone from Handy Man come out and
replace a part of it. That's still o.k. but the other side is bad
looking. I have been looking for new counter top material and got new
estimates on replacing the entire kitchen counter top area. I do not want
to spend money on Silastone or Granite for my cabinets. They are o.k. -
got them replaced in 2003...but not that great. I am probably going for
the Wilsonart Premium laminate. But I am afraid that after I get new ones
I will still have the same problem with the hard water. (My county
changed their recipe for water about two years ago - didn't used to be
this bad). A new water softener is expensive -- it would add over a
thousand to the total. My current one isn't that old -- but I will need
help disconnecting it so I can clean it very well before actually using it
again. And the bottom line is - it didn't help that much with the
problem. One of my neighbors does not have a water softener and isn't
having any problems. The other neighbor does have one -- he also has
Silastone counter tops - and no problem with hard water. So -- it's hard
to know what to do.
Any advice on how to handle this would be appreciated.


I did use CLR and another brand. Neither did the job. But I have another
question to add -- my neighbor pointed out that it is only in the kitchen
that I am having a problem. The bathrooms are o.k. and the laundry room
sink ... no problem. Is there a chance that there is a small leak under the
faucet that seeps out ... there is no sign of water or leakage in the
cabinet below the sink. And I yes I did scrub the heck out of it ... but
only as a last resort. I really want to stop this problem before investing
in new counter tops.



Since counter tops don't increase in value, they're a pretty crappy
"investment."
LOL

On Saturday, January 3, 2015 9:35:07 AM UTC-5, Dottie wrote:
On Saturday, January 3, 2015 7:52:15 AM UTC-5, Dottie wrote:
I should have put water softeners and counter tops. My water softener was bought in 2006. By the time I had problems with it - there was a power outage and the timer got messed up - and I just unplugged it and never started it again. That was about a year ago. My area is big on power outages so its an on-going problem. Anyway, another reason I did not bother to hook it up was that I was already having problems with calcium/lime deposits. I have dark colored Wilsonart standard laminate counter tops and the calcium/lime deposits showed up on them. I have now scrubbed the color off the counter tops behind the faucets. I even bought a large sheet of the laminate and had someone from Handy Man come out and replace a part of it. That's still o.k. but the other side is bad looking. I have been looking for new counter top material and got new estimates on replacing the entire kitchen counter top area. I do not want to spend money on Silastone or Granite for my cabinets. They are o.k. - got them replaced in 2003...but not that great. I am probably going for the Wilsonart Premium laminate. But I am afraid that after I get new ones I will still have the same problem with the hard water. (My county changed their recipe for water about two years ago - didn't used to be this bad). A new water softener is expensive -- it would add over a thousand to the total. My current one isn't that old -- but I will need help disconnecting it so I can clean it very well before actually using it again. And the bottom line is - it didn't help that much with the problem. One of my neighbors does not have a water softener and isn't having any problems. The other neighbor does have one -- he also has Silastone counter tops - and no problem with hard water. So -- it's hard to know what to do.
Any advice on how to handle this would be appreciated.


I did use CLR and another brand. Neither did the job. But I have another question to add -- my neighbor pointed out that it is only in the kitchen that I am having a problem. The bathrooms are o.k. and the laundry room sink ... no problem. Is there a chance that there is a small leak under the faucet that seeps out ...

If it's a water hardness problem, it would be the first one I've ever
heard of where it's localized to one area around the kitchen faucets,
which is what you appear to be saying.



there is no sign of water or leakage in the cabinet below the sink.

Very common for a swivel faucet to leak at the seal, with water leaking
out on top of the counter, not underneath.

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Sat, 3 Jan 2015 04:52:10 -0800 (PST), Dottie
wrote:

I should have put water softeners and counter tops. My water softener was bought in 2006. By the time I had problems with it - there was a power outage and the timer got messed up - and I just unplugged it and never started it again. That was about a year ago. My area is big on power outages so its an on-going problem. Anyway, another reason I did not bother to hook it up was that I was already having problems with calcium/lime deposits. I have dark colored Wilsonart standard laminate counter tops and the calcium/lime deposits showed up on them. I have now scrubbed the color off the counter tops behind the faucets. I even bought a large sheet of the laminate and had someone from Handy Man come out and replace a part of it. That's still o.k. but the other side is bad looking. I have been looking for new counter top material and got new estimates on replacing the entire kitchen counter top area. I do not want to spend money on Silastone or Granite for my cabinets. They

are
o.k. - got them replaced in 2003...but not that great. I am probably going for the Wilsonart Premium laminate. But I am afraid that after I get new ones I will still have the same problem with the hard water. (My county changed their recipe for water about two years ago - didn't used to be this bad). A new water softener is expensive -- it would add over a thousand to the total. My current one isn't that old -- but I will need help disconnecting it so I can clean it very well before actually using it again. And the bottom line is - it didn't help that much with the problem. One of my neighbors does not have a water softener and isn't having any problems. The other neighbor does have one -- he also has Silastone counter tops - and no problem with hard water. So -- it's hard to know what to do.
Any advice on how to handle this would be appreciated.

Get someone that really knows what they are doing to properly set up
the softener and move on.

