As a 8 Month HVAC apprentice who’s company also does Water Treatment Systems, I found this video to be very informative. Great job, this will be my go to video for when I’m refreshing my knowledge on Water Softeners and what they can do for homes.
I just got my water softner 5 months ago. What a life changer for me and my family. should of bought softner 20 years ago. Everything you said was Absolutely correct.
Excellent video! Your explanation of how a water softener works was very clear and concise. We live about 20 minutes west of Calgary, Alberta and after years of dealing with hard water, we had a high efficiency water softener installed. What a difference! We should’ve installed one years ago alas the cost was under $800. The high efficiency softener uses less salt. Since it was installed, we have used a total of five bags. The unit won’t need a salt refill until the end of January or early February. Cheers! p.s. There is five of us in our home (mom & dad and three teenagers).
I work in as a car wash technician, and am finally starting to learn the chemistry behind water and detergents, thank you for this video. It helped much much more than any other.
This is a good video. Clear and to the point. I have a few comments. First, you do not have hard water. Quite the opposite at around 2 Grains per gallon, it is already quite soft, and do not need an ion exchange salt water softener. Also, in the US water hardness is normally specified in grains per gallon (although it can be converted to mg/L or PPM by multiplying by 17.1). By using grans per gallon, it is a simple matter to multiply the gallons used to understand how often a given system will operate prior to regeneration (ex 10 grains/g * 20,000 gal/week = 20,000 grains used up in a system). What you do need is an iron filter (and likely a carbon silver tank).
Great video... I have two tips - one is to make sure that you never run out of salt in the softener or the water will keep running through and you will have a very large water bill. My second tip is because soft water is so luxurious and your shampoo and conditioner in the shower make the tub very slippery - keep a spray bottle with water and vinegar on the edge of your tub to spray the bottom of the tub when rinsing your hair - it will cut the slip and make your shower a much safer place to be. I spray mine to make it safe and the vinegar is also great to spray on your feet and rinse - they will never smell because it kills the bacteria that causes odor (armpits as well). You can also spray your hair for the shine. You and use regular vinegar or Apple cider vinegar or have one of each.
I don't follow them yet so thank you for the tip - I will check them out. I'm not sure that I have enough content that hasn't been covered to start my own channel. I have other hobbies that I am busy with so I enjoy watching other people's channels to learn. I have to say watching is probably much easier than creating so I appreciate everyone's efforts. I usually just add a thank you and a tip if I have one.
Love love having a softener! I finally go one at 51 … I’m shocked how we never get a ring in the toilets, much less cleaners needed..I have brushed gold fixtures and I can leave wet water all over them after a shower and it dries with absolutely no water stains ! And no white gross hard stuff on glasses from the dishwasher..it’s a total life changer!!!❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉
The salt used to regenerate the resin can elevate your sodium intake. It's also not good for your plants. The alternative is to use a potassium type salt, it won't elevate your sodium level. The down side is it's a bit more expensive than the bags of salt.
Thank you! I just moved into a home with hard water and had no clue. I feel like I can't rinse the soap off my hands. Your video was the only one I have found that made sense!
@@PanTheOrganizer How do you think he discovered your channel? From that giant billboard in Times Square that you put up and also from your commercials running on all of the major TV networks in prime time slots. He probably just searched UA-cam for water softeners or saw your video in the recommended section. Duh! Get a brain, dude. Seriously.
Thanks for the info. I found your channel because I typed water softener and yours was the first to pop up lol. I just learned after 13 years of working at my job we have water softeners a small one and a big one and was told that we needed to add more salt in the small one. I was confused as hell since it was my first time seeing it and had asked what it was and was told it was a water softener. Me not understanding hard water said “oh so it prevents it from freezing” 😂😂😂 she said “no best way I can explain is it purifies the water” after I watched this video it made me fully understand how it works and makes a lot more sense and how easy it is to maintain
Great video! I always wondered what the definition of hard and soft water was. After watching this, I'll be getting my water tested in the near future. Another factor that would effect water hardness is galvanised steel pipe work in your own house. If it has been there for several decades, in some cases they begin to corrode. On a similar subject. I decided to use distilled water instead of tap water, when mixing water based car cleaning products. I thought this might be a good idea as some of these products are stored for long periods of time and may effect the product chemistry over that period, secondly piece of mind that the chemistry of the cleaning products would not be effected by water quality in my area.
Thanks. I love the details of how things operate. I just bought my first house and was in the basement going “WTH is that thing”. Now I need to go buy salt because it only has like 2”of salt in it
You are terrific! I love all of your videos. Thanks for not talking down to us; you have a great way of helping us understand what is going on without making us feel like total dummies because we aren't pros in the field. I just had a water softening system installed, and I am happy that I did. We have very hard water here in the area where I live in PA; this is something I should have had installed yeas ago. Keep up the good work; your fan base really enjoys your work.
I was renting a home in the city I live in, I recently bought a farmhouse with its own well & water softener. You answered every question I had about these units. Mine appears to me a bit older, and has the salt container built into the unit.
Several points: Water softeners are not intended for removing iron. They will remove low levels but if you have a lot of iron then a separate iron removal system may be required. You have a good two tank water softener system, one tank to hold the resin that the water flows through and a separate tank to hold the salt solution which is used to flush out the resin tank and re-juvenate the resin on a weekly or so basis (mine is about every 17 days). The Big Box stores sell single all-in-one tanks which are cheap cheap cheap (price and quality) and should all be avoided. They will not last. The rejuvenation of the resin tank every week or more is automatic on a modern system, typically set to when a certain amount of water has gone through the resin. It can also be set for a specific time interval, say every 7 days or every 12 days, but basing it on water usage is more common and makes more sense. All of this is controlled by a typically electronic valve, the programmable box on top of a tank at the beginning of the video. Fleck and Clack are the best valves. I've never been impressed with this talk of mineral build up in pipes. While doing renovations I cut out a section of 1/2" copper pipe that had been in place carrying hard water to a tap for 40+ years and found the mineral build up in it negligible - barely noticeable. The water is hard here, but admittedly not super hard, and I've never heard of anyone having any problem with mineral build up in pipes. Admittedly you were showing a piece of modern plastic pipe which I have no familiarity with and may be affected differently by minerals.
