I think you’re amazing. You taught this 59 yr old how to do a lot on my own,tired of getting burned by contractors because I’m a female. I did a drywall patch the other day and it looked like a pro thank to you 🎉🎉🎉❤
YESSSS!!!! Thank you for all your videos. My house is a duplex. I live in one half and rent out the other half, so I have 2 of everything. I have had to replace everything water-mechanical more than twice because of our city water contamination.
Just a suggestion, if you use a ball valve just before going into the cartridge filter it makes it super easy to shut off the water to change the filter down the road.
After you’re done soldering it’s a good idea to allow the copper to cool by air and not immediately submerge the soldered fitting into cool water as this causes rapid expansion of the joints and on occasion can create cracks in the solder joint. Love the video
Actually it causes rapid contraction, not expansion. Quenching very hot copper in water can also make it very soft, something you don't want in threaded fittings.
Good video, however you should allow the fittings to cool naturally, submerging them in water could cause micro cracks in the solder, also once you clean the copper you want to avoid touching it with your hands, the oils in our skin can affect the solder as well and cause the capillary action to not seal in that area.
I just redid my bathroom and I used the plastic fitting technique of going backwards until the click and it made fitting pipes so easy. I thought of this channel every time I did it!
Jeff... Dude.... As much as it seems like you might feel like you're giving out too much information, literally everything mentioned regarding reasons shark bite fittings are a must are need to know information. Thank you sir. That little extra info can go along way.
Haha I know this is a year old, but I loved this video. Hilarious about the lubrication. Excellent advice and thanks for walking us through the install and tips.
Also, when you need to replace media, just disconnect the by-pass valve where it connects to the head of the unit - you don't have to touch the plumbing at all, and you can do it without even turning the water off if the red levers are in the bypass position. having running water to rinse out the media tank is kinda nice!
You want to make sure whatever lube you're using for you're water supply it's food grade. Silicone labeled H1 is food grade and is allows for incidental contact with food. Petroleum based lubes like Vaseline may cause rubber to degrade faster.
If they do not make your filter any more do have replace the whole filter housing? Love your guys videos have been a huge help with remodeling my first home. Thank you guys for doing this channel.
I like how plug and play this is. Not a fan of shark bite fittings because I can't bring myself to trust a slip on fitting from potentially leaking versus a sweated fitting. Looks good. Does this keep scale out of the lines too?
Great video, I love your DIY videos. I have been looking into filtration systems and I found out this is not a Walter softener, it's a water conditioner, it does not soften the water.
Hi. Big fan of your videos. I'm in southern Indiana and our town regularly has brown water and extremely hard water with very high levels of manganese. I'd be interested in a video about options for in-city or suburban water filtering options.
We have a salt free water softer, and we’re on a well. Our water is super hard. We had a salt-using softener that we replaced with our salt-free softener. With both softeners we had efficient water filters, so the water was clean when it went into both softeners. As far as the water is concerned I can’t tell the difference between the salt-using and a salt free water softener. Our water is still super hard, with lime buildup a nuisance. BUT last year I did some plumbing, adding a shower in a half-bath, and found the interiors of my 45 year-old galvanized pipes were in pristine condition. THAT’S a definite plus.
How is it holding up? I was thinking of purchasing one and installing it. We are on a well. Our water doesn't stink. But stains EVERYTHING! Some are giving bad reviews on salt free water softeners. But I would love your review.
Love your videos! Might I suggest building a bypass valve system at the water main to your house or well tank. Creating a bypass loops the your tank system back to the main feed to your entire house. That way both cold and hot water are purified and if you need to shut off the system you still have water flowing to do your service. Cheers!
Good morning and first off thank you so much for all of the videos you upload. It's saved me a lot of money and it's very enjoyable to watch! In the installation video provided by the company on these tanks they suggest using a 1-in metal flex line which would avoid all of the copper work that you were doing. Is there a benefit to doing it the way you were doing it here versus using those 1 inch metal flex lines?
I bought a house with a salt based softener. Previous owner installed it somewhat recently, because the older bathrooms fixtures are almost completely jammed with calcium. There's two people in my house with hypertension, so that means we still have to supplement with bottled water AND the softened water goes out to the spicket where the sprinkler system draws water and sprays salty water all over the lawn. I was going to get a reverse ossmosis but I think I might look into this instead.
Has anyone ever told you that you sound very similar to Red Green? You should drop an occasional “ remember we’re all in this together,we’re pullin for ya”!
Standards for water quality can be found very easily. Understanding the science might be a bit more difficult but it’s doable. Shame on you for letting people believe they can’t find that stuff.
Love the video but I would recommend you don’t dunk the fitting in water as soon as you finish the solder because the rapid cooldown could cause a crack in the solder which will cause a leak
To answer your question, I live in Southern California in an area with a lot of big agriculture. My water is very hard/calciferous. So I am afraid of the scale build up in my water supply lines. I installed a water softener from GE and seems to be working well but it has only been 6 months. My next water project is to install a whole house water filter to get rid of the chlorine or chloroamines and other AG products that might be in my water.
good call. 20 years from n ow we will all probably find out the pesticides were in the water supply and that is what causes most of our illnesses. Cheers!
