I was at Lowes yesterday talking with the plumbing guy. He said a few things that remotely made sense, but I challenge what he said. I just want honest open opinions, and if someone knows better, please tell me.

I’m about to put new filter cartridges and a new RO (Reverse Osmosis) element. He told me there are better systems out now. OK, so I haven’t followed plumbing advances very well.

I’m thinking of putting a whole house filter BEFORE my water softener (not including the outside hose bibs). My mineral count is somewhere around 400 (had it tested a few years ago and I hope I remembered that correctly). The guy at Lowes said that my RO drinking water should also be before my water softener. Is that true? Since I’m planning on doing some work, what would be the best way to handle this?

Thanks for your help.

The guy at Lowes made some statements about ultra pure water being acidic. He said that ultra pure water will dissolve copper pipes, brass, lots of different irons and such. While I suppose that a lack of minerals in water COULD leach minerals from copper, I think he was a bit over the top. If you know, please let me know. It won’t make any difference to how I handle my drinking water situation, but it’s always nice to know something for sure.

Again, thanks.




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What is the best water filter combination?




My class is doing an experiment. We have a normal 500ml plastic bottle, with the bottom slightly cut off. We then have filtration materials such as pebbles(biggest but floats in water), gravel(second finest but is very powdery), and sand(finest). We each get a coffee filter paper along with some paperclips and rubber bands. We have to filter dirty lake water to clear, odourless water into a beaker. What is the best combo? And where should I apply the coffee filter paper? Thanks for your help!




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What adapter / where to buy it, do I need to install a Pur Filter on this faucet that does not take the usual adapters… Thanks for your help in advance.




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Yellow water after turning on water softener?




I just purchased a home and I have a Culligan Mark 100 water softener in the garage. It was empty (no salt) and looked as if it was not used for a while. I had a Culligan guy come and add 3 bags of salt and regenerate the machine. Since then, and for the last 3 days my water is yellow. I called them and they said to run the tub for a while and it will clear. As of today the tap water, toilet water and bathtub water still have a faint yellow tint, not as bad as day 1 and 2, but still not clear. Is there anything I can do? or should I call them back again to come out. Also, I am showering with this water, but not drinking it. Is it safe? Thanks for your help, Mike.




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My water softener doesn’t work. How do I fix it?




My electricity was out for a couple of days and now my water softener doesn’t work.

It has an Autotrol Corp. Model 1550-TC controller that isn’t working.
(I’ve already sent an email to the company that makes it with no answer yet.)

Anyone know how to fix it or have any ‘trouble-shooting’ suggestions?

Thanks for your help!




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My bathroom sink has a double faucet. The cold water faucet has no problem but when the hot water faucet is turned on it shrieks. This doesn’t happen when you turn the faucet but rather when the water is running. Does anyone know how to fix this? Thanks for your help.




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I need to buy a new water heater and it has to be electric. The way I am reading the requirements to be eligible for a tax credit, the electric water heater has to have an Energy Factor of 2.0 or greater. I’m not finding any electric water heaters with an Energy Factor above 0.98 though. Any specific brands and model numbers of a qualifying electric water heater will be greatly appreciated.
I appreciate the answers. Thanks for your help.




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I’ve been researching the web to find the best Water Pitcher Filter — which one removes the most contaminents. Unfortunately, I can’t locate any good comparison-reviews. All I know is that Brita ranks lower in tests when compared to the Pur brand . . . but how does Pur compare to all the others on the market?

If you have an answer (and perhaps a webpage showing the data) I would really appreciate it! Thanks for your help!




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I have seen a television commercial for a home water filtration system that is similar to a brita water pitcher. However, instead of storing the water in a pitcher it actually filters the water into 4 reusable bottles. Does anyone know of this product. I cannot find it online. Thanks for your help!




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My water softener brine tank sprang a leak. I have another one I can use but it is a different size. Is it okay to use any size or does the replacement brine tank have to exactly match the original one for the water softener to work properly? Thanks for your help!




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I have a GE Side By Side Refrigerator. Ice Maker is working, but Water Dispenser is not working. Here is what I have done thus far: a) Replaced the water filter with a brand new one b) Decreased the temperature in the fridge

Can you help me to fix the problem without calling a repair person?

Thanks for your help.




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I trying to stop the water from running, I tried stopping it with clothes but nothing worked. so right now I have so the water will run into the ground under the house. will this make the water bill high, I really hope this doesn’t show up on the water bill. this isn’t the same as running water out the faucet is it?
Okay my brother came over, the problem is solved, thanks for your help. Yah bless.




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Does distilled water have sodium in it?




I would like to go on a low sodium diet. Does distilled water or other forms of bottled water have sodium in it? THANKS for your help!




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How would the freezing and boiling points of distilled water and seawater compare?

A. Both the freezing and boiling points of seawater would be lower.
B. Both the freezing and boiling points of seawater would be higher.
C. The seawater freezing point would be lower and the seawater boiling point higher.
D. The seawater freezing point would be higher and the seawater boiling point lower.

Ethylene glycol is the active ingredient in most commercial automobile antifreeze. Why wouldn’t sodium chloride be used in a similar way?

A. Sodium chloride solute does not lower the freezing point of water.
B. Sodium chloride does not dissolve in water.
C. Sodium chloride lowers the freezing point of water but has other undesirable characteristics.
D. Sodium chloride is a solid while ethylene glycol is a liquid.

Thanks for your help with these!!




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The other morning I noticed a large puddle of water coming out from under my washer. This puddle appeared after I heard a gurgling sound. Last night I was in the kitchen washing the dishes and was running the washer at the same time, when the wash cycle turned over to the rinse cycle and the water was draining from my washer, it began to bubble up out of my kitchen sink! And it was dirty water too…it looked like stuff was floating in it, like the pipes are dirty inside. Why did this happen? It happened again this morning, that when the wash cycle turns over into the rinse, and the rinse cycle turns over into spin cycle, the water bubbles up out of the kitchen sink. The laundry room is inside the bathroom, which is right next to the kitchen. I imagine all of the pipes are connected somehow. My husband thinks the drain leading from the washer is clogged and told me to pour Draino into it. I do not think that is the answer. Thanks for your help!
Good point about the cold weather. I live in the northeast, and we have had several consecutive days where the temperatures have been in the teens and twenties during the day, then in the single digits at night. Maybe that has something to do with it?




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