Phils
Platinum Member
We do (did?). Punched our well about 25 years ago and been living with VERY hard water ever since. Unacceptable spots on dishes if they aren't hand dried, crusty buildup in the Corningware tea kettle we use to make hot water for coffee, have to clean the 'coating' from the glass shower door frequently, etc.
I searched on the internet for a system to improve it. Google will bring up thousands of "solutions". I don't like the 'flavor' of the standard softner systems that use sodium. Yes, I know those systems when operating properly aren't supposed to "taste" but every one I've visited and tried did. Additionally, we are "off-grid" for power and our water volume is limited so a machine like Culligan sells didn't seem like the right approach.
One method kept appearing in my searches: magnets on the water pipes. There are many sites offering this solution, each claiming to be the best. I knew this couldn't work but I ordered some from a site claiming a 90 day return policy. Since I'd only be out the return shipping (if indeed they honored the policy) I ordered a pair and installed one on the input pipe to the house and one on the output pipe from the water heater, as directed. They should be installed on PVC or copper as galvanized "blocks" much of the magnetism.
THEY WORK AS ADVERTISED!!!
Fifteen minutes after installation I filled the sink to do a load of dishes (we took out the dishwasher many years ago since stuff came out so badly spotted all the time no matter what addititives or detergents were used). The water "felt" different. The suds were double what that amount of detergent usually produced. By the time I got to the pots I still had copious amounts of suds left, which has never happened before. The dishes all dried practically spotless without hand drying.
My long-haired wife immediately noticed the difference when she washed and conditioned her hair. The film on the shower door has started to disappear. Showers now feel like they do when we stay in a motel.
The crust in the Corningware started to dissolve. It was turning to powder when I rubbed my finger across it. I cleaned it (which was easier than EVER) and after two weeks there is absolutely NO buildup starting.... it's as white inside as outside. This has NEVER been the case before.
I don't understand how this could be. My primary reason to try these things was to cross them off the list of potential fixes and then continue my search. I know those dissolved minerals are still in the water but it SEEMS like they've been removed. My wife always had to wipe dry our stainless steel kitchen sinks to keep them from getting crusty spots. Now we don't and there is just a little bit of spotting, more like we used to get when we lived in a subdivision in the early seventies.
I'm not putting a link to the site as I'm not advertising that company. Of all the sites selling magnets for this purpose, these seemed to be the best built with the strongest magnets. I paid $140 for the pair. Some sites sell the strip magnetic material that you would wrap around pipes. For all I know now, it may work just as well tho it seems logical that the higher the magnetic force the better. Or maybe not.... who knows. I'm a logic driven person and this whole thing just baffles me.
I'm thrilled with these things and could think of nothing better than posting for my friends here.
Phil
I searched on the internet for a system to improve it. Google will bring up thousands of "solutions". I don't like the 'flavor' of the standard softner systems that use sodium. Yes, I know those systems when operating properly aren't supposed to "taste" but every one I've visited and tried did. Additionally, we are "off-grid" for power and our water volume is limited so a machine like Culligan sells didn't seem like the right approach.
One method kept appearing in my searches: magnets on the water pipes. There are many sites offering this solution, each claiming to be the best. I knew this couldn't work but I ordered some from a site claiming a 90 day return policy. Since I'd only be out the return shipping (if indeed they honored the policy) I ordered a pair and installed one on the input pipe to the house and one on the output pipe from the water heater, as directed. They should be installed on PVC or copper as galvanized "blocks" much of the magnetism.
THEY WORK AS ADVERTISED!!!
Fifteen minutes after installation I filled the sink to do a load of dishes (we took out the dishwasher many years ago since stuff came out so badly spotted all the time no matter what addititives or detergents were used). The water "felt" different. The suds were double what that amount of detergent usually produced. By the time I got to the pots I still had copious amounts of suds left, which has never happened before. The dishes all dried practically spotless without hand drying.
My long-haired wife immediately noticed the difference when she washed and conditioned her hair. The film on the shower door has started to disappear. Showers now feel like they do when we stay in a motel.
The crust in the Corningware started to dissolve. It was turning to powder when I rubbed my finger across it. I cleaned it (which was easier than EVER) and after two weeks there is absolutely NO buildup starting.... it's as white inside as outside. This has NEVER been the case before.
I don't understand how this could be. My primary reason to try these things was to cross them off the list of potential fixes and then continue my search. I know those dissolved minerals are still in the water but it SEEMS like they've been removed. My wife always had to wipe dry our stainless steel kitchen sinks to keep them from getting crusty spots. Now we don't and there is just a little bit of spotting, more like we used to get when we lived in a subdivision in the early seventies.
I'm not putting a link to the site as I'm not advertising that company. Of all the sites selling magnets for this purpose, these seemed to be the best built with the strongest magnets. I paid $140 for the pair. Some sites sell the strip magnetic material that you would wrap around pipes. For all I know now, it may work just as well tho it seems logical that the higher the magnetic force the better. Or maybe not.... who knows. I'm a logic driven person and this whole thing just baffles me.
I'm thrilled with these things and could think of nothing better than posting for my friends here.
Phil