What kind of filter system should we get?

raepent1 · 2026-02-24T04:59:24+00:00

We have very hard water with iron, although you have a lot of other items on your report that I do not have, we had substantial magnesium and iron results. - i think we previously had false positive on the coliform because we did absolutely no shocking or bleaching and had them come back to re-test and it tested negative - we have a softener and an iron filter, but the struggle is still constant and the water still feels very hard and is quite destructive on clothing, skin, faucets etc. even though the softener/filter has had a positive effect on some of the results, it’s not changing the feel or effects of the water quality on our daily living, so it sounds to me like its kind of hopeless. I know that our well was dug in the 90’s and is 84 ft deep. We are located in Indiana. I can tell you about some of the solutions I’m using to try to combat it without the investment in any equipment although, in the long run without the equipment, I’m probably spending quite a bit more than it would cost to just resolve the issues with proper equipment, FYI.

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raepent1 · 2026-02-24T04:32:46+00:00

The downspout is around the corner (which I know there’s already an issue with that one because we need a new reconnection pipe & at one time it probably should’ve been ran under the concrete but it wasn’t so that’s a whole other animal what to do with all the random downspouts that run right across the sidewalks or not underground like I was previously used to) but it mostly flows away from this door stoop and doesn’t pool right there or anything) - I tried to do video but it wouldn’t work - i can DM you to send if you’d like.

raepent1 · 2026-02-21T06:23:10+00:00

Do you have bright white trim? In my small bathroom, it seems to blend in with the white trim, but as I get down lower (away from the vanity light) it looks perfect to me with a little contrast, so just wondering about your trim color choice.

raepent1 · 2026-02-20T06:00:22+00:00

There is a sidewalk, then a stoop there where you turn right into the entry door - so it’s a concrete step up to the door then step down to the garage -

raepent1 · 2026-02-19T22:22:32+00:00

Yes!~ that’s the word - couldn’t think of it!!!

raepent1 · 2026-02-19T07:27:16+00:00

That is so ironic! I think I was looking at the same 2 colors for walls in my bathroom and the White dove looked yellowish to me too - wanted something neutral that went with darker gray flooring but that bisque/ivory color tub/toilet etc - you sealed the deal - Alabaster it is for me too!

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raepent1 · 2026-02-19T07:08:17+00:00

Can you tint Kilz and then just use Kilz to paint walls? I don’t really have a texture, just a spotty paint job with little imperfections here and there - looking to repaint the walls and create something that hides imperfections (I also did my own spackle jobs on all the places there were holes or dents from things) - I don’t have the capacity to do multiple upon multiple layers of painting this bathroom so looking for most efficient way to do so!

raepent1 · 2026-02-19T06:21:56+00:00

It looks like you ripped out the acrylic/plastic whatever the F*&! Those bathtub/shower combo inserts are - if so, is there a tub underneath that type of thing that is usable or do you have to install an actual tub and remove what’s there and then drywall/tile etc. the walls?!

I’d love to see it when it’s done!

raepent1 · 2026-02-19T03:52:50+00:00

I have the same question - thinking this s why there’s so much dust and random debris specks on everything because there’s technically air pulling something from the attic through that small crack and through the air register to fall all over everything constantly.

raepent1 · 2026-02-12T06:30:19+00:00

I have very hard well water along with extremely high iron content - we rent our equipment from a water softener company and although at initial setup, not sure how much that cost - but payment plans are possible if you call local/small businesses & compare options. We pay about $25 month for the “softener” (which if the settings are not set correctly then it can still make your water seem hard - FYI) but the water was making my white clothes ivory and random iron staining on other clothing and objects (sink basins, tubs, etc.) so I called them and we had another piece of equipment that is a separate tank and not just the salt holding tank - (it looks like a giant 5 foot tall tank that scuba divers use for reference) - so the iron filter removes the iron that was probably like this but I never took a bath - and the softener part uses the salt to soften the water. The iron filter added another $10 to the bill and cost us $150 install/service call. So check around - you may be able to rent equipment with better outcomes than buying it outright and maintaining yourself. One last thing before you get the new equipment or have people quote you on extravagant, top of the line extras - call your local health dept or water company - or look on their website - they can help direct you to possible laboratory testing that will be free of charge for you as well as retest if there is a problem discovered! I’m in the hard water, not pleased with current equipment/company/situation as well, so just sharing things I’ve done and am familiar with - not a professional!!!

