I know the dishwasher they put in my house when they renovated it, is the cheapest, stainless steel GE model you can buy.
OKC has very "hard" water, so we typically run an empty cycle, with just a bowl of vinegar on top every few weeks to help all the build up, that often leaves cups and glasses with a noticeable film (IE dirtier than when they went in).
Have any of you figured out a better cleaning method for this type of situation?
A whole house water softener/filter solution?
Stefan said:A whole house water softener/filter solution?
An ion exchange water softener would work. It changes out the calcium for sodium. Makes the soap and detergent work way better. If you take a shower with soft water it feels like the soap never washes off.
Stefan said:A whole house water softener/filter solution?
That sounds expensive to buy, install, and maintain for an existing home. Probably worth it if you were building new?
In this part of the country, basically everything is built on a slab. So we'd talking cutting up the foundation to get to the supply line for the entire house, just as a starter, before we would even be able to worry about where we could install the necessary hardware.
z31maniac said:Stefan said:A whole house water softener/filter solution?
That sounds expensive to buy, install, and maintain for an existing home. Probably worth it if you were building new?
In this part of the country, basically everything is built on a slab. So we'd talking cutting up the foundation to get to the supply line for the entire house, just as a starter, before we would even be able to worry about where we could install the necessary hardware.
I'm skeptical of the bolded part.
Besides that, I think that you can get water softeners installed under counter. Would probably only go to 1-2 faucets (kitchen sink and dishwasher in this case), but you really only need it in 1-2 spots.
z31maniac said:Stefan said:A whole house water softener/filter solution?
That sounds expensive to buy, install, and maintain for an existing home. Probably worth it if you were building new?
In this part of the country, basically everything is built on a slab. So we'd talking cutting up the foundation to get to the supply line for the entire house, just as a starter, before we would even be able to worry about where we could install the necessary hardware.
and your reply sounds like you've not bothered to look into, just provide a knee jerk reaction. Just providing a possible solution that is known to work and compared to the alternative (potentially replacing the dish washer, faucets and other plumbing connected items more often), it is likely the more reasonable solution.
Your choice, but given how much time and energy you spend speccing out and building your last few cars, it seems a little odd that you'd not do the same for your home.
Good luck with it, either way.
Stefan said:z31maniac said:Stefan said:A whole house water softener/filter solution?
That sounds expensive to buy, install, and maintain for an existing home. Probably worth it if you were building new?
In this part of the country, basically everything is built on a slab. So we'd talking cutting up the foundation to get to the supply line for the entire house, just as a starter, before we would even be able to worry about where we could install the necessary hardware.
and your reply sounds like you've not bothered to look into, just provide a knee jerk reaction. Just providing a possible solution that is known to work and compared to the alternative (potentially replacing the dish washer, faucets and other plumbing connected items more often), it is likely the more reasonable solution.
Your choice, but given how much time and energy you spend speccing out and building your last few cars, it seems a little odd that you'd not do the same for your home.
Good luck with it, either way.
I wasn't trying to be dismissive, my apologies if it came off that way. When you posted that, I did take a quick look around it looks like a quality full-home system is between $2200-3000 for just the hardware. Add in getting to the line, possibly rerouting the main coming into the house, then finding a place that the system would fit doesn't seem worth it for house of this value.
mtn said:z31maniac said:Stefan said:A whole house water softener/filter solution?
That sounds expensive to buy, install, and maintain for an existing home. Probably worth it if you were building new?
In this part of the country, basically everything is built on a slab. So we'd talking cutting up the foundation to get to the supply line for the entire house, just as a starter, before we would even be able to worry about where we could install the necessary hardware.
I'm skeptical of the bolded part.
Besides that, I think that you can get water softeners installed under counter. Would probably only go to 1-2 faucets (kitchen sink and dishwasher in this case), but you really only need it in 1-2 spots.
Slab construction means you either cut up concrete to get to it, or you reroute outside before it gets to the house. Which still means finding a place to reroute the line, install the equipment, and take the out line from the equipment to tie back in with the original supply line. Neither option sounds particularly affordable.
Now, just doing a water softener for just the kitchen under the counter sounds way more affordable!
Slabs here in florida as well.
My house has the line coming from the meter underground, and then it goes up the wall a few feet were the main valve is. I have mine teed off right before the main valve.
As for cost, mine was installed by the previous owner, but I looked into getting a new one and I believe you could find one for under $700 if I am not mistaken.
Worth looking into.
Here:
The plumbing is cake, but if you dont have an outlet nearby you will need an electrician to install one.
My grandma always tosses a Dixie cup of vinegar in the final rinse, but I don’t think her water sounds as hard as yours.
The house I'm renting also has what seems to be the cheapest stainless GE dishwasher they make installed. When I moved in, I noted the terrible performance. I did find a "filter" that was in the tub. I removed that and it was clogged with dog hair(!!!) and calcium deposits. It does better now but I still contacted the management company who sent out the appliance repair dude. He checked a few things and thought that maybe there was some buildup in the pump and/or the spray arms. He recommended a product called Lemi Shine. Its basically a powdered citric acid that you add to the wash cycle. I bought some at my local Wally World. His other suggestions were to not use the detergent cup and just throw the pack in the bottom of the tub as well as running the hot water in the sink to ensure that the water would be hot when filling the dishwasher tub. Then I dump a pile of Lemi Shine on the detergent pack in the bottom of the tub before starting the cycle.
It has made a big difference. The tub is now spotless. All of the nasty white residue in the tub and door is gone. It washes a lot better and has less water spotting on the dishes (Lemi Shine is also a rinse agent). I was super skeptical but it seems to work. And its cheap 
In reply to stanger_missle :
Excellent, this is exactly what the kind of experience I was hoping to get. Because I know with the vast array of people someone here always has some answer.
I'll make sure to check the filter in the bottom.
We have three dogs and a cat, even with the return vents in the ceiling, it's crazy how much dog hair ends up in the filters, on the mantel, etc.
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