Should you have your water tested is the number one question asked, and it has a two-part answer.  First, the only way to determine if your water is safe for homes on a private well is to have your water tested at a state-certified laboratory.  There is no governing body to determine safe water.  It is up to each homeowner.

For homes on city/municipal water, the water is tested daily to meet government criteria deemed safe water.  A homeowner can view these reports, called a Consumer Confidence Report, for their water supply by visiting the supplier’s website or contacting them by phone.  It is required by law for the supplier to mail a copy of the report to each user.  If the water were deemed unsafe, the user would be notified.

Hard water is caused by a high mineral content of calcium and magnesium, in the water.  The leading cause is groundwater flowing over or through the earth’s surface limestone.  Hard water is not considered a health risk, but more of a nuisance.

Signs of hard water include excessive scale buildup, soap that doesn’t lather well, dingy-looking clothes, or rust stains.

Some parts of our country contain high levels of one of Earth’s most abundant metals, iron.  Iron dissolves into water when rainwater or snow seeps into iron-rich bearing soil or rock formations.  It’s the same concept as leaving water in a metal bucket.  Over time the bucket becomes rusty.

Not all iron is the same.  Different types of iron exist, and each form has different techniques for removal.  The various forms are ferrous, ferric, bacterial, and organic.

We often notice when we have hard water in the house due to a white chalky build-up on water fixtures or our hair and skin feel dry and brittle.  This happens because hard water contains minerals such as calcium and magnesium.  When a water softener is installed in a home, its main job is to remove those hard water minerals.

A water softener uses a process called ion exchange to make soft water.  The ion exchange process involves using resin, which is made of food-grade plastic that is porous, and salt (sodium chloride).  Resin is placed and held inside a cylindrical softening tank, typically 8-10 inches in diameter.  One of the processes of creating soft water is to create a brine solution inside the salt tank.  This is done when the salt and water inside the salt tank mix.  During the regeneration process, the brine solution is transferred into the resin bed.  Once the brine solution is in the resin bed, the sodium ions attach to the resin, while the chloride ions are flushed down the drain.  When a faucet is turned on in the home, hard water passes through the resin bed.  Hard water minerals are then exchanged for sodium ions, thus giving you soft water.

How a water softener works is best explained by Stuart Park, Senior Engineer, from Kinetico, and Mr. Resin, so we’ll let them take it from here.

There are many different types/brands of water softeners available to purchase.  All softener systems require salt to be added periodically to allow the water softener to make soft water, which is the only regular maintenance required with a Kinetico water softener.  Unlike other water softeners, there are no clocks or timers to adjust.

A bypass is not allowing any water to enter the water softener.  Bypasses are typically used when a service call is needed or a water leak on the water softener.  A bypass looks like a letter H.  To bypass your water softener, go to the water softener and look at the attached piping.

To Bypass Your Kinetico Water Softener – While looking at the copper pipes, shut-off valves are attached to the copper pipe—a shut-off valve on the inlet pipe, a shut-off valve on the outlet pipe, and a shut-off valve between the two others.  While looking at your Kinetico water softener, copper pipes are going in and out of the unit.  Each of those pipes has a valve attached to them.  These valves need to be turned off by turning the valves to the right to close or if you have a ball valve, turn the handle a 1/4 turn so the handle is not parallel with the piping.  Finally, the shut-off valve between the other two valves must be opened so water can still flow throughout the home.

To UnBypass Your Kinetico Water Softener – Turn each valve opposite to get soft water in your home.

A Kinetico water softener must be manually regenerated when it runs out of water softener salt.  Looking at the Kinetico water softener, there is a plastic cap on the valve.  The plastic cap has a Phillips screw in the center.  Using a #2 Phillips head screwdriver, push down on the screw about 1/8th of an inch.  While pressing down, turn the screw slowly clockwise until water running is heard.  Once you hear water running, the Kinetico water softener has been manually regenerated.  This manual regeneration process must be repeated in 3 hours.  Why?  Since there are two softening tanks, you’ll want to manually regenerate both tanks to have soft water.  This process can be found in the Kinetico owner’s manual.

Visit our blog post on signs your water softener may need service.  In the meantime, check these areas of your water softener: Is your water softener using salt?  Has the water pressure in your home dropped?  Does your water softener sound like it is constantly running?

If you feel your water softener is not using salt, we recommend drawing the line at the current salt level and checking back in a week or two.  If the salt level has not dropped, then there is a malfunction.  If you need your water equipment serviced, contact us or call 815-385-3093.

This depends on the water softener and the water quality entering the home.  A Kinetico water softener typically lasts 20-25 years.  Around 20 years old, we recommend having a service technician check the water softener for operation.  They will replace any parts that need updating and install new resin inside the softening tanks.  After this, your water softener will work for another 20+ years.

A customer who purchases a water softener from Huemann Water Conditioning should expect their water softener to last 20-25 years.  When a water softener reaches 20+ years of service, we recommend removing and installing new resin inside the softening tanks, also called a rebed, and updating any parts inside the valve.  Over time, some resin will be lost due to attrition and wear out.  It becomes exhausted.  Once the new resin is installed, your water softener is ready to last another 20+ years.