Good points, thanks for sharing. Yes I was shocked to see the change in colour of pipes from a house we built brand new in 2012! Now take note that I had pretty “soft” water to start with, and the deposits weren’t thick inside the pipe, but I’d still rather not drink that. Our clothes and linen also feel softer now, so does our hair and skin when we take showers.
Gorf TheGreat Thanks for your interesting reply. You seem to be very knowledgeable regarding the topic so I have a question for you. Could you recommend a few different models of water softeners so I can do some research?
@@rubybanuelos3634 mine was installed today and they told me not to add salt until it was low enough to see the water in the brine tank. Seeing water high in the take doesn’t sound correct, so you may want to investigate further.
Thank you for the explanation. After 20 years of dealing with extremely hard water (18 gpg), we finally bought a Fleck. It makes ALL the difference...except it’s tricky to program, and all things mechanical/technical is sorcery to me. I did figure out how to program it, but I still wasn’t clear how it actually worked. Thank you!
Pan, great video, but you can easily check your water with titration kits easily purchased from pet stores as they are routinely used for testing water for fish tanks. You can also get Hach 4-in-1 test strips to test more parameters than you provided in your before/after water testing. Additionally, your source water is actually very good compared to some other locations, so I find it hard to believe that with such little treating needed to condition your water you'd go through two bags of salt per month. That's really high, though I'm guessing you based this off initial consumption, which will mellow out with time.
I live in upstate NY and all the municipal water around here is hard because the bedrock is all Limestone. A water softener is essential if you live in this area. nice vid.
Can't wait to add one to our new home. We stayed at my aunt's home and she must have had a softening system because after taking a shower in the guest room, my hair dried in just a couple minutes and was so silky that I couldn't believe it.
The plumber that just installed mine in my new house put the tubing that was supposed to be the flush drain, into the salt. The first time it flushed, it over filled the salt and flooded the garage, driveway, and freshly laid sod in the yard with salt water. Actually, he didn't put a single tubing in the right place, everything was wrong! I had to contact the manufacturer and have them guide me through correcting all his mistakes. Now that it's connected correctly, it does work well! Everyone definitely needs to have one, it really does make the water feel and taste a lot better. Thanks for posting this video explaining how it works!
@@PanTheOrganizer Before I reached the manufacturer I was searching UA-cam for information on installing the softener. Naturally later, UA-cam started popping up water softener videos including yours. The problem was already solved when I found your channel but I figured a, "How it Works" video would still be a good idea to watch. Ive since ordered a filter from the same company, SpringWell, that's suppose to remove chlorine etc in front of the softener. I don't think I will be calling the plumber for that one, I think I will install it myself:-)
Thanks for the positive feedback! And since you subbed to my channel, let me officially welcome you to the Pan TheOrganizer family. How did you discover my channel?
I am currently enrolled in the Power Engineering Technology 2nd year, so 3rd Class PET, & I got to say that your content is amazing! I added your video to my playlist. Thank you! 🤴
@@PanTheOrganizer I just searched Zeolite Water softener home use and I saw your video. I remember visiting your channel while I did my first year of PET.
Great video. I have a water conditioning system but never knew exactly how it worked. I was thinking the drinking water came in contact with the salt but wondered why the water didn't taste briny. I now understand that the salt tank is just for flushing out sediment from the resin tank. Thanks again
5 років тому+3
Man, I never had one of those, your video was a life saver. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks you so much Pan. I’m Tiffany, a detailer who loves your videos. My dad is in the ICU, intubated in a coma from Covid. (It’s not looking good). I googled water softeners as I’m trying to help my mom figure out how to work my parent’s softener, which is what my dad usually deals with, and your channel came up with this video. Thank you so much for the info and all that you do.
@@PanTheOrganizer Thank you so much Pan! That means the world to me. He’s been in the ICU, and intubated a little over a month now. The intubation has now compromised his kidneys, and if he makes it out of this, he’ll need a lung transplant. There’s a lot more going on, but I know you’re a busy guy and I don’t want to make this a book. We are praying daily, trying to hang onto hope, and any other prayers are more than welcome! I appreciate your sweet comment, and I hope you and your family are doing well up there in Canada! 😊
A couple questions: Do these filter out fluoride? How does resin attract metals? Do the beads have a metal or catalytic or other type of coating? Do the beads ever need replacing? Do hotels usually/often have this type of system? I notice hotel water usually tastes different than my home water. Do you know of any test results from softened water tested for plastic compounds like BPA?
Please use water softener salt. It's not typical salt. It's engineered to remove the hardness causing ions and metals that were absorbed by the resin during the recycle. Regular table salt will ruin the system you invested in and can possibly clog and make your water pressure drop significantly. (I know because I've seen people ruin their systems with it when I used to work installing/servicing them) Yes a softener system helps with water spots tremendously, but it doesn't mean you can wash your car and walk away and it'll dry spotless. Water softener are a great investment none the less and should get one if you can, just don't buy the cheap ones from a few $100 otherwise you shouldn't have gotten one at all. Keep up the informative videos Pan. 👍
Fabulous explanation!! I have a system very close to what you show in your video and I NOW know what the process is, instead of just adding salt pellets and the only way I know is when washing that slippery soap away. Thanks.
Do you know if it matters what type of salt you use - pellets, crystals, etc? What about sodium vs potassium? I scrolled through the comments and didn't see anyone asking about it. Also, thank you for this fantastic video! Very helpful.
@@PanTheOrganizer You're welcome. I did a direct search in youtube. "understanding water softener system" and you came up among the top. Went through a few. Keep it up man
Just hooked up my water softener. I live in a 100+ year old home that has galvanized pipes. Most of the pipes are 50 to 80% blocked by build up. working on replacing with pex. That for your informative vid.