Hmm,
What brand softener? Setting up the timer is not a rocket science.
Reactivate it. If you are unable to do it, get a professional help.
How hard is the water? Is the softener mechanical timer based or demand
generating electronic control? What is the point replacing the counter
top without solving the water hardness problem? Your house plumbing is
suffering too with hard water. IMO, the sooner you start using the unit,
the better it will be over all. I think you were cleaning the counter
top wrong way. Tried CLR?

On Saturday, January 3, 2015 7:52:15 AM UTC-5, Dottie wrote:
I should have put water softeners and counter tops. My water softener was bought in 2006. By the time I had problems with it - there was a power outage and the timer got messed up - and I just unplugged it and never started it again. That was about a year ago. My area is big on power outages so its an on-going problem. Anyway, another reason I did not bother to hook it up was that I was already having problems with calcium/lime deposits. I have dark colored Wilsonart standard laminate counter tops and the calcium/lime deposits showed up on them. I have now scrubbed the color off the counter tops behind the faucets. I even bought a large sheet of the laminate and had someone from Handy Man come out and replace a part of it. That's still o.k. but the other side is bad looking. I have been looking for new counter top material and got new estimates on replacing the entire kitchen counter top area. I do not want to spend money on Silastone or Granite for my cabinets. They are o.k. - got them replaced in 2003...but not that great. I am probably going for the Wilsonart Premium laminate. But I am afraid that after I get new ones I will still have the same problem with the hard water. (My county changed their recipe for water about two years ago - didn't used to be this bad). A new water softener is expensive -- it would add over a thousand to the total. My current one isn't that old -- but I will need help disconnecting it so I can clean it very well before actually using it again. And the bottom line is - it didn't help that much with the problem. One of my neighbors does not have a water softener and isn't having any problems. The other neighbor does have one -- he also has Silastone counter tops - and no problem with hard water. So -- it's hard to know what to do.
Any advice on how to handle this would be appreciated.


***********
I seem to be the only one having problems with hard water ... my neighbors are not. One of them came over and looked today - and found several places where the sink was not meeting the counter top - no grout. It would allow water to seep out and and perhaps cause stains...and I wasn't aware of it. Anyway, I am not going to start using the water softener yet. Don't think it helped.

On Sat, 3 Jan 2015 13:53:49 -0800 (PST), Dottie
wrote:

Anyway, I am not going to start using the water softener yet. Don't think it helped.

Let us know in the future if your home appliances get damaged from
hard water. Lake Mead "Bathtub Ring" (hard water minerals exposed as
the lake level drops)

Pic:

http://2bits.ca/images/journal/on%20to%20nevada,arizona,utah/bathtub%20ring,%20lake%20mead,%20hoover%20dam.JPG

https://tinyurl.com/ldgclkv

Dottie wrote:
On Saturday, January 3, 2015 7:52:15 AM UTC-5, Dottie wrote:
I should have put water softeners and counter tops. My water softener was bought in 2006. By the time I had problems with it - there was a power outage and the timer got messed up - and I just unplugged it and never started it again. That was about a year ago. My area is big on power outages so its an on-going problem. Anyway, another reason I did not bother to hook it up was that I was already having problems with calcium/lime deposits. I have dark colored Wilsonart standard laminate counter tops and the calcium/lime deposits showed up on them. I have now scrubbed the color off the counter tops behind the faucets. I even bought a large sheet of the laminate and had someone from Handy Man come out and replace a part of it. That's still o.k. but the other side is bad looking. I have been looking for new counter top material and got new estimates on replacing the entire kitchen counter top area. I do not want to spend money on Silastone or Granite for my cabinets. They
are o.k. - got them replaced in 2003...but not that great. I am probably going for the Wilsonart Premium laminate. But I am afraid that after I get new ones I will still have the same problem with the hard water. (My county changed their recipe for water about two years ago - didn't used to be this bad). A new water softener is expensive -- it would add over a thousand to the total. My current one isn't that old -- but I will need help disconnecting it so I can clean it very well before actually using it again. And the bottom line is - it didn't help that much with the problem. One of my neighbors does not have a water softener and isn't having any problems. The other neighbor does have one -- he also has Silastone counter tops - and no problem with hard water. So -- it's hard to know what to do.
Any advice on how to handle this would be appreciated.


***********
I seem to be the only one having problems with hard water ... my neighbors are not. One of them came over and looked today - and found several places where the sink was not meeting the counter top - no grout. It would allow water to seep out and and perhaps cause stains...and I wasn't aware of it. Anyway, I am not going to start using the water softener yet. Don't think it helped.

Hi,
Softener has to be set up according to your water hardness and your
water consumption rate. How hard is your water? How many in the family?
Also you have to choose correct capacity(size) softener for your need.
Also you should never run out of salt supply.
Why spend money if you buy an appliance and neglect it. That
seems a waste. Your sink may not be tightened down good or installer
forgot to apply grout(your word), sealant under the edge of sink.
I feel sorry when some folks don't exercise logical mind.

On 1/3/2015 4:53 PM, Dottie wrote:


***********
Anyway, I am not going to start using the water softener yet. Don't think it helped.


There are other benefits to using the softener. Better cleaning with
less soap and detergents, etc. My guess is you have no clue about them
and miss the benefits.