I would like to see a hardness test before the system and after. According to just about every piece of scientific writing out there you cannot reduce hardness without Ion exchange, which bring you back to a salt or potassium system.
Wow somebody actually knows the proper way to wrap Teflon tape. Most peope try to roll it off the top of the roll and they get farther and farther from the fitting and loose their tension. Good job. For the siliconed pipe problem, just grab your piece of sand paper you used to clean the copper and use it to grip the Pex.
I may have missed it but a great disclaimer would be to NEVER solder pipe connected to a plastic fitting like the tank. Also, why no valves anywhere? Might have been nice to see a 3-valve bypass system. Just a thought.
For drinking and cooking I buy distilled water. For other purpose I have some filtering (to remove odor) and water softener system (with salt). If I decided to drink water from well - I would better go for reverse osmosis system.
I appreciate the video...but I understand water softeners...and that 'saltless unit ' is not a softener . Softeners are based on non sacrificial media. A carbon tank is sacrificial. Also carbon is a porous encapsulation media. It can be backwashed to a point, but the entire media bed will need replaced. Cation resin in a softener work on ionic level and doesn't need replaced for the life of the unit. This is true on a well. On city water 8/12 years in the chlorine can ruin the cation mineral.
The hand lotion Jeff put on the rubber seal is Glysomed. Glycerine and chamomile. Glycerine is actually a rubber preservative. A silicone lube is better since it never dries out
You need to use a shark-bite specific deburring tool before inserting them, if you don't you risk destroying the O-ring with a sharp edge. The tool also allows you to mark the mounting depth, so you know you have the pipe installed correctly. You also shouldn't sand that surface because the O-ring needs a smooth surface to seal against. O-ring seals are not gaskets. They work by the O-ring being driven into the gap by the pressure they are containing. They don't rely on compression from the plastic nuts. Snug as as good as tight. If they aren't sealing then either the seal surface is bad, or the o-ring is bad. Look at where they mount, the O-rings are in a gap that won't be closed completely however tight you make the retaining rings. Thuse rings are just there to stop the connectors from popping out. Many brands of water softener don't even use this type of connection, they have locks that secure the sides instead, and those are incapable of applying any pressure to the O-ring. The one in my basement, which is about to be removed, is 19 years old and hasn't leaked a drop. It's also a salt free system and doesn't work. Those tanks are all supposed to be upright, but I'm sure you fixed that before you were done.
I was going to add something I thought was helpful, then I read some of the comments. Sorry Sir, you seem like a go getter. There will always be better way to do things. Thanks for sharing what you got. Keep it up.
I would replace all that copper you used with the correct plastic parts from that company. I have to run a RO/DI system to make pure water for my saltwater reef tank. No way I would use copper after a purification stage. It is a heavy metal that will leach back into the water. Just my two cents. Guess I should clarify a bit more after reading what I wrote. What I really mean to say is if you are concerned about clean drinking water I would invest in a RO system. A quality one. I would recommend Bulk Reef Supply. Hard to beat their quality and price.
I've installed several. In the process of another now: 50 yr old country 5 bedroom, 4 bath house on a well, surrounded by corn and beans, iron. Just pulled and replaced 50 yr old copper with 3/4 pex, new fixtures, new whole house R/O. I will be replacing the functioning salt based softener with...? Clean hands, material on clean poly, don't put your hands where you don't have too etc when installing friend.
What would you do when installing a filtration system that requires a backwash for iron filtering in a basement? We are also on septic and have been recommended against routing the brackish backwash into the septic tank (killing off the good bacteria). We are looking at multiple component systems like the one installed here. Should a pipe be drilled to the outside? Can it be routed into a hose bib and sent away from the house?
Nice vid Jeff/Matt. Curious if you tested the water before and after installation? That would be the best test...any feedback now that you've used it for a while?
Great video. We have a well too...What do you think of the UV add on? Why didn't you consider it for your home? Did your water test not show signs of bacteria that UV kills: E Coli, Cryptospordium, and Giardia Lambia, etc?
Plumbing supplier here. In my experience, Vaseline swells the rubber gasket / o-ring so next time you remove a filter sump or union nut the rubber no longer fits where it's supposed to, necessitating replacement.
AZ here, just watered down calcium here 👌. Thanks man I'll check them out, just plumbed our remodel, I did put a loop in the garage and I plan on putting a soft water spigot on the softer in there. I left the exterior spigots off the softener line, I assumed I was going to use a salt system, left my fridge off the line too and a stove line for cooking, regretting that now.
Two things I've been jonesing to install in my home, tankless water heater and saltless water softener but I've gotten a wild hair to remodel the house so they got put off for another year. Man I was thrilled to see you made this video! Now seeing how easy it is to install I am definitely going to put this system in my home. We have a hard water issue in my town. Thanks so much for this video and everything you do for us Jeff! Lovin the channel! P.S. I'm such a great fan of shark bite as well!
Informative with great details, however, it's a little dated now. You can use Pex B crimping these days as SHARKBITE is really expensive. Required: bypass of filter system using lead-free ball values, Tees. Optional: add a spin-down filter for the larger microns. Optional: connect a pressure gauge monitor before filter system and after to see if there's drop. Major Drop over time is an indicator of clogs and time to replace some filters or clean spin-down.