Great video. Thank you , no one ever mentions the Side effects it could have on your septic system. We found this out the hard way. After we installed a water softener system similar to the one in your video, our septic tank began to malfunction. We live outside of the city limits so we have a independent septic tank behind our home. And because of all of the salt water that our softener was now pumping into our septic tank, our Leitchfield began to crystallize. We did not know what was happening, we thought we were going to have to rip up the backyard and invest another $4000 into a brand new septic system. Until I investigated relentlessly. And I found that my soil had hardened because of the salt water and I had to invest into a simple chemical at Walmart that would uncrystallized my soil. And guess what, problem solved.! It would be helpful if you would include a warning or a simple heads up to people who have a independent septic tank that could possibly go through a problem like this and help to save them thousands of dollars for a new septic tank they don’t need. Thank you
First of all, I'm not a water treatment expert. That would be up to the company you are dealing with to explain those things to you. This video was simply meant to explain how a water softener works. I live in a brand new home now, and it has a sceptic tank, and I also have a water softener system. 2 years in, absolutely no issues. So there have to be variables form one installation to another. Water hardness, equipment, maintenance, etc.
I heard potassium chloride pellets it will be safer for your septic tank and plants and plants however the cost is 5 times the amount at about 20 to $30 a bag
Oh thanks for the explanation! I was wondering why my dishes were coming out all white even though we had a water softener. Didn't know we need to buy salt. ( just moved in the house)
I live in a desserty area in West texas, water here has been destroying my plumbing in just a couple of years of my new built house. A plumber had recommended getting a water softener, so your video help me understand what it does exactly. I hope I can get one you got.
I install water softeners and filters, Ide have to say clackcorp have the best working machines "mev pro" just like pan's , you arent stuck with something that cant be fixed like costco machines lol
Thanks for the video. A quick question -- just so I understand correctly -- When I open a faucet in my house the following happens: Hard water from the city flows through my pipes -> hard water goes into my water softener through the 'IN' pipe of the softener -> hard water goes through the clean resin beads -> Soft water comes out through the 'OUT' pipe of the softener -> water flows to my faucet and is soft water. If this is the case, whenever I open a faucet or take a shower, should I hear water flowing through my softener? Thanks again!
Thanks for explaining everything. Just bought a home with a water softener system and no instructions on how it worked! Lifesaver or should I say water saver you are! Lol... thanks!
Just bought a cabin a need water softener for the first time - thanks for explaining it so clearly! How often do you have to clean / replace the pre-filter? Do you ever need to recharge or replace the ionic exchange tank? Thanks again, Pan, keep up the good work
@Pan TheOrganizer you forgot to mention that hard water can be extremely damaging to hair, literally the calcium deposits clog the follicles which can eventually lead to hair loss.
Great video Pan! Thank you for helping us. Going with the assumption you would have a done a lot of homework for this video, I have a couple follow up questions [if you are still reading the comments!] 1) What are the types of resins on the market that actually does the 'cleansing' part and which is better from 'cleansing' perspective? 2) There are 3 key contaminants in the results that you show. Which one is more harmful ? For instance the iron did not reduce much after the system. What if that is actually the more/most harmful of the contaminants ? Thank you,
I just had a softener system installed today and was told that many manufacturers use resin made in China. The resin in the Culligan system I purchased has a lifetime warranty and is made in the USA. That’s a very good question, as I’d expect it would be difficult to find the answer to this when purchasing online, most likely.
Michael p As Pan shows, the a typical water softener works on an ion exchange principle - the hardness minerals are essentially exchanged by sodium when the hard water passes through the resin. The “filtered,” softened water will have reduced minerals, but your sodium levels will be elevated as well. Again, it’s an ion exchange system (exchange one mineral for another - in this case calciums/magnesiums/etc. exchanged for salt). So a water softener is not dionized water. Deionized water is complete removal of minerals, no exchange at all. For rinsing your car with softenred water, you will definitely see reduced water spotting, however. But if your concern is spotting, you should rinse with distilled water (probably the best form of mineral-free water and it’s also economical vs dionized water).
😮Excellent. I am aware of hard water problems and would plumb a cold water line to my kitchen since I like the taste of our water. And, hard water has some health benefits I have a few questions: 1. What is the brand of the softener your display? 2. Have any recommendations for capacity? 2 people in the house part time. I do not know what the statistics but I have never lived with water this hard. 3. Any hope that the soft water will clean out any existing deposits? Thanks, Dan you sold me on a water softener, which I can install mself. I did subscribe!
Just checked the water hardness levels posted by Epcor Edmonton...average of 160 mg/L .... I definitely need a water softener system.. Thanks for the info Pan!
Jeff Webb I just moved to Henderson NV, not sure if my softener is working since they had turned it off when they moved out. The tank is about a 1/4 full of water but there is no salt. Ugh. What kind of water softer did you get? Was it very expensive?
Amazin video. Thanks for sharing. Do you have a video on how to troubleshoot it when is not softening the water enough or like it used to? Also, a video on how to pick the right system when purchasing a new one. Thanks again.
Great explanation of the way a water softener works,I have had one for 20 years ,worth every dollar,although I remember using something else not salt in the beginning, now salt because its way cheaper ,Merry Christmas🎉
Thank you for making it easier to understand what a softner does... Now I need to learn how to install a Viqua SS810RL light... going to search your stuff, but again thank you for explaning it simply...
I think that I understood this correctly but does the water from the tank with salt never flow into the house? The reason I ask is because the tank with the salt in it is really dirty. Thanks for the excellent video. Sub and Like added!
I watched your video about water softeners-it was very informative-thank you. I live in an apartment, the water is hard and I have to clean my warm mist humidifier with vinegar every 5 days during the dry winter months. This is tedious-Iam hoping for any quick fix suggestions :)
Thanks for the explanation! I work at a winery and we have one of these, and even tough i do un derstand how it works, I was looking for an explanation in english that could help me with my technical vocabulary.