With soft water, you will tend to get a “slimy” or “slippery” feeling when bathing.  This is normal.

The majority of us grew up on hard, well water.  We didn’t have water softeners, so we’re used to the hard water “squeaky” feeling.  What is actually happening is hard water minerals will leave soap scum on your skin and hair, causing your skin to “squeak” or make it seem like you have clean skin.  Soap scum will build in the pores of your skin, making it dry and your hair feeling brittle.  You feel the soft water “slippery” feeling because soft water doesn’t contain hard water minerals, so the soap scum doesn’t build up in your hair or skin.

Reverse Osmosis is a water purification process that uses a semipermeable membrane and other filters to separate unwanted minerals and chemicals from the water.  As a result, it removes contaminants from water.  Reverse Osmosis uses a three-filter system: a pre-filter, a semipermeable membrane, and a post-filter.

The pre-filter is a sediment or sediment/carbon filter, depending if the home uses a private well or municipal water.  The sediment filter aims to catch sand, sediment, or silt in the water to protect the membrane.  Homes on municipal water use a sediment/carbon filter to remove sediment and chlorine from the water.  If this filter is not used in municipal water, chlorine will damage the membrane.

The semipermeable membrane is a filter that blocks contaminants, but allows water molecules to flow through it.  As a result, it removes the water’s dissolved solids and other contaminants.  Water travels through pores smaller than a hair follicle in a semipermeable membrane.  These filters will typically remove up to 98% of the total dissolved solids in the water.  They are also only replaced when needed by having the drinking water tested by a water professional.

The post-filter removes any taste and odors from the water.  It is an activated carbon filter that polishes the water.  This filter is typically found in a pitcher or faucet-mounted filter.  The water will pass through the post-filter before it fills your water glass.

Reverse Osmosis systems are known to be effective at removing common chemical contaminants, including sodium, lead, and nitrates, to name a few.  They are also effective at eliminating certain viruses and bacteria.  The best understand what a specific reverse osmosis system will remove from your water, it’s best to refer to the owner’s manual or data sheet associated with the system.

If you need Kinetico drinking water filters, please call us or use our contact form.   Our staff can ship the filters to you or have them ready in our office for pickup.

Please note** We do not sell these filters online or to third-party vendors.

Changing filters for a Kinetico drinking water is simple and easy for a homeowner to handle.  Depending on the Kinetico system installed in your home, click on the system you have and follow the directions listed.

A Kinetico drinking water system allows you to use your filters for 500 gallons of water fully.  These systems have metering technology to calculate the gallons of water that pass through the system.  For every 500 gallons of water used, Kinetico systems will start to shut down, or water pressure will begin to decrease from the R/O faucet.  This is a sign your filters are about ready to be replaced.

A reverse osmosis drinking water system uses three filters.  Regular maintenance is necessary for the pre-and post-filter with annual filter changes.  The main filter of a R/O system, the membrane, is changed as needed, as these filters typically last 7-10 years. Therefore, the only way to diagnose if the membrane needs to be changed is to have your drinking water tested versus your regular tap water by a water professional.  They will be able to determine the rejection rate of your drinking water system, which accurately determines if the membrane needs changing.

There can be multiple answers to this question.  First, you may need to change the filters on your drinking water system.  If you recently changed your filters, then you’ll want to check the holding tank included with the system. Next, go to your drinking water faucet and turn on the water.  Let the water run until no more water disperses from the faucet.  Now go to the storage tank and lift the tank.  If the tank is light and has very little water, there is an issue within the drinking water system.  If the storage tank is heavy and full of water, your storage tank is waterlogged.  As always, ensure all the shutoff valves are in the correct position.

A sediment pre-filter is recommended for any home on a private well.  These filters act like furnace filters to catch sand, sediment, or silt produced by the well.  The filters are a safety barrier to prevent a service call.  If sediment enters a water softener by chance, it can plug up ports, causing a malfunction.  Also, having high iron in the water is another reason for a sediment pre-filter.  The pre-filter will remove ferric iron, iron you can physically see) from the water.

Visit our how to change a sediment pre–filter page on this topic.

It is recommended to use a 50-micron-rated sediment pre-filter.  They are 10″ long and 2 1/4″ in diameter and look like wound string.  Huemann Water Conditioning recommends a 50-micron filter because it allows more water to flow through it and won’t plug up as fast as a lower-rated micron filter.  Most home improvement stores will have 20 – 30 micron rated filters.

The average time between sediment pre-filter changes is 2 – 4 months.  This depends on the incoming water to the house.  The filter will need to be changed more often for homes with a higher concentration of iron in the water.

To best gauge, if a filter needs changing more or less often, remove the old filter from the housing.  While looking at the filter, there is a hole in the center of the filter.  While still looking at the hole towards the center of the filter, if the area near the hole is still white, the filter can be changed less often.  If the area near the hole is dirty brown, the filter should be more often, say two weeks sooner.

To purchase 50-micron sediment pre-filters, please call our office or contact us.  We have sediment filters for 3/4″ or 1″ pre-filters.  In addition, you can purchase sediment pre-filters at a hardware store, but beware; they likely won’t have 50-micron-rated filters.