Great video on this product, now I know what I will get for my future house next year. At least right off the bat, I know what clean water is going to cost, and I will try using sharkbite for that setup. A lot of people get frustrated easily, but you demonstrated to your viewers what my Father imparted on me, "improvise, adapt and overcome" again, keep up the good work, I have learned a lot and your ideas, instruction, and methods have made some maintenance and projects easier to accomplish.
Can you recommend a Canadian supplier of salt free water softeners? I have new well with hardness and iron issues. Located in Southwest Ontario. Thanks! Big fan.
Our house was built in 59 and we have a well. We have very orange sulfur smelling water. We have a salt softener, it works kind of. The water still stains the toilet bowls and I wouldn't drink it.
The good thing about this system is that it aerates the water and allows the iron to oxidize and get carried away in the back flush. I bought a similar system that I will install shortly. I picked this up from amazon: B078C82XF8 Durawater Air Injection Iron Eater Filter. Removes Iron, Manganese, H2S. Black Series. I called their phone number (see videos from Aplus water) and spoke with Tony and he helped me map out my system and requirements.
I live in a country area where we are on public water. I moved here from a newer area of development outside of a city. When I moved out to the country I noticed a smell coming from the water, best way to describe it is camp water, the same smell you tend to smell at the showers at Americas National Parks. My main concern is what that smell is coming from, my second concern is my fish. I have several fresh water fish tanks in my home and I worry about the quality of water I am introducing into the closed ecosystem that is a fish tank. I would love to see a video about the installation of a reverse osmosis unit for ultimate water quality and lowest possible dissolved solids. Thanks for taking the time to read this
Strange that you are getting that kind of smell and not chlorine since you are on city water. Is the smell with cold /hot or both? The cold side would be a city issue, and maybe you could buy a water sample test, and show the results to the city water department as a health hazard (some test kits check for bacteria). If it is hot water only, then it could be the anode rod, or bacteria creating hydrogen sulfide gases. Magnesium rods are considered "healthy" as we need that in our diet instead of an aluminum one, as you consume trace amounts of aluminum - we get enough poisoning from deodorants etc.
Jeff, you should have mentioned that this system comes from the USA not Canada. You have to consider the exchange rate and shipping. I talked to the company and this product does not apply to NAFTA, therefore duties will be applied.
Awesome video as always. Appreciate the “goofs”, as they happen in real life frequently. Next time you silicone/lubricate your hands, wash them with liquid dish soap, not hand soap. Dish soap has heavy duty surfactants to break down thick grease. Hand soaps are made to be gentler and often have moisturizing properties added. We live out in the country, lots of iron and hard scale build up on everything. There was a water softener with the house, but It has been disconnected but the previous owner and replaced with a whole house cartridge softener and filter system.
I live in Los Angeles. We have extremely hard water; so hard that over 10 years it has destroyed our kitchen faucet, seizing up the pivoting neck and also making it leak. It’s done a similar thing with our bathroom faucet, except it actually ate away at the aerator, meaning we had to replace that. Faucets aren’t that expensive to replace in the grand scheme of things, but for a family on a tight budget, we have to deal with it. We still have great water pressure even after the 25-30 years since the house was repiped, but I fear that sometime in the future the scale may build up to the point where there is major pressure loss or an appliance failure.
My husband used to struggle with loosening the tank with the plastic wrench every single time. I suggest tightening it to a lesser degree then check for leaking for a few days. Then tighten a little if needed. Will save on swearing every time.
My wrench broke, so I bought a small wrench strap and that makes short work of a stubborn filter cover. I hand tighten my cover - never use my wrench, but as another poster stated, it is hard to remove a few months down the line for some strange reason.
I'm looking for Salt-Free Water Softeners with an pre-aerator for the chlorine. Seems like people are only using carbon, but I come from aquarium backgrounds and aeration is the best way. The only aeration Im finding is for like house worried about problematic well water gasses, nothing small for city water.
We have the exact same filter system installed by the seller back in 2007 and it didn't work any better than the standard water softener that we already had. Yeh, yeh, except for the salt. I know. I'm talking about the iron staining throughout was the same. However, within a month the filter canisters were so plugged with iron they needed to be replaced at $250. ea and there were 3 of them. The system cost $5200. installed. The water softener cost $1200. and I did the install myself. The math of the Water Softener won. We still have both but the system like the one in this vid is disconnected. I hope you have better luck with iron in the filters and their replacement cost.
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY I've read the claims/literature on the website for your unit and did the comparison with my 12 yr old literature and with a bit of physics and chemistry applied to the builds and claims all I can say is "if you say so" or more accurately "if they say so". Our $5200. system wasn't supposed to need any pre or post filters but our iron content (ppm) is so high they recommended one pre and 2 post filters. Yada yada yada. So I took their advice and if their unit worked as well as they claimed the filters should have been good for a year, the post ones at least. Our water softener has the same "purge" system as this new system you have. That's where and how the salt and minerals are flushed out. I set its cycle for once every 24 hrs. and never have had a problem with the Water Softener. Just the iron. Now my initial comment was only to say that "I didn't find any real difference between the systems."
