Finding a nice Water Purity system

[hill]

We want to put a soft water system in for washing the PV panels, but don't want the salt / water waste. Same with RO. we also want to diminish the chlorine / smell as much as possible. Is charcoal the only filter to do that well? There seems to be a HUGE amount of huxtary in the industry that makes it hard to determine what's real & what's a sham. suggestions?

[Shawn Clark]

hill,

How much water does it take to wash the panels and how often? I'm wondering if finding a source for filling a small plastic tank with deionized water would make more sense? Hook it up to a small pump with spray nozzle and wash away.

When we had some nasty tasting drinking water down South I just used one of the Pur filters on the kitchen faucet. In one home it was periodic--whenever temps reached a certain level and we were in drought the river draw to the water plant would produce a wet earth/leaves taste (cannot remember the specific organic compound.) Edit: You could smell it in the shower too. We normally got the bulk of our water from another water plant that had the top taste ratings in the nation, but when it got hot all that good water ended up on people's yards who were nearer to that plant, while we got a mix of earthy water.

[qbee42]

Charcoal does not soften water. It works well for removing chemicals and odors, but not dissolved minerals. Softening water requires RO, ion exchange, or both.

Tom

[Newpriusrunner]

Call 260 0552, company called aquafuzion, ask for cameron I specialize in water purification systems

[jayman]

Originally Posted by hill

We want to put a soft water in for washing the PV panels, but don't want the salt / water waste. Same with RO.

Those are contradictory demands. An activated carbon charcoal filter will take care of chlorine odor, but for the rest of your needs an RO and/or a good water softener

[hill]

yes, I know ... it looks like I'll have to get 2 separate things ... one for the whole house to control chlorine/smell/purity such as filtration/charcoal ... and maybe some small ionizing system for the panels (as well as car & laundry washing). Still, RO & salt seem so wasteful and environmentally unfriendly. ok, so now I'm hoping someone has suggestions for TWO things
So ... who's happy with their (small) softener system, and who's happy with their charcoal system. Thanks.

Edit: I understand that when RO & salt soften the water, it removes minerals (calcium/potassium etc?) that the body uses/needs. That being the case, it'd seem all the more important to isolate the softening process to 'utility' lines such as the outdoor cleaning hose & the line to the washer.

[jayman]

Up here, its code that the water softener is not used for outside hose bibs or the kitchen cold tap. I ran a second hose bib for softened water, so when I wash the vehicle, it's not covered in white hard water spots

[qbee42]

The whole purpose of softening water is to remove minerals, so yes, softened water will have less calcium. Actually the softening process does not reduce the total amount of minerals, but does an ion exchange to replace annoying minerals with less offensive ones. RO, on the other hand, actually reduces the total amount of mineral.

In general you don't want to drink softened water or deionized water. At the very least, it doesn't have much taste. For drinking, I prefer normal tap water filtered with charcoal.

Here is a link to a write-up I did awhile back. It should answer some of your questions:

What causes water spots

Tom

[jayman]

Using the hose bib from the water softener, does not eliminate water spots, but sure makes them a lot easier to live with. The well water here is very hard.

I never used to worry about drinking water softener water, have done so since I was a kid. Let's hope my kidneys aren't screaming in pain

[qbee42]

We used to make coffee in the lab with deionized water. The coffee maker never needed to be cleaned, although I imagine the boiler tube was getting thinner and thinner.

Tom