Hi,
I live in Tallahassee, FL, and here are my two biggest problems with my water that I am trying to solve:
1. Every year, I have to drain my 2 water heaters and pour 12 gallons of Apple Cider into them to dissolve the heavy calcium / lime solids that have built up. If I don't do this, I end up having to replace the water heater(s). I can tell when it needs it because flow of hot water available at the tap slows way down to a crawl.
2. When I wash my cars, I always get these white water spots after the cars dry off. I want clean, filtered water that will leave the cars without spots. If I wash the cars just while it is about to rain, the rain water does not leave the spots.

Can anyone tell me what kind of system I need to fix these two problems? My water does not taste or smell bad. It is from a utility company (not a well).
Thanks in advance!

 

Water softener.

Some reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_water

 

Thanks. It looks like I've got the classic hard water case, then. The hard part will probably be finding a filtration system that will support me being able to hook up a garden hose to it and washing my car. That flow rate would be pretty high, I think.

 

I don't think you'll have a problem. I'm on well water with <50 psi on the system and the softener does not overly restrict flow.

 

OK, that's a relief to hear.
Can anyone reccomend some specific units that are low maintainence and reliable?

 

I've been in the water treament industry for over 17 years. I like the Fleck 5600 meter demand system. It does not have electronics to go bad. It is very reliable and dependable and the cost is around $600.00-$800.00.

 

Thanks, I'll research that one.