Need to also ask if you want a whole house filtration system and or under sink drinking water filtration system - I personally utilize both (do you want to soften the water / filter dissolved solids / filter chemicals / filter metals etc). Could you also add how to install a pump to increase water pressure for whole house filtration system?
So how does their technology soften the water without salt? Since this video is over a year old, how is the system performing and how is the water as far are being soft? I'm asking as I have a Culligan system installed in 2013 and it sucks. Having issues with it leaving hard water on dishes, faucets, bathroom fixtures... looks like it isn't working. Was ok first few years but has gone downhill in the last 3 to 4 years. Just saw a vid today talking about using Super Iron Out to help clean the resin? Do you have any experience trying to repair or upkeep a sortener system? What does the SpringWell system require for maintenance beyond the yearly change out of the Pentair sedimentation filter you talked about?
Hi Jeff, thanks for the video. The link that was supplied for the unit was a US based company. Are there any local Canadian/Ontario retailers that will sell the same/similar unit?
My well is destroying my hair. I have all God-given silver hair and the build up on my hair causes a lot of breakage.. There is a lot of lime in my water. If you fill up a glass of water set on the counter, it settles in the bottom of the glass is white powdery stuff.. I live in northeast Missouri. There is no odors, eggs, smell, etc. but the cabin behind my house that I rent out I believe the waterline is extended from my house, but the cabin has a horrible smell, but my house does not.. what water softener do you think I need?
Hey Jeff, I soon will be purchasing a home Lansing Illinois and there is currently a lead water service coming from the main. I wonder what would my best option be. Should I install a water filtration system or hire a plumber to install a copier service line? Thank you in advance.
Hi, I'm considering buying a SpringWell whole house water filter system. How is it doing now, after you've been using it for a few months? Would you still recommend it?
Going through your water flow, why did you decide to have the carbon filter before your sediment filter? Typical setup has Sediment filter before Carbon filter as the Carbon filter is more expensive to replace.
Hey Jeff, your videos have made all home first time home renos easy and water is the next task! Would you recommend the Springwell water filter for city water or another solution? Tested and have nitrates and nitrites, hardwater, pesticides, all the other good stuff Florida has to offer besides bacteria. The county also uses chloramine to clean the water. Would springwell be my best option? And is the water pressure still good when installed?
I think you’re amazing. You taught this 59 yr old how to do a lot on my own,tired of getting burned by contractors because I’m a female. I did a drywall patch the other day and it looked like a pro thank to you 🎉🎉🎉❤
When you rubbed the silicone on your hands was the best part of the video! 5 star's!
YESSSS!!!! Thank you for all your videos. My house is a duplex. I live in one half and rent out the other half, so I have 2 of everything. I have had to replace everything water-mechanical more than twice because of our city water contamination.
Just a suggestion, if you use a ball valve just before going into the cartridge filter it makes it super easy to shut off the water to change the filter down the road.
AND after the filter, so the house's water doesn't come pouring back out!
cheers, will do both!
After you’re done soldering it’s a good idea to allow the copper to cool by air and not immediately submerge the soldered fitting into cool water as this causes rapid expansion of the joints and on occasion can create cracks in the solder joint. Love the video
Actually it causes rapid contraction, not expansion. Quenching very hot copper in water can also make it very soft, something you don't want in threaded fittings.
@@RSole9999 I cringed pretty hard when he quenched that joint.
Good video, however you should allow the fittings to cool naturally, submerging them in water could cause micro cracks in the solder, also once you clean the copper you want to avoid touching it with your hands, the oils in our skin can affect the solder as well and cause the capillary action to not seal in that area.
Also, using the wire brush on the inside of the copper is not a substitute for deburing the copper.
This has to be in your top 10 videos- love you guys!!!
Always appreciate seeing content from this channel. Thank you!
I use your "go backwards" technique every morning when tightening the lid on my travel coffee mug. 😜
lol, right on. no more spills!
I grew up in a part of Louisiana that the city water is a artesian spring. Man naturally soft and so dam good.
Jealous!!!!
I just redid my bathroom and I used the plastic fitting technique of going backwards until the click and it made fitting pipes so easy. I thought of this channel every time I did it!
Jeff... Dude.... As much as it seems like you might feel like you're giving out too much information, literally everything mentioned regarding reasons shark bite fittings are a must are need to know information. Thank you sir. That little extra info can go along way.
I’m only 8 minutes in but I see no reason for shark bites yet, I’d use copper unions
Shark bites fail me all of the time, but the info. given in this video about shark bites is need to know information
Haha I know this is a year old, but I loved this video. Hilarious about the lubrication. Excellent advice and thanks for walking us through the install and tips.
Spent weeks researching a whole house system, I bought it before J watchwd this video!! Once i saw you installing this, im good lol
Enjoy clear and simple instructions. Very impressive
Also, when you need to replace media, just disconnect the by-pass valve where it connects to the head of the unit - you don't have to touch the plumbing at all, and you can do it without even turning the water off if the red levers are in the bypass position. having running water to rinse out the media tank is kinda nice!
It’s rough watchin you struggle with plumbing Jeff 😂
You want to make sure whatever lube you're using for you're water supply it's food grade.
