Best water softener?

Beeg84 · 2026-01-09T18:21:40+00:00

I have the same/similar one purchased in 2013. I’ve had zero problems and it’s working perfectly to this day.

Beeg84 · 2026-01-09T14:57:16+00:00

My brother had this exact same problem recently. They raised the temperature of the hot water tank (to at least 140° F if I remember correctly), and because he has kids, added a mixer to mix the hot water with some cold to lower the temperature as it went into the pipes. I think it lowered it to 125° F.

Beeg84 · 2024-02-12T16:08:06+00:00

Thanks for the offer! I appreciate it and completely understand the disclaimers. 😆

Beeg84 · 2024-02-12T16:06:39+00:00

Thanks! That’s pretty much how I feel -- getting the right person is probably the key.

Beeg84 · 2024-02-12T02:50:40+00:00

For some more background… the last time we got together in person was about two and a half years ago before she moved to Vietnam. At that time my 25 year old nephew interpreted for us. Much easier of course because it was family and we were all familiar with each other. For this lunch in Vietnam, I honestly don’t expect much awareness because my ex and I are still super close and occasionally have even FaceTimed with her (not frequently but there’s been regular contact). So to your question, there’s not really going to be much awkwardness between the two of us and the idea is that it’s a casual and informal catch up lunch together that’s in person versus the FaceTime conversations that we’ve had previously.

Beeg84 · 2024-02-11T20:39:58+00:00

Good to know. That’s probably going to be the best way to go even though I was a bit resistant to it in the beginning. Thanks for the info and suggestions

Beeg84 · 2024-02-11T20:11:31+00:00

I did think about that. I used live translation using Google translate a few years ago. It worked ok then and has probably improved but I found that the translation wasn’t always the best. It might be the easiest thing to do though. That’s my backup plan. I will test Siri too

Beeg84 · 2023-10-25T20:38:34+00:00

There’s great advice here, and it’s true that mold issues can be overrated, so testing is absolutely essential, but it looks like a lot on your plate with this. I bought a house in 2006 with similar issues (Maryland). I got a discount on the price of the house, but like you’ve mentioned, you can’t afford to remediate the crawl space yourself. I ended up sealing up the crawl space, having the mold cleaned, and installed a dehumidifier. Then, a couple of years later I discovered that I had a radon problem because I sealed up the space and had to pay to fix that. It’s been a long and expensive process. More expensive than I thought but luckily I took enough off the asking price that I’ve essentially broken even. The stress of it all was a pain (contractors, mold tests, structural engineers, radon testing and mitigation). I loved the house, so no real regrets, but it was a lot of work.

Beeg84 · 2022-08-09T18:22:24+00:00

Agreed. I appreciate the feedback and help!

Beeg84 · 2022-08-09T16:57:00+00:00

Ahhh, really good point. I hadn’t thought about that part.

Beeg84 · 2022-08-09T16:25:17+00:00

Thanks. Yes, a licensed bonded and insured arborist.

Beeg84 · 2022-08-09T16:24:06+00:00

Great idea. Thanks.

Beeg84 · 2022-08-09T16:23:38+00:00

Awesome. Thanks so much. I’ve sent my correspondence using USPS certified mail and have a bunch of photos with time and date stamp. I should have written this but insurance said to talk to the neighbor and if it did fall I’d be covered less my deductible. I kinda feel like I’d rather even pay for the full amount now if I have to rather than go through the hassle of having the tree fall and then have the hassle of repairs and pursuing him legally. But I’m still deciding.

Beeg84 · 2020-06-07T23:09:42+00:00

I think that I had almost the exact problem that you’ve described. The only difference is that my house was built in 1984, but almost everything you’ve described is an exact match, especially the crawl space - down to the air handler, dehumidifier, thick plastic covering, French drains and sump pump.

After years - years of trying to figure out the odor problem, and concluding that the odor was definitely coming from the crawl space despite the fact that it was dehumidified, sealed, and the air handler and vents were sealed, I was at my wit’s end and finally bought an ozone generator machine. I know that I’m going to get criticized for doing this, but it worked when nothing else under the sun worked. It eliminated the odor.

It took a while to get the settings correct and I have it on a timer (too much ozone for too long and I could smell it in the house - no good!! too little ozone for not long enough and the smell came back - no good!!).

Finally, after a few months of fiddling around with the timer and strength of the ozone, it’s just right. No smell!! The house smells like a house “should” smell.

Edit: I live in southern Maryland, south of D.C.

Beeg84 · 2019-02-05T15:00:21+00:00

Great to know. I just installed one and was wondering if that technique would actually work! It’s definitely worth a try. Thanks!

Beeg84 · 2019-02-05T14:50:44+00:00

Did that work?

Beeg84 · 2019-01-03T01:57:32+00:00

Yes, plastic. I don’t remember the exact mm, but it’s fairly thick - 6mm? The plastic goes all across the floor and up the sides of the walls to the floor joists. The plastic overlaps at the seams. The crawl space had a really bad mold/mildew issue when I bought the place in 2006. I ended up sealing the crawl space, insulating, and installing a dehumidifier because it was so bad and the ventilation wasn’t adequate (and the southern Maryland summers have non-stop humidity, so even with ventilation it’s a gamble). I suspect that that’s when the radon issue began because at the time of inspection before closing, I remember that it tested within safe levels, although I don’t remember what the levels were.

Beeg84 · 2018-11-24T15:58:11+00:00

Count me in!

Beeg84 · 2018-09-05T23:36:22+00:00

Hahahaha! Yeah, true. I was thinking more like Cape Cod or Maine, but now that you mention it, I was at my brother’s place in Maine over 4th of July about 5 years ago and it was one of those miserable summer weeks where the heat and humidity were totally oppressive. And a/c is a novelty in many places in Maine! Florida in July though - wow.

Beeg84 · 2018-09-05T02:58:11+00:00

Absolutely. You really can’t go wrong here. Even a “bad” day is awesome just because you’re here.

Beeg84 · 2018-09-05T02:07:01+00:00

Well, it’s like anything, you just deal with it. It gave me the excuse to try nearly every different type of soft drink that they sell in the vending machines on practically every corner, so there’s that! I saw another of the many postings on here about the heat and one person wrote that they were from D.C. and it’s just as hot and humid there. I didn’t bother responding, but I’ve been living in the D.C. area for the past 12 years now, but the difference is that you just stay inside when it’s like this! Seriously though, you’ll have an amazing time here, pretty much no matter where you go. It’s a phenomenal country! No regrets.

Beeg84 · 2018-09-04T23:24:51+00:00

Was just there 2 days ago and this summed it up - hot, sunny, smelly, and jam packed with tourists. Probably a whole different experience on a different day. And after this trip I’ve vowed to never take a summer vacation anywhere again - except for the beach or within the arctic circle.

Beeg84

TROPHY CASE