Great video my friend. Just moved into a new house build in a community with some of the hardest water in my county. Will be getting a system installed next week!
It depends on what filtering media you need so prices vary greatly on how hard your water is and also prices change from country to country, town to town. Your best bet is to call your local water treatment experts.
I seem to remember (from school) that sodium ions are swapped for calcium ions in a basic chemical reaction - not used just to flush away particals - but aside from that, thanks for the info - it was usefull
Thanks for the video. We hust moved into a home that has a water softener. My wife says the shower on the upper room (master) doesn't have much water pressure and thinks it may be the softener. Is that possible? Thanks
Pan, great info as usual and editing is so clean - a few things I wish you would have addressed is 1) how does the average person get their water tested? 2) some recommended manufacturers would be nice with links and approximate costs for their system and 3) estimated plumbing costs to install as well. Keep up the great work.
Very helpful. Just wondering if we put a system in if it will help remove scale buildup in pipes that is already there or whether it will just prevent more buildup from occurring...
You should only need to add more salt as the level goes lower. Inform yourself on how your particular system works with your water treatment specialist near you, or the company that installed your water softener.
First off I just wanted to say thank you for a great video! I think I screwed up and I am 2 years late, I bought my home 2 years ago and we remodeled the whole entire house after just a few months the piping and sinks and everything where it belonged to water coming out of basically for corroded. So my question to you is this …. What’s the difference from buying a water softener system from a company for $3,000 or buying one online from Amazon for $1,000? What’s the key importance of buying the water softener! Thank you in advance
As a 8 Month HVAC apprentice who’s company also does Water Treatment Systems, I found this video to be very informative. Great job, this will be my go to video for when I’m refreshing my knowledge on Water Softeners and what they can do for homes.
Thanks for the positive feedback Kent! I appreciate it.
How did you discover my channel?
I just got my water softner 5 months ago. What a life changer for me and my family. should of bought softner 20 years ago. Everything you said was Absolutely correct.
Thanks for the feedback! Enjoy having soft water!
Hi ! May I ask what brand water softener and how well it’s been working? Thanks , I just need a real person’s review.
Thank you, I knew nothing about water softeners and how they worked before this video and you made it super easy to understand.
Thanks for the positive feedback! How did you discover my channel Amore?
Awesome thanks 🙏🏻
Excellent video! Your explanation of how a water softener works was very clear and concise. We live about 20 minutes west of Calgary, Alberta and after years of dealing with hard water, we had a high efficiency water softener installed. What a difference! We should’ve installed one years ago alas the cost was under $800. The high efficiency softener uses less salt. Since it was installed, we have used a total of five bags. The unit won’t need a salt refill until the end of January or early February. Cheers! p.s. There is five of us in our home (mom & dad and three teenagers).
I work in as a car wash technician, and am finally starting to learn the chemistry behind water and detergents, thank you for this video. It helped much much more than any other.
i'm 54 and just bought my first house that has a water softener in it. I stared at it awhile and ran to the youtube. thanks.
👍🏻
@@emobaconHa. THAT is my exact situation.
Ha. THAT is my exact situation.
Thank you for keeping it short, clear and to the point.
This is a good video. Clear and to the point.
I have a few comments. First, you do not have hard water. Quite the opposite at around 2 Grains per gallon, it is already quite soft, and do not need an ion exchange salt water softener. Also, in the US water hardness is normally specified in grains per gallon (although it can be converted to mg/L or PPM by multiplying by 17.1). By using grans per gallon, it is a simple matter to multiply the gallons used to understand how often a given system will operate prior to regeneration (ex 10 grains/g * 20,000 gal/week = 20,000 grains used up in a system). What you do need is an iron filter (and likely a carbon silver tank).
Great video... I have two tips - one is to make sure that you never run out of salt in the softener or the water will keep running through and you will have a very large water bill. My second tip is because soft water is so luxurious and your shampoo and conditioner in the shower make the tub very slippery - keep a spray bottle with water and vinegar on the edge of your tub to spray the bottom of the tub when rinsing your hair - it will cut the slip and make your shower a much safer place to be. I spray mine to make it safe and the vinegar is also great to spray on your feet and rinse - they will never smell because it kills the bacteria that causes odor (armpits as well). You can also spray your hair for the shine. You and use regular vinegar or Apple cider vinegar or have one of each.
Great tips Joyce!
You should start your own UA-cam channel!
Do you follow Clean My Space? They have a great channel on home cleaning.
I don't follow them yet so thank you for the tip - I will check them out. I'm not sure that I have enough content that hasn't been covered to start my own channel. I have other hobbies that I am busy with so I enjoy watching other people's channels to learn. I have to say watching is probably much easier than creating so I appreciate everyone's efforts. I usually just add a thank you and a tip if I have one.
One question it ok to drink the water once its all cleaned up?
@@dominickcalderon2213 I was told on another blog that it is safe to drink
Love love having a softener! I finally go one at 51 …
I’m shocked how we never get a ring in the toilets, much less cleaners needed..I have brushed gold fixtures and I can leave wet water all over them after a shower and it dries with absolutely no water stains ! And no white gross hard stuff on glasses from the dishwasher..it’s a total life changer!!!❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉
The salt used to regenerate the resin can elevate your sodium intake. It's also not good for your plants.
The alternative is to use a potassium type salt, it won't elevate your sodium level. The down side is it's a bit more expensive than the bags of salt.
Thank you! I just moved into a home with hard water and had no clue. I feel like I can't rinse the soap off my hands. Your video was the only one I have found that made sense!
awesome vid. we just bought our first home that came with a water softener system. this really helps me out.
Awesome! 👍🏻
How did you discover my channel?
Helps you out with what
Us too. We need help lol
@@PanTheOrganizer I searched for "well system with water softener"
@@PanTheOrganizer How do you think he discovered your channel? From that giant billboard in Times Square that you put up and also from your commercials running on all of the major TV networks in prime time slots. He probably just searched UA-cam for water softeners or saw your video in the recommended section. Duh! Get a brain, dude. Seriously.