Silicone labeled H1 is food grade and is allows for incidental contact with food.
Petroleum based lubes like Vaseline may cause rubber to degrade faster.
Hi Jeff. Wondering how this system has held up after a couple years of use?
Yup! Jeff is definitely Canadian.
Can't find mounting bracket- assumes he lost it.
American? Damn company left a part out of my kit.
I will never order anything from Canada now 😑
So true! Lol!
If they do not make your filter any more do have replace the whole filter housing? Love your guys videos have been a huge help with remodeling my first home. Thank you guys for doing this channel.
Quick question can i run this system on a 2 house well .i always watch your videos and your the number 1 person i trust .thanks
I like how plug and play this is. Not a fan of shark bite fittings because I can't bring myself to trust a slip on fitting from potentially leaking versus a sweated fitting. Looks good. Does this keep scale out of the lines too?
just got my system and am installing all new PEx lines to go with this. I have a well and ordered the slat based system
Great video, I love your DIY videos. I have been looking into filtration systems and I found out this is not a Walter softener, it's a water conditioner, it does not soften the water.
Put! They advertise it softens water?
@@evanhull3444 🤷♂️🤷♂️ that's what I don't understand?
From my understanding: Conditioners do soften water, just not to the extent of a softener.
Jeff would you still recommend this system for hard water well water?
Hi. Big fan of your videos. I'm in southern Indiana and our town regularly has brown water and extremely hard water with very high levels of manganese. I'd be interested in a video about options for in-city or suburban water filtering options.
We have a salt free water softer, and we’re on a well. Our water is super hard. We had a salt-using softener that we replaced with our salt-free softener. With both softeners we had efficient water filters, so the water was clean when it went into both softeners.
As far as the water is concerned I can’t tell the difference between the salt-using and a salt free water softener.
Our water is still super hard, with lime buildup a nuisance. BUT last year I did some plumbing, adding a shower in a half-bath, and found the interiors of my 45 year-old galvanized pipes were in pristine condition. THAT’S a definite plus.
you're very lucky. 9 times out of 10 salt free conditioners get rendered inert due to the iron an manganese which is very typical in well water.
How is it holding up? I was thinking of purchasing one and installing it. We are on a well. Our water doesn't stink. But stains EVERYTHING! Some are giving bad reviews on salt free water softeners. But I would love your review.
Love your videos! Might I suggest building a bypass valve system at the water main to your house or well tank. Creating a bypass loops the your tank system back to the main feed to your entire house. That way both cold and hot water are purified and if you need to shut off the system you still have water flowing to do your service. Cheers!
Excellent video. So many water filter system out in the market and it can be confusing. Please do a video on copper welding and soldering.
Good morning and first off thank you so much for all of the videos you upload. It's saved me a lot of money and it's very enjoyable to watch! In the installation video provided by the company on these tanks they suggest using a 1-in metal flex line which would avoid all of the copper work that you were doing. Is there a benefit to doing it the way you were doing it here versus using those 1 inch metal flex lines?
Great timing on this, was just looking for a water softener
Michael Kamphuis which water softener would you recommend?
I like to have a golf pencil with a quartet roll of teflon wrapped around the end of it for when I'm wrapping in tight places.
I bought a house with a salt based softener. Previous owner installed it somewhat recently, because the older bathrooms fixtures are almost completely jammed with calcium. There's two people in my house with hypertension, so that means we still have to supplement with bottled water AND the softened water goes out to the spicket where the sprinkler system draws water and sprays salty water all over the lawn.
I was going to get a reverse ossmosis but I think I might look into this instead.
You could always use potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride, it costs a lot more but you don't use much anyway.
Never over tighten those big blue pre-filters. They don't unscrew easily. Make sure you use the metal mounting bracket
It's plumbing for ya. 🤣 Definitely good you used the shark bites on this one. 👌
YUP, Jeff, I figure that I will be learning things about stuff until I draw my last beath.
Has anyone ever told you that you sound very similar to Red Green? You should drop an occasional “ remember we’re all in this together,we’re pullin for ya”!
I’ve had my Pelican Water Conditioner system for two years and very happy
Standards for water quality can be found very easily. Understanding the science might be a bit more difficult but it’s doable. Shame on you for letting people believe they can’t find that stuff.
Love the video but I would recommend you don’t dunk the fitting in water as soon as you finish the solder because the rapid cooldown could cause a crack in the solder which will cause a leak
To answer your question, I live in Southern California in an area with a lot of big agriculture. My water is very hard/calciferous. So I am afraid of the scale build up in my water supply lines. I installed a water softener from GE and seems to be working well but it has only been 6 months. My next water project is to install a whole house water filter to get rid of the chlorine or chloroamines and other AG products that might be in my water.
good call. 20 years from n ow we will all probably find out the pesticides were in the water supply and that is what causes most of our illnesses. Cheers!
Stay with your softener. This system being displayed is a water "conditioner" not a "softener". Get the charcoal filter to take care of the chlorine.
I would like to see a hardness test before the system and after. According to just about every piece of scientific writing out there you cannot reduce hardness without Ion exchange, which bring you back to a salt or potassium system.
