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Bad taste from newly installed water softener

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  • 23-11-2013 7:42pm
    #1
    1jcdub
    Registered Users Posts: 953 ✭✭✭


    We just had a metered clack water softener installed in our house including a tri flow tap with filtered hard water by a reputable company. A forced regeneration was set last night after the install, which was carried out. Today the softened water tastes bad, like plastic. Even after boiling it for tea it still tastes bad. Any ideas? Maybe it will go over the next few days?

    Any help would be appreciated.


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    #2
    Flippyfloppy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,748 ✭✭✭Flippyfloppy


    1jcdub wrote: »
    We just had a metered clack water softener installed in our house including a tri flow tap with filtered hard water by a reputable company. A forced regeneration was set last night after the install, which was carried out. Today the softened water tastes bad, like plastic. Even after boiling it for tea it still tastes bad. Any ideas? Maybe it will go over the next few days?

    Any help would be appreciated.


    Get a drinking water tap installed


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    #3
    Slick50
    Registered Users Posts: 1,062 ✭✭✭Slick50


    1jcdub wrote: »
    We just had a metered clack water softener installed in our house including a tri flow tap with filtered hard water by a reputable company. A forced regeneration was set last night after the install, which was carried out. Today the softened water tastes bad, like plastic. Even after boiling it for tea it still tastes bad. Any ideas? Maybe it will go over the next few days?

    Any help would be appreciated.
    You are not meant to drink the softened water, that is why you have a filtered hard water tap installed.


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    #4
    1jcdub
    Registered Users Posts: 953 ✭✭✭1jcdub


    Slick50 wrote: »
    You are not meant to drink the softened water, that is why you have a filtered hard water tap installed.

    I've been told that is perfectly ok to drink softenedand that includes the installer...

    P.S I have got a tri flow tap filtered tap installed.


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    #5
    Prenderb
    Registered Users Posts: 1,560 ✭✭✭Prenderb


    1jcdub wrote: »
    I've been told that is perfectly ok to drink softenedand that includes the installer...

    P.S I have got a tri flow tap filtered tap installed.

    There can be a lot of sodium in the softened water depending on how hard the incoming water is - I'd double check your advice to be sure.


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    #6
    1jcdub
    Registered Users Posts: 953 ✭✭✭1jcdub


    Prenderb wrote: »
    There can be a lot of sodium in the softened water depending on how hard the incoming water is - I'd double check your advice to be sure.

    I'll contact them again tomorrow to see what they have to say.


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    #7
    Flippyfloppy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,748 ✭✭✭Flippyfloppy


    1jcdub wrote: »
    I'll contact them again tomorrow to see what they have to say.

    People have varying opinions on it. Definitely not supposed to give it to infants. Not even supposed to water plants with it, but then some people say it's ok to drink!


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    #8
    Mo60
    Closed Accounts Posts: 485 ✭✭Mo60


    Flippyfloppy wrote: »
    People have varying opinions on it. Definitely not supposed to give it to infants. Not even supposed to water plants with it, but then some people say it's ok to drink!

    I have been drinking softened water for the past 10 years, in fact prefer the taste. Also, have watered my plants and they all alive as well.

    According to the water softener instructions softened water is safe to drink, although not recommended for infants. I presumed this was because if there was a fault, and salt contaminated the water, an infant would not be able to tell.

    OP, if there is a taste in the water there must be something wrong so I would contact the installer.


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    #9
    fredgalway
    Registered Users Posts: 25 ✭fredgalway


    taste you are getting is from the resin contained in the softener. When you install a water softener you need to regenerate several times before using water. instructions for doing this should come with your softener.


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    #10
    1jcdub
    Registered Users Posts: 953 ✭✭✭1jcdub


    fredgalway wrote: »
    taste you are getting is from the resin contained in the softener. When you install a water softener you need to regenerate several times before using water. instructions for doing this should come with your softener.

    Thanks for the information. A regeneration was carried out on the day of installation. The next one would be roughly in the next 5-7 days. So I've just set a regen for tonight. Hopefully that will improve things


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    #11
    Slick50
    Registered Users Posts: 1,062 ✭✭✭Slick50


    1jcdub wrote: »
    I've been told that is perfectly ok to drink softenedand that includes the installer...
    It may be OK, but not recommended. The softened water tends to have a high salt content, which is not good for you long term, particularly with modern high salt diets.
    1jcdub wrote: »
    P.S I have got a tri flow tap filtered tap installed.
    How is the water from the filtered tap? is there a taste off this?


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    #12
    fredgalway
    Registered Users Posts: 25 ✭fredgalway


    You need to regenerate at least 4 to 5 times.


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    #13
    Mo60
    Closed Accounts Posts: 485 ✭✭Mo60


    Slick50 wrote: »
    It may be OK, but not recommended. The softened water tends to have a high salt content, which is not good for you long term, particularly with modern high salt diets.

    Not sure this is correct as I cannot taste salt in my softened water. I dislike the taste of salt and would soon notice if there was a high salt content.

    I am open to information that proves otherwise.


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    #14
    Slick50
    Registered Users Posts: 1,062 ✭✭✭Slick50


    Mo60 wrote: »
    According to the water softener instructions softened water is safe to drink, although not recommended for infants. I presumed this was because if there was a fault, and salt contaminated the water, an infant would not be able to tell.
    It is not recommended for anyone. being safe means it's not going to poison you. If you, or anybody else, is drinking the same water as the baby, you would be able to detect pretty quickly if it was seriously tainted with salt, so I doubt that is the reason.
    Mo60 wrote: »
    Not sure this is correct as I cannot taste salt in my softened water. I dislike the taste of salt and would soon notice if there was a high salt content.
    I'm not talking about dead sea levels here, it may not be immediately obvious.
    Mo60 wrote: »
    I am open to information that proves otherwise.
    There is a hard water tap fitted for a reason. It is my understanding, this is because of the salt levels in the softened water. If you are happy drinking the softened water, fair enough.