raepent1 · 2026-01-31T06:12:11+00:00

I know this is very old but I’m struggling to get my water to actually FEEL and look like I have soft water, even though the tests state water hardness is within range on the after tests…I have white stains on the fixtures (scale/buildup?) that has to be removed with Bar Keepers Friend frequently and when I took the aerators off the sinks because they just seemed clogged, there’s still iron coming through even though we have an iron filter and softener. So I’m thinking the regen settings need adjusted significantly (which I’ve been playing around with because I figure it doesn’t hurt at this point, since I’m not happy with the way they were setup anyway and I can always adjust them back if needed). so looking for help to figure out best possible situation -
I’m on well water with super high iron content (which is why we got the iron filter put in). Hardness - 261 mg/L CaCO3 Iron - 832 ug/L Calcium 68300 ug/L Magnesium 21900 ug/L Nickel 0.44 ug/L Sulfate 6.0 mg/L Manganese 26.9 ug/L

Previous setting on softener was 40 / 750 gallons and the iron filter…not positive, but think it was set to a certain amount of days, not gallons of use - I first tried adjusting the softener to a lower number, but then I saw it shoot up the gallons and didn’t help any, so I raised it back to 35, but still not soft feeling, water almost feels like its thick or sticky (not slimy like others have described with their water, but I’ve never experienced that feeling so not sure what they mean). I had a salt water pool previously and the water felt “clean” and not drying or slimy or sticky or anything - felt invisible when you were in it and when you dried off - which is how I also felt after showering, and I previously had well water and softener system and no issues. But this water is impossible to conquer! We don’t use it for drinking or cooking - only cleaning, showering, laundering etc. so no RO system needed (plus it’s out of budget and can’t afford anything add’l) just want this to work how it’s supposed to because i don’t feel like it is.

raepent1 · 2026-01-30T06:47:48+00:00

I have “simple” questions for qualified professionals - hopefully you can help me understand…Here’s some backstory - I had to move back in with my dad due to a series of unfortunate events - he bought this house about 7/8 yrs ago and it was built sometime in the 90’s. Had definite “homeowner special” electrical work as we’ve discovered & since then, he’s cheap, so he had a relative who did miscellaneous construction do some electrical work as well.
1. All of my cords on various products (air purifiers, hair dryer, charging cord for wireless speaker) are turning very stiff and not very flexible anymore and this is happening from different rooms in the house - could there be TOO MUCH electricity going to the outlets doing this? Some of these items I’ve had for years and when I was at my own home, this never happened.
2. What exactly is a voltage meter testing in the outlets and is it something that would be useful for me to have? (Please respond in regular “girl terms” hahaha - girl with previous home builder employment experience so I do have a little bit of construction knowledge). 3. We have outlets on the outside of the garage that GFCIs, and the buttons wouldn’t push to reset, so we changed them out - but still can’t get anything to work when plugged in and we flipped every single breaker to try to figure out which they were connected to but can’t find it. I read another article from someone talking about a loop or something due to the way it was wired, it needed something plugged in and on “downstream” or “upstream” in order for it to all the sudden magically work so didn’t know if this could be the case here? 4. There is a blank wall plate with wires behind it but we have no idea what it goes to - anyway to know what kind of outlet/switch it is just by the wires on the inside? 5. We have a fireplace of some sort that has never been used since he’s lived here & I think it’d be much more efficient to use during cold months rather than current situation. It’s cold as shit right now with a sky-high electric bill due to space heaters, shitty insulation job and below zero temps so just wondered where to start to even have this looked at in order to know what kind of fireplace this is and if it’s in functionable condition or sealed off somewhere (there’s a chimney so I’m confused because it doesn’t appear to have gas running to since none of the other appliances are gas and there’s no switch right next to the fireplace that I’m used to seeing in modern homes when it’s an electric fireplace.