Love me some Sunday morning DIY from Jeff, works every time!
Cheers Axell
Wow somebody actually knows the proper way to wrap Teflon tape. Most peope try to roll it off the top of the roll and they get farther and farther from the fitting and loose their tension. Good job. For the siliconed pipe problem, just grab your piece of sand paper you used to clean the copper and use it to grip the Pex.
Really enjoyed the show very educational have a blessed day
The best part of this video was after you used the O'Keeffe's hand lotion. I was dying laughing.
Glysomed hand cream, not O'Keeffe's. Two "F"s in O'Keeffe's.
@@RSole9999 do you want a prize for being a total snob? Cause if there’s a prize for that you have won. I bet you’re fun at parties
I may have missed it but a great disclaimer would be to NEVER solder pipe connected to a plastic fitting like the tank. Also, why no valves anywhere? Might have been nice to see a 3-valve bypass system. Just a thought.
For drinking and cooking I buy distilled water. For other purpose I have some filtering (to remove odor) and water softener system (with salt). If I decided to drink water from well - I would better go for reverse osmosis system.
Jeff, Would you do this system again? Any Canadian equivalents?
That device is amazing!!!
Cheers!
I appreciate the video...but I understand water softeners...and that 'saltless unit ' is not a softener .
Softeners are based on non sacrificial media. A carbon tank is sacrificial. Also carbon is a porous encapsulation media. It can be backwashed to a point, but the entire media bed will need replaced. Cation resin in a softener work on ionic level and doesn't need replaced for the life of the unit. This is true on a well. On city water 8/12 years in the chlorine can ruin the cation mineral.
The hand lotion Jeff put on the rubber seal is Glysomed. Glycerine and chamomile. Glycerine is actually a rubber preservative. A silicone lube is better since it never dries out
You need to use a shark-bite specific deburring tool before inserting them, if you don't you risk destroying the O-ring with a sharp edge. The tool also allows you to mark the mounting depth, so you know you have the pipe installed correctly. You also shouldn't sand that surface because the O-ring needs a smooth surface to seal against. O-ring seals are not gaskets. They work by the O-ring being driven into the gap by the pressure they are containing. They don't rely on compression from the plastic nuts. Snug as as good as tight. If they aren't sealing then either the seal surface is bad, or the o-ring is bad. Look at where they mount, the O-rings are in a gap that won't be closed completely however tight you make the retaining rings. Thuse rings are just there to stop the connectors from popping out. Many brands of water softener don't even use this type of connection, they have locks that secure the sides instead, and those are incapable of applying any pressure to the O-ring. The one in my basement, which is about to be removed, is 19 years old and hasn't leaked a drop. It's also a salt free system and doesn't work. Those tanks are all supposed to be upright, but I'm sure you fixed that before you were done.
What about bypasses for filter changes? I may have missed that, is there a second video?
I was going to add something I thought was helpful, then I read some of the comments. Sorry Sir, you seem like a go getter. There will always be better way to do things. Thanks for sharing what you got. Keep it up.
I would replace all that copper you used with the correct plastic parts from that company. I have to run a RO/DI system to make pure water for my saltwater reef tank. No way I would use copper after a purification stage. It is a heavy metal that will leach back into the water. Just my two cents.
Guess I should clarify a bit more after reading what I wrote. What I really mean to say is if you are concerned about clean drinking water I would invest in a RO system. A quality one. I would recommend Bulk Reef Supply. Hard to beat their quality and price.
I've installed several. In the process of another now: 50 yr old country 5 bedroom, 4 bath house on a well, surrounded by corn and beans, iron. Just pulled and replaced 50 yr old copper with 3/4 pex, new fixtures, new whole house R/O. I will be replacing the functioning salt based softener with...? Clean hands, material on clean poly, don't put your hands where you don't have too etc when installing friend.
What would you do when installing a filtration system that requires a backwash for iron filtering in a basement? We are also on septic and have been recommended against routing the brackish backwash into the septic tank (killing off the good bacteria). We are looking at multiple component systems like the one installed here. Should a pipe be drilled to the outside? Can it be routed into a hose bib and sent away from the house?
Nice vid Jeff/Matt. Curious if you tested the water before and after installation? That would be the best test...any feedback now that you've used it for a while?
still requires another level of filtration at the kitchen sink for perfect drinking but such an improvement on hair and skin. Cheers!
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY what do you do to drink it.
Great video. We have a well too...What do you think of the UV add on? Why didn't you consider it for your home? Did your water test not show signs of bacteria that UV kills: E Coli, Cryptospordium, and Giardia Lambia, etc?
Plumbing supplier here. In my experience, Vaseline swells the rubber gasket / o-ring so next time you remove a filter sump or union nut the rubber no longer fits where it's supposed to, necessitating replacement.
Totally agree grease does the same
AZ here, just watered down calcium here 👌. Thanks man I'll check them out, just plumbed our remodel, I did put a loop in the garage and I plan on putting a soft water spigot on the softer in there. I left the exterior spigots off the softener line, I assumed I was going to use a salt system, left my fridge off the line too and a stove line for cooking, regretting that now.
