Question:

I want to buy a water softner and a drinking water filter for my home. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and the water in my area is very hard. What steps should I take before making this investment?

1. I know I'm suppose to contact the local water company and ask for a report. What do I ask for? 2. What are the latest technologies in this area? What appears to be the best? the worst?

Answer:

1. Ask for their annual EPA Water Quality report. They are required by law to provide it. In fact, they have to mail a summary of it to you or include it in a bill. 2. Please don't be swayed by silly magnetic or similar sounding technologies. There are lots of companies that will try to sell you very expensive systems that have no proven benefit.

You have two choices: Traditional ion replacement ("salt") or reverse osmosis. A decent salt conditioner with on-demand replacement can be purchased for less than $500 and will last 10-20 years before the resin tank needs to be replaced.

If you are concerned about the small amount of salt ions that replace the calcium ions (hardness), you can use potasium chloride instead of sodium chloride. It goes for about $1 more a bag. Keep in mind that if your house is plumbed correctly, your kitchen tap will typically have untreated cold water and it is the source of most of the water you would ingest.

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