Watching this in 2022. Just Bought our first home with a water softener system and this video helped out tremendously! Thank you!
Thanks for the feedback! How did you discover my channel by the way?
I can't believe that I'm now discovering this channel. Dude your explanation skills are on point. Thank you.
Thanks for the positive feedback! How did you discover my channel by the way?
Thanks for the info. I found your channel because I typed water softener and yours was the first to pop up lol. I just learned after 13 years of working at my job we have water softeners a small one and a big one and was told that we needed to add more salt in the small one. I was confused as hell since it was my first time seeing it and had asked what it was and was told it was a water softener. Me not understanding hard water said “oh so it prevents it from freezing” 😂😂😂 she said “no best way I can explain is it purifies the water” after I watched this video it made me fully understand how it works and makes a lot more sense and how easy it is to maintain
Great video! I always wondered what the definition of hard and soft water was. After watching this, I'll be getting my water tested in the near future. Another factor that would effect water hardness is galvanised steel pipe work in your own house. If it has been there for several decades, in some cases they begin to corrode. On a similar subject. I decided to use distilled water instead of tap water, when mixing water based car cleaning products. I thought this might be a good idea as some of these products are stored for long periods of time and may effect the product chemistry over that period, secondly piece of mind that the chemistry of the cleaning products would not be effected by water quality in my area.
Thanks. I love the details of how things operate. I just bought my first house and was in the basement going “WTH is that thing”. Now I need to go buy salt because it only has like 2”of salt in it
You are terrific! I love all of your videos. Thanks for not talking down to us; you have a great way of helping us understand what is going on without making us feel like total dummies because we aren't pros in the field. I just had a water softening system installed, and I am happy that I did. We have very hard water here in the area where I live in PA; this is something I should have had installed yeas ago. Keep up the good work; your fan base really enjoys your work.
Thanks for the positive feedback Nick!
I was renting a home in the city I live in, I recently bought a farmhouse with its own well & water softener. You answered every question I had about these units. Mine appears to me a bit older, and has the salt container built into the unit.
I've seen many videos on this topic and this by far is my favorite one, great job great & explanation.
Thanks I appreciate it!
How did you discover my channel by the way?
@@PanTheOrganizer from a Google search it's it took me right to it.
Thanks for the feedback!
Many more DIY videos on my channel if you liked this one.
How I got here: I'm trying to decide whether to get a high-end conditioning system or the get a softening system. Learned a lot here today.
Bags of Morton salt $7-9, additional you need to add RustOut to the brine well to flush out iron contaminants from the softener media.
Bought our house built in 2005. It’s water softener I know last serviced in 2008 is still going strong and works well.
Several points:
Water softeners are not intended for removing iron. They will remove low levels but if you have a lot of iron then a separate iron removal system may be required.
You have a good two tank water softener system, one tank to hold the resin that the water flows through and a separate tank to hold the salt solution which is used to flush out the resin tank and re-juvenate the resin on a weekly or so basis (mine is about every 17 days). The Big Box stores sell single all-in-one tanks which are cheap cheap cheap (price and quality) and should all be avoided. They will not last.
The rejuvenation of the resin tank every week or more is automatic on a modern system, typically set to when a certain amount of water has gone through the resin. It can also be set for a specific time interval, say every 7 days or every 12 days, but basing it on water usage is more common and makes more sense. All of this is controlled by a typically electronic valve, the programmable box on top of a tank at the beginning of the video. Fleck and Clack are the best valves.
I've never been impressed with this talk of mineral build up in pipes. While doing renovations I cut out a section of 1/2" copper pipe that had been in place carrying hard water to a tap for 40+ years and found the mineral build up in it negligible - barely noticeable. The water is hard here, but admittedly not super hard, and I've never heard of anyone having any problem with mineral build up in pipes. Admittedly you were showing a piece of modern plastic pipe which I have no familiarity with and may be affected differently by minerals.
Good points, thanks for sharing.
Yes I was shocked to see the change in colour of pipes from a house we built brand new in 2012! Now take note that I had pretty “soft” water to start with, and the deposits weren’t thick inside the pipe, but I’d still rather not drink that. Our clothes and linen also feel softer now, so does our hair and skin when we take showers.
Gorf TheGreat
Thanks for your interesting reply. You seem to be very knowledgeable regarding the topic so I have a question for you.
Could you recommend a few different models of water softeners so I can do some research?
@@richardstevens5961 I have the same question. Too bad it took you an entire year to ask it.
Is it normal for the salt tank to have water on top of salt when tank is full of salt?
@@rubybanuelos3634 mine was installed today and they told me not to add salt until it was low enough to see the water in the brine tank. Seeing water high in the take doesn’t sound correct, so you may want to investigate further.
Thank you for the explanation. After 20 years of dealing with extremely hard water (18 gpg), we finally bought a Fleck. It makes ALL the difference...except it’s tricky to program, and all things mechanical/technical is sorcery to me. I did figure out how to program it, but I still wasn’t clear how it actually worked. Thank you!
Thanks!
How did you discover my channel?
Pan TheOrganizer I looked up How to program a Flecks, and yours was reasonably short. 🤣. But it totally worked. Thank you!
Pan, great video, but you can easily check your water with titration kits easily purchased from pet stores as they are routinely used for testing water for fish tanks. You can also get Hach 4-in-1 test strips to test more parameters than you provided in your before/after water testing. Additionally, your source water is actually very good compared to some other locations, so I find it hard to believe that with such little treating needed to condition your water you'd go through two bags of salt per month. That's really high, though I'm guessing you based this off initial consumption, which will mellow out with time.
I live in upstate NY and all the municipal water around here is hard because the bedrock is all Limestone. A water softener is essential if you live in this area. nice vid.
I agree. Thanks for watching!