Two things I've been jonesing to install in my home, tankless water heater and saltless water softener but I've gotten a wild hair to remodel the house so they got put off for another year. Man I was thrilled to see you made this video! Now seeing how easy it is to install I am definitely going to put this system in my home. We have a hard water issue in my town. Thanks so much for this video and everything you do for us Jeff! Lovin the channel!
P.S. I'm such a great fan of shark bite as well!
Cheers William, happy to help!
Informative with great details, however, it's a little dated now. You can use Pex B crimping these days as SHARKBITE is really expensive.
Required: bypass of filter system using lead-free ball values, Tees.
Optional: add a spin-down filter for the larger microns.
Optional: connect a pressure gauge monitor before filter system and after to see if there's drop. Major Drop over time is an indicator of clogs and time to replace some filters or clean spin-down.
Great video on this product, now I know what I will get for my future house next year. At least right off the bat, I know what clean water is going to cost, and I will try using sharkbite for that setup. A lot of people get frustrated easily, but you demonstrated to your viewers what my Father imparted on me, "improvise, adapt and overcome" again, keep up the good work, I have learned a lot and your ideas, instruction, and methods have made some maintenance and projects easier to accomplish.
Happy to help Stephen. Cheers!
Wow! Thank you for the illustration. Glad you're happy with the system. I'm in research phase.
Can you recommend a Canadian supplier of salt free water softeners?
I have new well with hardness and iron issues.
Located in Southwest Ontario.
Thanks!
Big fan.
You should test the water before and after.
Honestly whenever you have multiples and you can do it all at once. It will just save you so much time 😀
I finished changing out all the water lines in the house the next day as well. Cheers!
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY cheers love your channel 😀
Our house was built in 59 and we have a well. We have very orange sulfur smelling water. We have a salt softener, it works kind of. The water still stains the toilet bowls and I wouldn't drink it.
In most cases you need the extra filtration that a system like this allows. Cheers!
The good thing about this system is that it aerates the water and allows the iron to oxidize and get carried away in the back flush. I bought a similar system that I will install shortly. I picked this up from amazon: B078C82XF8 Durawater Air Injection Iron Eater Filter. Removes Iron, Manganese, H2S. Black Series. I called their phone number (see videos from Aplus water) and spoke with Tony and he helped me map out my system and requirements.
Is that a water softener or water conditioner? How can you soften water without the salt? Do you mind explaining the processes?
Hi It is a good vedio, where can we buy the filters
Personally I would have went with unions instead of shark bites but, otherwise good install. Thanks for the other tips and insight.
Where are the shut off valves for cartridge filter??? Those are always a must to make any filter changes or any maintenance.
I live in a country area where we are on public water. I moved here from a newer area of development outside of a city. When I moved out to the country I noticed a smell coming from the water, best way to describe it is camp water, the same smell you tend to smell at the showers at Americas National Parks.
My main concern is what that smell is coming from, my second concern is my fish. I have several fresh water fish tanks in my home and I worry about the quality of water I am introducing into the closed ecosystem that is a fish tank.
I would love to see a video about the installation of a reverse osmosis unit for ultimate water quality and lowest possible dissolved solids. Thanks for taking the time to read this
Strange that you are getting that kind of smell and not chlorine since you are on city water. Is the smell with cold /hot or both? The cold side would be a city issue, and maybe you could buy a water sample test, and show the results to the city water department as a health hazard (some test kits check for bacteria).
If it is hot water only, then it could be the anode rod, or bacteria creating hydrogen sulfide gases. Magnesium rods are considered "healthy" as we need that in our diet instead of an aluminum one, as you consume trace amounts of aluminum - we get enough poisoning from deodorants etc.
Jeff, you should have mentioned that this system comes from the USA not Canada. You have to consider the exchange rate and shipping. I talked to the company and this product does not apply to NAFTA, therefore duties will be applied.
Do you happen to have a video on how to install a plumbing loop in preparation for this install when your house does not have one?
Awesome video as always. Appreciate the “goofs”, as they happen in real life frequently. Next time you silicone/lubricate your hands, wash them with liquid dish soap, not hand soap. Dish soap has heavy duty surfactants to break down thick grease. Hand soaps are made to be gentler and often have moisturizing properties added.
We live out in the country, lots of iron and hard scale build up on everything. There was a water softener with the house, but It has been disconnected but the previous owner and replaced with a whole house cartridge softener and filter system.
Thanks for the advice. Cheers Anne!
I live in Los Angeles. We have extremely hard water; so hard that over 10 years it has destroyed our kitchen faucet, seizing up the pivoting neck and also making it leak. It’s done a similar thing with our bathroom faucet, except it actually ate away at the aerator, meaning we had to replace that. Faucets aren’t that expensive to replace in the grand scheme of things, but for a family on a tight budget, we have to deal with it. We still have great water pressure even after the 25-30 years since the house was repiped, but I fear that sometime in the future the scale may build up to the point where there is major pressure loss or an appliance failure.
there is descaling technology pout there. may be worth looking into it. Cheers!
My husband used to struggle with loosening the tank with the plastic wrench every single time. I suggest tightening it to a lesser degree then check for leaking for a few days. Then tighten a little if needed. Will save on swearing every time.