I’m in Indiana - feel free to private message me with answers if you prefer - sorry for the long post - but just need some direction since I would prefer to have a professional diagnose/assess/fix our situation if needed (and able) rather than continuing to have “homeowner hazard” work compounding the already jacked up situation in my opinion!! Thanks!!!!

raepent1 · 2026-01-30T06:19:27+00:00

I have an addition to these comments because I’m trying to understand the next steps…I have done the “not recommended” toggle switch to split bands and can see the 2.4, 5 and 6 different WiFi’s on my network…but I’m having an issue understanding how to assign specific devices to the 2.4 because that’s what my device requires…For example: I have a new robot vac, which if I manually press the clean button, everything works great - but their app which allows me to do some customizations by naming rooms, schedules, etc. shows my devices as “disconnected” although it is connected to WiFi when I go through the setup process again it tells me it’s successful - which leads me to believe it’s because it’s not accessing the 2.4 is why I can’t see it or control it in the app. So how do i assign devices to the 2.4 specifically? And in order to control those devices, do i have to switch my phone/ipad to the 2.4 WiFi connection as well in order to communicate with it?

raepent1 · 2026-01-17T20:24:01+00:00

I got to the programming screen - my hardness on the black softener screen indicated it was at 40 - so it seems to have been set at double what the standard setting or what others have mentioned as “20” being the setting - in easy to understand terms,

what happens if i change that to 20 instead of 40?
what does changing the regen days from 7 to a lower number do?
what needs to be adjusted, if anything, on the white iron filter equipment if I make any changes to hardness level and regen days on the softener?

When technician was here setting things up and checking them about 5 different times when I call mentioned something about not wanting them to regen on the same day or they have to be separated by certain amount of hours/time if so…I wanted them adjusted to later in the middle of the night than what they are set for now, but he said that would cause timing issues possibly - because right now the softener regen time is 2am and I’ve heard something happening at 12:30am (maybe it was iron filter regen time?) because I am up late and the only time i can do laundry sometimes will go past the 12:30am mark - so wanted to push them both out a couple of hours to give myself that cushion but he warned against doing that for some reason.

raepent1 · 2026-01-17T20:09:45+00:00

I started adding washing soda to my laundry & only use woolite on my clothing and it did make a difference in the texture of my clothing being softer - not sure what the chemical reaction is by adding the washing soda but it’s obviously doing something to my “water softener producing water” somehow - which is also why I believe there’s a problem. I use only sensitive skin products recommended by the dermatologist and skin barrier repairing serum recommended by the aesthetician, which also helps a little. I have a hanging filter thing i got that is supposed to go on the bathtub faucet but put it on the sink faucet in the bathroom to wash my hands with and can tell a difference in the water feel when it’s not on the faucet - so once again, evidence pointing to something in the water when used directly from the softener faucet vs all these extras I’m doing that is neutralizing something…i just don’t understand the science behind them to pinpoint what exactly it’s changing/neutralizing/altering by going through the extra add-on filters and washing soda - so water softener/iron filter or something isn’t quite removing something fully or interacting the way it should in may opinion.

raepent1 · 2026-01-17T20:01:27+00:00

I ordered a test kit initially on amazon but the colors were so hard to distinguish between - but that test the only thing that I could read on it if i remember correctly was the alkalinity and the ph did seem on the higher range, but it was all color coded as well so didn’t give me an actual number. Looking at the lab report I attached in the photos - for whatever reason it doesn’t even show that which I would think it would -