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    #15
    fredgalway
    Registered Users Posts: 25 ✭fredgalway


    Softened water does not contain salt. Salt is not used to soften water, salt is used to clean the resin. The resin removes lime from water. Softened water may contain slight levels of sodium as does bottled water . Telling someone not to drink softened water is like telling them not to drink bottled water.


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    #16
    Slick50
    Registered Users Posts: 1,062 ✭✭✭Slick50


    fredgalway wrote: »
    Softened water does not contain salt. Salt is not used to soften water, salt is used to clean the resin. The resin removes lime from water. Softened water may contain slight levels of sodium as does bottled water . Telling someone not to drink softened water is like telling them not to drink bottled water.
    OK, so the sodium levels appear to be the problem, which is raised as a direct result of salt being used in the softening process. I don't know if bottled water is artificially softened, so not sure if it contains the same levels of sodium. I thought they were supposed to be "natural spring waters"?


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    #17
    Mo60
    Closed Accounts Posts: 485 ✭✭Mo60


    Slick50 wrote: »
    OK, so the sodium levels appear to be the problem, which is raised as a direct result of salt being used in the softening process. I don't know if bottled water is artificially softened, so not sure if it contains the same levels of sodium. I thought they were supposed to be "natural spring waters"?

    On doing some research, I have found in some cases bottled water has a higher sodium level than softened water. Also, found out that milk has 4 times the level of sodium than softened water.

    Also found out that baby formula has sodium in its ingredients, which is why it is recommended not to give softened water to babies.


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    #18
    Slick50
    Registered Users Posts: 1,062 ✭✭✭Slick50


    Mo60 wrote: »
    On doing some research, I have found in some cases bottled water has a higher sodium level than softened water. Also, found out that milk has 4 times the level of sodium than softened water.

    Also found out that baby formula has sodium in its ingredients, which is why it is recommended not to give softened water to babies.
    That's interesting alright, particularly about the milk, but we probably drink a lot more water than milk. One other thing, when you have the option of two taps beside each other, why choose the one with the higher sodium content, when we are already getting more than our RDA.

    Any word from the OP, how did you get on with the taste of the softened water.


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    #19
    NIMAN
    Registered Users Posts: 33,055 ✭✭✭✭NIMAN


    Slick50 wrote: »
    You are not meant to drink the softened water, that is why you have a filtered hard water tap installed.

    So if I get a softener installed I still have to continue to ruin my kettles with the unsoftened, lime-ridden water?


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    #20
    1jcdub
    Registered Users Posts: 953 ✭✭✭1jcdub


    Slick50 wrote: »
    That's interesting alright, particularly about the milk, but we probably drink a lot more water than milk. One other thing, when you have the option of two taps beside each other, why choose the one with the higher sodium content, when we are already getting more than our RDA.

    Any word from the OP, how did you get on with the taste of the softened water.

    Hi
    I've carried out 2 regeneration's to date. The water taste had improved a lot since the second one. So I'd expect the taste to be gone within the next regeneration or two.
    I'm starting to see the benefit of the softer coming into effect. The shampoo is foaming more, skin is less blotchy after showering etc. So happy overall.


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    #21
    Slick50
    Registered Users Posts: 1,062 ✭✭✭Slick50


    NIMAN wrote: »
    So if I get a softener installed I still have to continue to ruin my kettles with the unsoftened, lime-ridden water?
    No you don't have to, but which is more important. I understand lime is a problem, but the kettle is probably the least of your worries. The softener saves clogging of all the house plumming, washing machine, immersion, dish washer, and all are expensive to replace/repair. Kettles are cheap, and you don't only drink water in tea.

    Cheers 1jcdub, just a settling in problem then, goodluck.


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    #22
    1jcdub
    Registered Users Posts: 953 ✭✭✭1jcdub


    Slick50 wrote: »
    That's interesting alright, particularly about the milk, but we probably drink a lot more water than milk. One other thing, when you have the option of two taps beside each other, why choose the one with the higher sodium content, when we are already getting more than our RDA.

    Any word from the OP, how did you get on with the taste of the softened water.

    Hi
    I've carried out 2 regeneration's to date. The water taste had improved a lot since the second one. So I'd expect the taste to be gone within the next regeneration or two.
    I'm starting to see the benefit of the softer coming into effect. The shampoo is foaming more, skin is less blotchy after showering etc. So happy overall.


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    #23
    Mo60
    Closed Accounts Posts: 485 ✭✭Mo60


    Slick50 wrote: »
    One other thing, when you have the option of two taps beside each other, why choose the one with the higher sodium content, when we are already getting more than our RDA.

    Because I actually prefer the taste of softened water. Tea also tastes a lot better in my opinion, and you don't get the scum on top and brown stain on the cup.

    OP glad you seem to have sorted your problem.


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    #24
    Slick50
    Registered Users Posts: 1,062 ✭✭✭Slick50


    Mo60 wrote: »
    Because I actually prefer the taste of softened water. Tea also tastes a lot better in my opinion, and you don't get the scum on top and brown stain on the cup.
    Fair enough, (and I'm not just trying to have the last word on this) but your filtered tap should prevent this anyhow. If it's not, you probably need a replacement filter. Adios.


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    #25
    Mo60
    Closed Accounts Posts: 485 ✭✭Mo60


    Slick50 wrote: »
    Fair enough, (and I'm not just trying to have the last word on this) but your filtered tap should prevent this anyhow. If it's not, you probably need a replacement filter. Adios.

    As I do not have a filtered tap, nor want one, I will never require a replacement filter.


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