[bmwstephen]

Hello all- I am about to install a water conditioning system due to water hardness in my area.

My local water treatment center does a decent job of cleaning the water before its delivered into the home. They chlorinate it and UV it.

My only concern is that once it enters my home and filters through the water conditioning system, it will strip away the chlorine. As a result, if water is say sitting in the pipes or recirculates through my tankless water heater, will it be a concern that I am now subject to recontamination of the water with bacterial growth?

 

[Oso954]

My only concern is that once it enters my home and filters through the water conditioning system, it will strip away the chlorine.

Maybe you should tell us what water conditioning system you are talking about.
Some Systems will remove chlorine, others don’t .

What contamination (or recontamination) are you worried about ?

 

[bmwstephen]

Maybe you should tell us what water conditioning system you are talking about.
Some Systems will remove chlorine, others don’t .

What contamination (or recontamination) are you worried about ?

Its a Springwell- salt free based one (crazy cali won't allow for saltbased ones anymore). They simply run the water through coconut shell and other media that crystalizes the mineral in waters. Their filters also remove chlorine and chloramine.

My understanding that our municipal water is laced with chlorine to prevent bacterial growth. If the chlorine gets stripped away and lets say if water is sitting in the pipes for sometime, then isn't my tap water exposed to bacterial growth

 

[joed]

That system does not actually soften your water.

Quote right from their page.

known as water conditioners because they do not actually “soften” the water;

Only claim they seem to make is to prevent scale build up.

 

[ktownskier]

No, once bacteria has been killed, it can't regrow. And new bacteria can't grow in sterilized water unless some source of contaminant is introduced.

Which could happen if there is a leak in the system at some point. However, the water pressure typically keeps any thing from coming in.

Once it reaches your house though, that is another story. That is why you have backflow preventers on your sprinkler systems, your hose bibs, etc..

The water sitting in your pipes, assuming they are made of modern materials like copper, PEX, or similar, will not be sitting long enough to worry about it. If you are at all concerned, let your water run for a minute or two to clear the lines.

 

[bmwstephen]

That system does not actually soften your water.

Quote right from their page.



Only claim they seem to make is to prevent scale build up.

I am aware of that which is why its a conditioner and not a softner

 

[Old Thomas]

I don’t understand. You said you are installing a water conditioning system because your water is hard. Then joed said it will not soften your water and you acknowledged that. So you are installing a system because of hard water but you know it won’t soften the water. Why not get a water softener?
I would not worry about water in pipes. People with wells have unchlorinated water in pipes without ill effects.

 

[bmwstephen]

I don’t understand. You said you are installing a water conditioning system because your water is hard. Then joed said it will not soften your water and you acknowledged that. So you are installing a system because of hard water but you know it won’t soften the water. Why not get a water softener?
I would not worry about water in pipes. People with wells have unchlorinated water in pipes without ill effects.

I am getting a water condition system not a softener because a softener is salt based and removed minerals and also banned in california. I am installing a conditioning system that crystalizes the minerals to prevent scaling mainly to reduce wear on my pipes and appliances.

 

[Bondo]

and also banned in california.

Ayuh,...... Stale water in the pipes are the least of yer worries,......

The pipes have been fulla chlorinated water for How long,..??

They're plenty clean by now,.....

 

[Old Thomas]

Another CA oddity. Salt is extracted from the earth and is in sea water. Somehow discharging a little into the waste stream causes problems. Feces and dirty needles on the streets are acceptable. Nice.

 

[bmwstephen]

So here are some pics of the city treated water that comes out of my tap. When it dries it tends to yellow... is that the mineral content oxidizing or bacterial?

If its the former, the conditioner should reduce that; especially if its sitting stale inside the pipe. But if it is bacterial, I can only imagine it get worse once the chlorine is stripped away when I install a conditioner

 

[lenaitch]

So here are some pics of the city treated water that comes out of my tap. When it dries it tends to yellow... is that the mineral content oxidizing or bacterial?

If its the former, the conditioner should reduce that; especially if its sitting stale inside the pipe. But if it is bacterial, I can only imagine it get worse once the chlorine is stripped away when I install a conditioner

The only way to accurately answer your question is to have the water tested.

 

[joed]

If its the former, the conditioner should reduce that; especially if its sitting stale inside the pipe.

Conditioner will not reduce that since it does not remove anything from your water. It only converts the minerals so they won't stick your pipes.

