Lots of Calcium

[Boltface]

Just another thought/question, wondering where all this stuff in the water heater is coming from.

The 30+ year old softener is still in the loop though the timer/valve has been unplugged for more than 10 years. Could the resin be breaking down and causing or contributing to this problem?

 

[Smooky]

Bolt face
You have hard water. Hard water is caused by CALCIUM and MAGNESIUM. Your alkalinity and total dissolved solids are somewhat high. At some point you were adding “neutralizer” in by a scoop. Acid neutralizer is made of calcite a part of calcium. That stuff is in the water heater because you are not using the water softener and in the past you were adding calcite to the system.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Boltface]

Smooky, Thanks for the response. I stopped using both the neutralizer and the softener at the same time. That was about 14 years ago, long before we got this hot water heater.

I guess that you are saying my Calcium and Magnesium results are high enough to cause my buildup.

Correct?

 

[Smooky]

Yes........Calcium and Magnesium results are high enough to cause your buildup along with the other Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) such as the potassium and sodium. Your pH is not too high but anything above 7 is considered scale forming, so all of these things are contributing factors. A properly sized water softener should solve many of your problems. You might consider a reverse osmosis system for drinking water in addition to a water softener.

 

[ditttohead]

A softener would be the primary piece of equipment. An RO would be nice too. Your water is fairly good, no real concerns.