Need for "Hygene"?

[Prbyroy]

I have a Puronics Model IQ0820 water softener. It does not do a good job! The water is not really soft as evidenced by our wash cloths, which are as stiff and hard as boards. When the technician comes around to check the unit and replenish the salt, he tells us that the problem is that we need to replace the Hygene to the tune of almost $300. I'm wondering if this is a scam. From what I can glean on line, this Hygene is a layer of material in the tank designed to remove bacteria. If that is what it is, how would it affect the hardness of the water? I hate to shell out a bunch of money only to find out that nothing has changed. Any suggestions?

 

[ditttohead]

Buy a Hach 5B test kit. This simple test kit will let you know if the system is producing soft water or not. The special layer of media has no affect on hardness.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Mialynette2003]

The Hygene is silver impregnated carbon used to remove chlorine from the water. The silver is used to prevent the growth of bacteria. Neither has anything to do with softening the water. It's just a way for them to get more of your money. As suggested by Dittohead, buy a 5B test kit so you will kmow for sure if you have hard water.

 

[nhsu11]

I just received a consultation from a local water treatment professional who sells Puronics system. He was upfront about the replacement cost for Hygene. I was quoted at $300 every 2/3 years to replace the Hygene. I'm a little hesitant to go with Puronics because I didn't want the extra complication of having to deal with the Hygene stuff. Everywhere I've been reading, people suggest a separate unit for the decontamination.

 

[ditttohead]

Agreed, medias should not be put into the same tank for the most part.

 

[Reach4]

Everywhere I've been reading, people suggest a separate unit for the decontamination.

1. Are you on your own well or do you get your water from a water company/city?

2. What are you looking to fix in your water besides softness?

 

[nhsu11]

1) I get water from my water company.

2) I'm just looking to solve my hard water problem.

1. Are you on your own well or do you get your water from a water company/city?

2. What are you looking to fix in your water besides softness?

 

[Reach4]

The chlorine in the incoming water should have killed everything off. I would think that replacing your stuff in the tank with regular resin (maybe 10% crosslink) would be the ticket to get your water soft. I am not a pro, but WWW.SWSSYSTEM.COM is. And you are very fortunate that they are local to you.

Activated charcoal is used to take out chlorine, if that is objectionable. The silver seems to be a solution without a problem to me. But as was stated on the previous to soften your water better, you want softener resin.

Normally filling the brine tank with salt is a DIY thing. It does not require a specialist. The hard part is that it normally comes in 40 pound bags, so buying it can be a chore for some. Whoever does other tasks around the house can do that. You dump salt in up to a level that would be suggested by somebody who knows or try my method. I like to tilt my salt level as I pour. When the there is some salt above the top of the water, you are OK. I tend to not like to fill the brine tank up. I would not add more than a bag at once myself.

http://www.aquasolutions.ca/pdf_documentation/IQManual.pdf

 

[Prbyroy]

1. Are you on your own well or do you get your water from a water company/city?

2. What are you looking to fix in your water besides softness?

Our water comes from the local water company. Other than hardness, I don't have any problems with our water. The technician did test the water last week and told me that there was no chlorine, but the "Hygene" needed replacement. This guy probably had a ten minute indoctrination and was told to sell the Hygene.

 

[Bannerman]

You mention that the unit does not do a good job at softening. Has it always been this way or has it suddenly gotten worse?

What size is the unit (capacity) and how old is it? If you can provide that information as well as your hardness level, house occupancy and post a photo of the control settings front and rear, the settings can then be reviewed to verify suitability, by the various participants here.

Since the 'Hygene' is consuming space in the softener which would be better utilized for softening resin, you probably can remove the Hygene so as to make additional room for more resin. Depending on the age of the unit, it maybe appropriate to replace the existing resin with new. If the softener is substantially older, it maybe more cost effective to replace the entire softener.

As the Hygene is primarily intended to remove chlorine from your incoming water, it would be more effective to install a separate backwashing charcoal filter situated before the softener. A separate filter, would contain more charcoal than what is mixed in with the softener resin and, would be more effective at higher flow rates. Media replacement should also be more economical when eventually required.

 

[Mialynette2003]

You can visit me at the Market of Marion on isle E North. We sell a soap test kit that will show whether you have soft water or not. It does not show the amount of hard water. You can bring us a sample and we will test it on the spot. Our summer hours are Sat & Sun 10-2.

 

[ditttohead]

Trust me, it is worth meeting mialynette2003! His knowledge is exceptional and he treats his customers very fairly. He is one of the good guys in this industry!

I was just in Florida a month ago but I did not have the time to stop by, maybe in a few months,