 

[Oso954]

Another CA oddity. Salt is extracted from the earth and is in sea water. Somehow discharging a little into the waste stream causes problems.

We recycle treated waste water to reduce the demand on potable water sources. high saline water doesn't work well for landscaping and agricultural purposes.

If you have to remove salt as part of the waste water treatment, it increases the cost of the water treatment. It cheaper/easier to keep the salt out of it.

As far as I know, the ban is not state wide. Individual communities (or waste water systems) were given the right to establish the bans.

We are not the only place were communities have banned salt based water softners.

 

[Old Thomas]

High saline water is bad for plants. A water softener discharge to a system containing millions of gallons is negligible. We dump hundreds of tons of salt on our icy roads and it is not good but plants in roadside ditches still grow uncontrollably and have to be mowed.

 

[ktownskier]

So here are some pics of the city treated water that comes out of my tap. When it dries it tends to yellow... is that the mineral content oxidizing or bacterial?

If its the former, the conditioner should reduce that; especially if its sitting stale inside the pipe. But if it is bacterial, I can only imagine it get worse once the chlorine is stripped away when I install a conditioner

If you are at all concerned about bacteria, have it tested. But, you can pretty much rest assured that there is no bacterial contamination in your water supply.

Water sitting in your pipes does not go "Stale" sitting in pipes unless it is sitting for extremely long periods of time. And then all you have to do is to run your taps for a minute or two to let them clear.

The stuff around your spout looks a bit like rust or iron deposits. The rest does look like mineral spots.

What is your house plumbed with? Copper, galvanized? PEX or CPVC?

 

[bmwstephen]

If you are at all concerned about bacteria, have it tested. But, you can pretty much rest assured that there is no bacterial contamination in your water supply.

Water sitting in your pipes does not go "Stale" sitting in pipes unless it is sitting for extremely long periods of time. And then all you have to do is to run your taps for a minute or two to let them clear.

The stuff around your spout looks a bit like rust or iron deposits. The rest does look like mineral spots.

What is your house plumbed with? Copper, galvanized? PEX or CPVC?

mainly pex, but in some areas (like hose bibs, water line) uses a combination of copper or CPVC. There's no galvanized piping in our development.

 

[ktownskier]

Then, you don't have anything to really worry about it.

Check with your neighbors to see if they are having issues with their water.

Does your water smell?

Do you notice any staining in your wash?

Like what was said earlier, if you are concerned about bacteria in your water, have it tested.

As @Bondo mentioned, your pipes have been cleaned by chlorinated water for X amount of years. They are sterile. Your city water is not only treated by chlorine, it is also treated by UV. Both are extremely powerful disinfectants and sterilizers.

UV treats and kills pathogens at point of contact. But once the water is past the light source, any pathogens not killed could still exist. That is why chlorine is used as it stays in the water and continues to work.

Something you may want to consider is to add a whole house water filter with a UV light source so that it can kill any pathogens that are not filtered out. Just make sure the filter/UV system is after any tees for out door spigots, no need to waste filter usage on outdoor water.

You can also look at a reverse osmosis water filter for drinking water in your kitchen. Some systems allow you to run a line to your refrigerator in addition to a water dispenser.

 

[bmwstephen]

Then, you don't have anything to really worry about it.

Check with your neighbors to see if they are having issues with their water.

Does your water smell?

Do you notice any staining in your wash?

Like what was said earlier, if you are concerned about bacteria in your water, have it tested.

As @Bondo mentioned, your pipes have been cleaned by chlorinated water for X amount of years. They are sterile. Your city water is not only treated by chlorine, it is also treated by UV. Both are extremely powerful disinfectants and sterilizers.

UV treats and kills pathogens at point of contact. But once the water is past the light source, any pathogens not killed could still exist. That is why chlorine is used as it stays in the water and continues to work.

Something you may want to consider is to add a whole house water filter with a UV light source so that it can kill any pathogens that are not filtered out. Just make sure the filter/UV system is after any tees for out door spigots, no need to waste filter usage on outdoor water.

You can also look at a reverse osmosis water filter for drinking water in your kitchen. Some systems allow you to run a line to your refrigerator in addition to a water dispenser.

Awesome! feeling much better and yes will get water tested.

 

[Cedrus]

Just came across your thread and was wondering what was the water test results and what did you buy. We have hard water here in OR and have a tank with ground up marble to raise pH.