That's what the guy said too, the one who quoted the $16k system. He pitched that as the next-best-thing since I wasn't happy with the fact that a softener wouldn't address the chlorides. He said basically "
since you're already re-plumbing the house in PEX..." but I'm not particularly happy with that either. Because the mist/vapor from the water settles on everything within some radius of the bathrooms and kitchen and corrodes stuff that doesn't even directly contact the water.
It's in the air.
- Every silver and copper thing in the whole house tarnishes immediately.
- Faucets/fixtures, every metallic thing in every bathroom needs replacement annually at least.
- The fittings in a PEX system are still metal, so maybe I get 50 years, maybe 5, maybe I don't know, but eventually I'm going to have leaks again.
- The intake for the air handler is right across the hall from the bathroom so it inhales the steam from hot showers. Now I know why my evaporator coil needs replacing every 12-18 months and why the new air handler I had installed 3 years ago already has 30 years worth of damage done to the inside.
- I replace refrigerators about as often as I do evaporator coils and I thought that's just because "they don't make em like they used to" but now that I'm connecting dots, the refrigerator is in the laundry room right across from a couple of machines using hot well water to make hot hell vapor.
- I'm concerned about the nails holding my house together actually.
After I made those points to him, he said that the whole house RO is the way to go. So I don't know if those points were actually compelling to him and this is the cost he would charge anyone for an RO system, or if this is the "screw you, you're being a pain in my ass" price.
I will ask him about this. But there is a softener on the quote and a chlorinator. Maybe that is to address the pH?
wow!
Agreed, I do not mind paying the cost of business. I just want to make sure I'm not paying
more than that
.
Thanks for your help and advice and for taking the time to read my report.
You are welcome! I used to work on delivering high purity water for research work, and perhaps that makes me especially allergic to the hype that I see many places around water.
I do understand not wanting to be taken advantage of. Nobody wants that.
When you write "silver", you mean real silver, sterling?
I would like to ask how far from the coast you are. The amount of corrosion around the house that you describe seems similar to what I have seen being quite close to an ocean. Are you? If so, it might explain at least some of the refrigerator and air handler damages. (Just trying to assign "blame" here; is it just the water, or is it possibly airborne salt from coastal breezes, or a combination?)
I've lived in a place with similar levels of chloride, and we did not have the air handler or faucet issues that you describe, so I do not fully understand what is going there, and as your water tested slightly alkaline, that generally helps. I wonder if the sediment that you were describing somehow makes things worse. I did live for a time on the beach and the salt in the air there was really tough on aluminum and exposed metal, but we did not have refrigerator or air handler issues as you describe, so that one is an "I don't know" from me.
Given the high level of manganese (150mg/l) in your water, I think that you do really should get an RO for your health, as the manganese level is about 3X the maximum recommended levels of manganese.
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2014-09/documents/support_cc1_magnese_dwreport_0.pdf
Do check with whomever you get your water softener from that they know the manganese amount and the potential water usage of a whole house RO. You may need a supplementary manganese (green sand) filter.
You do mention more than a few non-water issues related to your water, specifically the amount of corrosion and damages that happens to your air handler, evaporator, fixtures, refrigerators, and to me, yes that does change the picture. That all adds up to a lot of damage and cost. If you aren't close to the gulf, then it probably seems reasonable to point the blame at the water. Going with marine grade fittings, 316 stainless, brass, bronze, or plastic faucets would help the fittings, though the non plastic ones tend to be "professional grade" fittings ($$$). How often have you needed a new washing machine?
I know that this isn't what I wrote above, but... With the additional corrosion and damages, I would be inclined to the whole house RO, though I would get a few more quotes, think about a concrete storage tank, and think about how to get as much metal as you can out of your plumbing. With PEX A you can find non-metallic fittings. On the water softener, get a commercial unit 6+cu.ft., and try to put in a large brine tank somewhere that could be easily loaded with your tractor. I buy the bags in bulk, and put them on a pallet that I can move with my tractor until they need to go in the brine tank. Saves work.
As you get more quotes, I would talk to the technical people at each company to get a better sense of who actually knows one end of a screwdriver from the other.
I would also consider upgrading the exhaust fan(s) in your shower area(s), and get the type driven by humidity. I'd also consider an filter at the return vent closest to the spray, but I would also check that nobody has been using an acid evaporator cleaner on your coils.
Here's an example of some non-metallic PEX-A fittings that would also work for RO water.
This seems like a bit of a project, but it also seems as if you have been putting out fires in many directions for a while now.
All the best,
Peter