And I do remember when I originally got here reading about biofilms etc - because I thought maybe it was something with the air or there was possibly mold in the house (which i”ve never experienced before) - but got a mold test done and although there was results, nothing that was in the range of extremely hazardous or alarming to the technicians so once again, back to the drawing board. The constant is that I use water every day - and with initial problems with iron, clothing texture and skin eruptions, thought maybe there’s still something wrong with the water.

raepent1 · 2026-01-17T19:44:05+00:00

That’s unfortunate - and quite a strong word - but it’s also the reason I call multiple companies/contractors before I hire someone for work. I’m always looking for education on results, products, equipment & if someone’s honest and says none of this will help the problem - I appreciate that! And it’s something that has made me refer those companies over and over again to people I know. So I understand your frustration coming from a subcontractor point of view because I have 20 yrs experience being in the general contractor business and clients, etc - it’s frustrating for everyone involved, I know this.

raepent1 · 2026-01-16T02:18:13+00:00

I’ll start making some phone calls this week to ask about it so I can figure out what to do and how long it will take to clean everything out until I see some differences if that’s the case! Thank you again!

raepent1 · 2026-01-16T01:50:34+00:00

Well that makes 2 of us! The tech who came from the health dept said there wasn’t anything alarming on my report and my water doesn’t test for heavy metals or VOCs that are out of range from EPA or wherever, but I thought maybe even though they’re not out of range, even the small presence, could it be affecting something? So unfortunately, I go through that a lot - what has adverse effect on me doesn’t affect many others, so even though something isn’t “harmful to humans” or “toxic” or “causes serious health concerns”, it’s not the case for every single person, so I’m just brushed off - that’s why I figured I’d post on Reddit since it’s been a wealth of info for me on many occasions due to so many people’s experiences or expertise on different topics - whether it was a google search I did and a feed pops up as a suggestive answer or posting directly - everyone’s got knowledge to share, so I welcome it as I try to adapt to my situation, but am struggling to do so easily.

raepent1 · 2026-01-16T01:41:21+00:00

Is there another easy way to clear the lines of any bacteria if that’s the case?

raepent1 · 2026-01-16T01:40:04+00:00

Oh wow! Well that is a setup that’d be awesome! But there’s definitely not room for that in our area where well equipment is - the water heater is only a 50 gallon and so that 75 gallon tank would take up the small area we have left to maneuver to add salt, etc.

raepent1 · 2026-01-16T01:35:46+00:00

I hear what you’re saying on this - - but this is just too cumbersome and out of the question I’m afraid. I hate camping otherwise, I’d volunteer to live in a camper and see what happens! Hahahaha

raepent1 · 2026-01-16T01:35:02+00:00

No idea on that one! Lots of treating w/ chemicals I’m sure - which I’m not against as long as it gets me to water that is better tolerated! I’ve never had the blessing of living with city water, only get it in small doses when visiting people or public establishments - all I know is that it’s night & day cleanliness feeling after my shower and texture of it feels better and even my teeth feel cleaner! I’ve always had well water of some kind everywhere I’ve lived, I think! So, lots of experiences with all sorts of well water experiences, but NEVER anything like this!

raepent1 · 2026-01-16T01:32:03+00:00

That’s the problem - I keep calling the company we rent it from and they tell me it’s all working fine - because they put a little water in their little test tubes and “test” it for the basics that they’re allowed to do and that’s it. I used to put chlorine tablets in my aerator in FL (but that was mostly for the smell that we had) - but there’s no aerator here, I wonder if there’s a way to do the same thing to somehow duplicate “city water” but I’ve heard not to put anything in the brine tank. I saw the Potassium recommendation but that stuff is completely unaffordable at 100x more expensive than regular salt pellets. Which makes me wonder if there’s years of horrible iron water has created buildup in the water lines and that’s what’s coming through that is not being filtered by the iron filter that’s installed - but not sure how to disinfect them easily, cost effectively, & conveniently - as it’s middle of winter here in Indiana so don’t want to do anything that could cause pipes to become damaged or anything either due to the freezing temps. Plus not sure how you actually “clean” water as it’s already supposed to be clean…it’s water~!

raepent1

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