Expert: Steve Major (Owner - Major Design Group) - 9/8/2007

Question
Hi Mr. Major,
I live in a suburb in NY state.
I have a 1.5 bath home with 2 people residing. I have hard water (17 last testing), .8 iron and 6.5 acidity.
One question is how bad is 6.5 acidity?  Is it an amount that should be corrected with a water treatment system or not bad enough to be concerned?  
Also, I had 2 companies in and one said to put my filter (which they suggested to be a Big Blue they sell) before the water softener while another said if I put one at all, it should be after the softener.  Is one or the other the rule or does it depend on the softener I get as to where the filter should be placed?
Thank you for your help.
John

Answer
John,

A pH (acidity) of 6.5 is not a real worry.It's only 0.5 less than 7 (neutral).  However, since you have iron in the water your treatment contractor may recommend a different media in the softener/conditioner that works at this particular pH level.

If you are on a private well (I assume that you are), the filter must go before the softener/conditioner.  This way it grabs any particles and sediment that could potentially foul the relatively delicate mechanism of the softener valve.  For this reason our company (Lakeland Water Systems, Homer, NY) includes a standard 2x10, 20 micron sediment filter with every softener or conditioner. You don't really need the capacity or additional cost of a Big Blue unless you have extra-dirty water, a higher than average usage, and/or low pressure problems.

Best of luck and let me know if you have additional questions.

Steve Major
www.lakelandwater.com