Thank you so much!!! Looking to buy a house and it had one of these, and you answered all the questions I could’ve thought of!!! Thanks so much
You are so welcome!
Can't wait to add one to our new home. We stayed at my aunt's home and she must have had a softening system because after taking a shower in the guest room, my hair dried in just a couple minutes and was so silky that I couldn't believe it.
Yeah and it makes your clothes feel softer too, soaps lather up better, no more big mineral deposits on glass shower doors, etc.
I recommend the water boss softener all in one unit. Works on demand. Great product.
They should all work on demand though?
I just got the same machine Friday. You can definitely tell the difference.
Nice explanation. Here in Florida our water is extremely hard. Makes detailing a chore. Definitely adding a system to our home.
Thx, Pan.
Thanks! And yup, hard water isn’t fun for detailers...
The plumber that just installed mine in my new house put the tubing that was supposed to be the flush drain, into the salt. The first time it flushed, it over filled the salt and flooded the garage, driveway, and freshly laid sod in the yard with salt water. Actually, he didn't put a single tubing in the right place, everything was wrong! I had to contact the manufacturer and have them guide me through correcting all his mistakes.
Now that it's connected correctly, it does work well! Everyone definitely needs to have one, it really does make the water feel and taste a lot better. Thanks for posting this video explaining how it works!
My pleasure. How did you discover my channel by the way?
@@PanTheOrganizer Before I reached the manufacturer I was searching UA-cam for information on installing the softener. Naturally later, UA-cam started popping up water softener videos including yours. The problem was already solved when I found your channel but I figured a, "How it Works" video would still be a good idea to watch. Ive since ordered a filter from the same company, SpringWell, that's suppose to remove chlorine etc in front of the softener. I don't think I will be calling the plumber for that one, I think I will install it myself:-)
This video is perfect. Great explanation, straight to the point, & under 8 minutes. You win sir. Thank you and subscribed.
Thanks for the positive feedback! And since you subbed to my channel, let me officially welcome you to the Pan TheOrganizer family. How did you discover my channel?
I searched: how does a water softener work. This was the top result. Good video. It answered my questions. Thabsk
Thanks Bradley!
What system did you buy?, I'm looking to buy one for my home and install it myself
I am currently enrolled in the Power Engineering Technology 2nd year, so 3rd Class PET, & I got to say that your content is amazing! I added your video to my playlist. Thank you! 🤴
Thanks for the positive feedback! I appreciate it!
How did you discover my channel?
@@PanTheOrganizer I just searched Zeolite Water softener home use and I saw your video. I remember visiting your channel while I did my first year of PET.
👍🏻👍🏻
Hey Pan, congrats for your video. I can understand all video because you speak an excellent english. Thanks so much!!!
Thanks!
How did you discover my channel?
Correct..His language is very clear and has good audio quality..
Great video. I have a water conditioning system but never knew exactly how it worked. I was thinking the drinking water came in contact with the salt but wondered why the water didn't taste briny. I now understand that the salt tank is just for flushing out sediment from the resin tank. Thanks again
Man, I never had one of those, your video was a life saver. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Andre! How did you discover my channel?
@@PanTheOrganizer
I have just bought a house and the water was disgusting, so I typed water softener on UA-cam and you video was the first
@@PanTheOrganizer i searched for rain soft bc i was looking at homes when i saw one installed in a garage.
Thanks you so much Pan. I’m Tiffany, a detailer who loves your videos. My dad is in the ICU, intubated in a coma from Covid. (It’s not looking good). I googled water softeners as I’m trying to help my mom figure out how to work my parent’s softener, which is what my dad usually deals with, and your channel came up with this video. Thank you so much for the info and all that you do.
Thanks for the kind words Tiffany! And my prayers are with your father! 🙏🏻
@@PanTheOrganizer Thank you so much Pan! That means the world to me. He’s been in the ICU, and intubated a little over a month now. The intubation has now compromised his kidneys, and if he makes it out of this, he’ll need a lung transplant. There’s a lot more going on, but I know you’re a busy guy and I don’t want to make this a book. We are praying daily, trying to hang onto hope, and any other prayers are more than welcome! I appreciate your sweet comment, and I hope you and your family are doing well up there in Canada! 😊
@@tillmandetailing sorry your going through this
Awesome video very precise and straightforward. Simplified beyond belief. I am in the market for a water softener
Thanks for the positive feedback ! How did you discover my channel?
A couple questions:
Do these filter out fluoride?
How does resin attract metals? Do the beads have a metal or catalytic or other type of coating? Do the beads ever need replacing?
Do hotels usually/often have this type of system? I notice hotel water usually tastes different than my home water.
Do you know of any test results from softened water tested for plastic compounds like BPA?
Please use water softener salt. It's not typical salt. It's engineered to remove the hardness causing ions and metals that were absorbed by the resin during the recycle. Regular table salt will ruin the system you invested in and can possibly clog and make your water pressure drop significantly. (I know because I've seen people ruin their systems with it when I used to work installing/servicing them)
Yes a softener system helps with water spots tremendously, but it doesn't mean you can wash your car and walk away and it'll dry spotless.
Water softener are a great investment none the less and should get one if you can, just don't buy the cheap ones from a few $100 otherwise you shouldn't have gotten one at all. Keep up the informative videos Pan. 👍
Yes water softener salt should be used like the bag I showed in the video.
Mighty Mike..... yes,
just like the bag shown in the video at 4:00
Fabulous explanation!! I have a system very close to what you show in your video and I NOW know what the process is, instead of just adding salt pellets and the only way I know is when washing that slippery soap away. Thanks.
Thanks!
Thank you, so much. The video was very informative and cleared my concepts
Do you know if it matters what type of salt you use - pellets, crystals, etc? What about sodium vs potassium? I scrolled through the comments and didn't see anyone asking about it. Also, thank you for this fantastic video! Very helpful.
Just subscribed. Dude, you should teach presentation techniques. You're so good at making things easy to understand.