My wrench broke, so I bought a small wrench strap and that makes short work of a stubborn filter cover. I hand tighten my cover - never use my wrench, but as another poster stated, it is hard to remove a few months down the line for some strange reason.
I'm looking for Salt-Free Water Softeners with an pre-aerator for the chlorine. Seems like people are only using carbon, but I come from aquarium backgrounds and aeration is the best way. The only aeration Im finding is for like house worried about problematic well water gasses, nothing small for city water.
We have the exact same filter system installed by the seller back in 2007 and it didn't work any better than the standard water softener that we already had. Yeh, yeh, except for the salt. I know. I'm talking about the iron staining throughout was the same. However, within a month the filter canisters were so plugged with iron they needed to be replaced at $250. ea and there were 3 of them. The system cost $5200. installed. The water softener cost $1200. and I did the install myself. The math of the Water Softener won. We still have both but the system like the one in this vid is disconnected. I hope you have better luck with iron in the filters and their replacement cost.
Hi Sheila, that would be impossible since this product was not on the market until recently. Cheers!
@@HomeRenoVisionDIY I've read the claims/literature on the website for your unit and did the comparison with my 12 yr old literature and with a bit of physics and chemistry applied to the builds and claims all I can say is "if you say so" or more accurately "if they say so". Our $5200. system wasn't supposed to need any pre or post filters but our iron content (ppm) is so high they recommended one pre and 2 post filters. Yada yada yada. So I took their advice and if their unit worked as well as they claimed the filters should have been good for a year, the post ones at least.
Our water softener has the same "purge" system as this new system you have. That's where and how the salt and minerals are flushed out. I set its cycle for once every 24 hrs. and never have had a problem with the Water Softener. Just the iron.
Now my initial comment was only to say that "I didn't find any real difference between the systems."
Need to also ask if you want a whole house filtration system and or under sink drinking water filtration system - I personally utilize both (do you want to soften the water / filter dissolved solids / filter chemicals / filter metals etc). Could you also add how to install a pump to increase water pressure for whole house filtration system?
will be installing a sink system as well. Cheers!
So how does their technology soften the water without salt? Since this video is over a year old, how is the system performing and how is the water as far are being soft? I'm asking as I have a Culligan system installed in 2013 and it sucks. Having issues with it leaving hard water on dishes, faucets, bathroom fixtures... looks like it isn't working. Was ok first few years but has gone downhill in the last 3 to 4 years. Just saw a vid today talking about using Super Iron Out to help clean the resin? Do you have any experience trying to repair or upkeep a sortener system? What does the SpringWell system require for maintenance beyond the yearly change out of the Pentair sedimentation filter you talked about?
Just wondering how this system is holding up and to see if you are still happy with it?
I’d like to know too.
I am in the UK and I would like to know if you know of any products that are available for me to have a water softness solution for city water
Just a thought, Jeff for a lube I used margarine on my system.
Play Safe From Elliot Lake Ontario Canada.
But all those Trans-fats in the Hydrogenated margarine is not good for "The Pipes"....
Or white bread plug to hold water back to solder, it will disintegrate and not clog, saved me a few times.
I'd worry about pipe atherosclerosis. Silent Killer.
so in my town. they just sent letters out on our water having too much arsenic. what is the best filtration system for arsenic thanks
I noticed you tagged springwell water but the system you installed is a pentair. Do you have any experience with Springwell?
Hi Jeff, thanks for the video. The link that was supplied for the unit was a US based company. Are there any local Canadian/Ontario retailers that will sell the same/similar unit?
Just learned that the U.S. company is no longer selling to the Canadian market due to high costs. Wasn't NAFTA supposed to resolve this?
My well is destroying my hair. I have all God-given silver hair and the build up on my hair causes a lot of breakage.. There is a lot of lime in my water. If you fill up a glass of water set on the counter, it settles in the bottom of the glass is white powdery stuff.. I live in northeast Missouri. There is no odors, eggs, smell, etc. but the cabin behind my house that I rent out I believe the waterline is extended from my house, but the cabin has a horrible smell, but my house does not.. what water softener do you think I need?
Jeff I’m am installing a water softener for the first time and need help
Jeff, what did you lube that oring with? (what am I afraid of? the dark)
Jeff how is the system working today ?
Hey Jeff, I soon will be purchasing a home Lansing Illinois and there is currently a lead water service coming from the main. I wonder what would my best option be. Should I install a water filtration system or hire a plumber to install a copier service line? Thank you in advance.
Any update on this system? I’m looking to buy the same one
Another great video.
Thanks Larry, Cheers!
Hi, I'm considering buying a SpringWell whole house water filter system. How is it doing now, after you've been using it for a few months? Would you still recommend it?
Going through your water flow, why did you decide to have the carbon filter before your sediment filter? Typical setup has Sediment filter before Carbon filter as the Carbon filter is more expensive to replace.
Hey Jeff, your videos have made all home first time home renos easy and water is the next task! Would you recommend the Springwell water filter for city water or another solution?
Tested and have nitrates and nitrites, hardwater, pesticides, all the other good stuff Florida has to offer besides bacteria. The county also uses chloramine to clean the water. Would springwell be my best option? And is the water pressure still good when installed?