Thanks I appreciate it! How did you discover my channel?
@@PanTheOrganizer You're welcome. I did a direct search in youtube. "understanding water softener system" and you came up among the top. Went through a few. Keep it up man
Just hooked up my water softener. I live in a 100+ year old home that has galvanized pipes. Most of the pipes are 50 to 80% blocked by build up. working on replacing with pex. That for your informative vid.
You won't regret it! Thanks for watching Andy. How did you discover my channel by the way?
@@PanTheOrganizer Just scrolling UA-cam.
Great video. Thank you , no one ever mentions the Side effects it could have on your septic system. We found this out the hard way. After we installed a water softener system similar to the one in your video, our septic tank began to malfunction. We live outside of the city limits so we have a independent septic tank behind our home. And because of all of the salt water that our softener was now pumping into our septic tank, our Leitchfield began to crystallize. We did not know what was happening, we thought we were going to have to rip up the backyard and invest another $4000 into a brand new septic system. Until I investigated relentlessly. And I found that my soil had hardened because of the salt water and I had to invest into a simple chemical at Walmart that would uncrystallized my soil. And guess what, problem solved.! It would be helpful if you would include a warning or a simple heads up to people who have a independent septic tank that could possibly go through a problem like this and help to save them thousands of dollars for a new septic tank they don’t need. Thank you
First of all, I'm not a water treatment expert. That would be up to the company you are dealing with to explain those things to you. This video was simply meant to explain how a water softener works. I live in a brand new home now, and it has a sceptic tank, and I also have a water softener system. 2 years in, absolutely no issues. So there have to be variables form one installation to another. Water hardness, equipment, maintenance, etc.
I heard potassium chloride pellets it will be safer for your septic tank and plants and plants however the cost is 5 times the amount at about 20 to $30 a bag
Oh thanks for the explanation! I was wondering why my dishes were coming out all white even though we had a water softener. Didn't know we need to buy salt. ( just moved in the house)
Glad I could help!
Very interesting Pan. I was amazed to see how quickly your pipes were affected by the hard water. Thanks for the explanation, great video!
Thanks Todd!! And keep in mind, I had water that was almost soft to start off with! Imagine the effects of someone that has real hard water!!
I live in a desserty area in West texas, water here has been destroying my plumbing in just a couple of years of my new built house. A plumber had recommended getting a water softener, so your video help me understand what it does exactly. I hope I can get one you got.
Thanks!!
How did you discover my channel?
@@PanTheOrganizer your welcome. I searched water softener, how it works in UA-cam and your at the top of the list I think..
can you list some of the brands /models that you recommend...
I install water softeners and filters,
Ide have to say clackcorp have the best working machines "mev pro" just like pan's , you arent stuck with something that cant be fixed like costco machines lol
Thanks for the video. A quick question -- just so I understand correctly -- When I open a faucet in my house the following happens: Hard water from the city flows through my pipes -> hard water goes into my water softener through the 'IN' pipe of the softener -> hard water goes through the clean resin beads -> Soft water comes out through the 'OUT' pipe of the softener -> water flows to my faucet and is soft water. If this is the case, whenever I open a faucet or take a shower, should I hear water flowing through my softener? Thanks again!
Thanks for explaining everything. Just bought a home with a water softener system and no instructions on how it worked! Lifesaver or should I say water saver you are! Lol... thanks!
Thanks for the feedback Harold! How did you discover my channel?
@@PanTheOrganizer just a UA-cam search for how to home water softener
First time home owner, this episode is really useful! Thanks Pan, great work!
Glad it was helpful!
Just bought a cabin a need water softener for the first time - thanks for explaining it so clearly!
How often do you have to clean / replace the pre-filter? Do you ever need to recharge or replace the ionic exchange tank? Thanks again, Pan, keep up the good work
Go to Lowe’s and get a water softener cleaner from whirlpool. Use it every 4 months and it will maintain the softeners effectiveness
Awesome video. Years later your video is still giving value to others 👏🏾
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the kind words Jimmie!
Thank you so much! Very informative just what I needed to know
Thanks Adrianna!
How did you discover my channel?
Thanks for making it easy to understand how water softeners work. I'm in training to be a water treatment salesperson that does in-home presentations.
Thanks for the positive feedback Kemet!
@Pan TheOrganizer you forgot to mention that hard water can be extremely damaging to hair, literally the calcium deposits clog the follicles which can eventually lead to hair loss.
I used to have a crazy thick beautiful hair that went all the way to my waist. Moved to the country and I swear I lost half my hair😢
Are you a high school teacher or something? If not, you should be. You did a mighty fine job for me as a first time home owner. Much appreciated.
Thanks for the positive feedback! I appreciate it. How did you discover my channel?
@@PanTheOrganizer Just did a search on UA-cam "what is water softening salt"
Nice video. Do you know what your before and after values for sodium?
Where did you get your water tested. I'd like to do the same, and check RO too.
Great video Pan! Thank you for helping us.
Going with the assumption you would have a done a lot of homework for this video, I have a couple follow up questions [if you are still reading the comments!]
1) What are the types of resins on the market that actually does the 'cleansing' part and which is better from 'cleansing' perspective?
2) There are 3 key contaminants in the results that you show. Which one is more harmful ? For instance the iron did not reduce much after the system. What if that is actually the more/most harmful of the contaminants ?
Thank you,
I just had a softener system installed today and was told that many manufacturers use resin made in China. The resin in the Culligan system I purchased has a lifetime warranty and is made in the USA. That’s a very good question, as I’d expect it would be difficult to find the answer to this when purchasing online, most likely.
Do you get a spot free rinse on the cars? Is it the same principle as rinsing with deionized water?
Michael p As Pan shows, the a typical water softener works on an ion exchange principle - the hardness minerals are essentially exchanged by sodium when the hard water passes through the resin. The “filtered,” softened water will have reduced minerals, but your sodium levels will be elevated as well. Again, it’s an ion exchange system (exchange one mineral for another - in this case calciums/magnesiums/etc. exchanged for salt). So a water softener is not dionized water. Deionized water is complete removal of minerals, no exchange at all. For rinsing your car with softenred water, you will definitely see reduced water spotting, however. But if your concern is spotting, you should rinse with distilled water (probably the best form of mineral-free water and it’s also economical vs dionized water).
Exactly what Axel said.
@@PanTheOrganizer ro water system
😮Excellent. I am aware of hard water problems and would plumb a cold water line to my kitchen since I like the taste of our water. And, hard water has some health benefits
I have a few questions:
1. What is the brand of the softener your display?
2. Have any recommendations for capacity? 2 people in the house part time. I do not know what the statistics but I have never lived with water this hard.
3. Any hope that the soft water will clean out any existing deposits?
Thanks, Dan you sold me on a water softener, which I can install mself. I did subscribe!
You did a wonderful job explaining. Thank you. I did subscribe needless to say to see what else you might have to say.
Since you subscribed, let me officially welcome you to the Pan TheOrganizer family Judy!
Just checked the water hardness levels posted by Epcor Edmonton...average of 160 mg/L .... I definitely need a water softener system.. Thanks for the info Pan!
Your car will thank you! So will your appliances.
Does this also help against waterspots on cars ?
Not totally no, though it'll certainly help.
Exactly what Tim said. If you want zero water spotting, you beed a deionization system (DI water).
Thank you.
You would make such an excellent school teacher.
Thank you! I will take that as a compliment. I like to make things simple to understand for my viewers.
Let not forget how this will help with water spots on your car too!
Yup! My water was already pretty soft to start with, but this type of system will work wonders for those with hard water.
I had a soft/hot water tap installed outside for summer use - it is great for the vehicles and even my house windows - it make the job much easier.
Jeff Webb I just moved to Henderson NV, not sure if my softener is working since they had turned it off when they moved out. The tank is about a 1/4 full of water but there is no salt. Ugh. What kind of water softer did you get? Was it very expensive?
Very detail and clear explanation about water softener. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
👍
:). Thanks!
Honestly finally, a great video that the average person can understand. Great great job bud. Thank you!
Glad you liked it!
Amazin video. Thanks for sharing. Do you have a video on how to troubleshoot it when is not softening the water enough or like it used to? Also, a video on how to pick the right system when purchasing a new one. Thanks again.
Thanks for the video. Do we need to worry about Sodium build up now on the pipe, etc...?
Hello, great content! Very informative! What is the make and model of the unit you are using?
Great explanation of the way a water softener works,I have had one for 20 years ,worth every dollar,although I remember using something else not salt in the beginning, now salt because its way cheaper ,Merry Christmas🎉
Thanks! Happy holidays!!
Thank you very much for posting this. I was glued from the begginning, clear, and to the point.
Thanks for the positive feedback! How did you discover my channel?
Thank you for making it easier to understand what a softner does... Now I need to learn how to install a Viqua SS810RL light... going to search your stuff, but again thank you for explaning it simply...
I think that I understood this correctly but does the water from the tank with salt never flow into the house? The reason I ask is because the tank with the salt in it is really dirty. Thanks for the excellent video. Sub and Like added!
I watched your video about water softeners-it was very informative-thank you. I live in an apartment, the water is hard and I have to clean my warm mist humidifier with vinegar every 5 days during the dry winter months. This is tedious-Iam hoping for any quick fix suggestions :)
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much just moved into a place with well water and I don't know what I'm doing or if this thing is working.
You should have a water treatment specialist come and check out your water softener installation.
My wife and I watched your video deciding if we should get a water softener. Great Job! We're buying one. What brand do you recommend?
I recommend checking out the Kinetico solution, consuming less salt, and its no need for electricity. I saw my calcium near zero.
I like the video.Can you shoot one replacing the filter Upstairs filters two
Thanks for the explanation! I work at a winery and we have one of these, and even tough i do un derstand how it works, I was looking for an explanation in english that could help me with my technical vocabulary.
Thanks for the feedback Melisa!
And how did you discover my channel?
Great video my friend. Just moved into a new house build in a community with some of the hardest water in my county. Will be getting a system installed next week!
Sounds great!
I need to reset the start time on ours, looks like the same controls. Hopefully this video shows how
Great video... but you never discussed how much does one of these cost & how much installation could run you?
It depends on what filtering media you need so prices vary greatly on how hard your water is and also prices change from country to country, town to town. Your best bet is to call your local water treatment experts.
I seem to remember (from school) that sodium ions are swapped for calcium ions in a basic chemical reaction - not used just to flush away particals - but aside from that, thanks for the info - it was usefull
Thanks for the video. We hust moved into a home that has a water softener. My wife says the shower on the upper room (master) doesn't have much water pressure and thinks it may be the softener. Is that possible? Thanks
The PERFECT explanation. Thank you!!!!!!
Glad it was helpful!
Pan, great info as usual and editing is so clean - a few things I wish you would have addressed is 1) how does the average person get their water tested? 2) some recommended manufacturers would be nice with links and approximate costs for their system and 3) estimated plumbing costs to install as well. Keep up the great work.
Thanks for the comments!
Very helpful. Just wondering if we put a system in if it will help remove scale buildup in pipes that is already there or whether it will just prevent more buildup from occurring...
Thank you for this information! Do I need to continuously refill my brine tank with water?
You should only need to add more salt as the level goes lower. Inform yourself on how your particular system works with your water treatment specialist near you, or the company that installed your water softener.
First off I just wanted to say thank you for a great video! I think I screwed up and I am 2 years late, I bought my home 2 years ago and we remodeled the whole entire house after just a few months the piping and sinks and everything where it belonged to water coming out of basically for corroded. So my question to you is this …. What’s the difference from buying a water softener system from a company for $3,000 or buying one online from Amazon for $1,000? What’s the key importance of buying the water softener! Thank you in advance
You've answered some of my questions. Thank you.
👍🏻