Recent content by Ameli0rate

The old softener was marginal, the new one has been in place for about two years now. I don't get the white build-up in the shower and sinks like I would see every few months with the old one. The hardness outside of the softener is 17 grain and behind it it WAS 3 grains two weeks after the...

I haven't had a water test done other than the hardness. Would that be able to tell me what makes the water taste chalky? I was thinking (mistakenly?) that it's the limestone in our aquifer. Also - should a test be done on the softened water, or on the "raw" water going into the house? The...

I live in San Antonio and have hard water. The nice, new water softener does a great job, HOWEVER, the water still tastes a bit chalky to me. I like the "baseline" taste of the Costco bottled water, so I decided to pick up a Brita filter. The water still tastes chalky out of that (same as...

I measured under the tap after my shower and the temp was 119f. Then I waited about 15 minutes to let the water heater cook for a bit and measured again, 125f. It's perfect for showering, but too cold for germ elimination. I've turned it up a point or two on the dial, so that should cure...

Interesting. I was thinking more from an efficiency standpoint (which is more efficient - mixing too hot water with cold, or setting the water heater at perfect-for-full-hot showers) but I never knew about the legionellosis risk, many thanks for the heads up. While I'm curious about the...

To elaborate - does it make sense to set the water heater to a temperature where I can shower with the handle to full-hot, or should the water heater be set to a higher temp and I mix hot and cold in the shower? Does energy savings figure in? If I mix my hot water with cold, I use less water...

I can't really think of a good way to use it without hoses. It would be like a window unit that you didn't put in a window. Of course, if you're thinking of just getting cool air on you while you work in the garage, then it might make some sense (I live in Texas, I know the pain).

I don't know where that image came from in my post above. I don't recall putting it there. Anyway, Jim, thanks a bunch. It looks to me that the skirted (that's the word, thanks!) toilets are just not worth the price. The Carlyle and Aquia toilets, never mind the Neorest ones, are crazy...

Thanks, lots of good info to consider and the Ditra site has more - things like not putting heating coils under cabinets, etc. The spare sensor is the sort of advice that can be/will be worth gold when the first one fails! I'll measure the bathroom a little better this weekend, but it looks...

To piggyback, I am planning on replacing mine with quarter-turn angle stops when I replace toilets and sinks (upcoming bathroom remodel). Is there a reason these things don't thread on to the pipes coming out of the wall? It would be a lot easier to replace them in the future if they did.

That's even better. I'm not looking to super-heat the room, just take the chill out of our feet and alleviate some condensation-on-the-mirror issues. This is how the bathroom looks: https://i.imgur.com/kr14oya.jpg Plus there's a 10'x10' (ballpark) master closet on the far end to the right...

Thanks, the 12-14W per sqf would be a useful measurement as I can figure out if it will be enough or not. I'm not looking to heat the house with it, but to keep the room comfortable - which, even if it's only 65f in there, if the floor is 70f, it will feel far more comfortable AND it will work...

From those who have it (and my memories of it in Europe in the 70's and 80's) it's amazing and a must-have. So we're planning a bathroom remodel, and currently have forced air furnace/AC for the house and the master bath has that little Nutone 1950's looking heater fan in the ceiling. It's...

I have my eyes set on this one: "Toto Ultramax Elongated One Piece Toilet MS854114EG#01" as it seems to fulfill my requirements, but does a version of it exist with the flat sides to make it easier to clean? Do they have a dual-flush option? If not, my ideas for toilets are; 1, One-piece...

Yeah, the water softener we have is an oooooold (came with the house) WEHS40. It's cranked up to 35 and we still get a small amount of deposits in the kettle and coffee maker, and I scheduling a replacement soon (demand-regen unit, Clack valve with Empress tank unit from a local outfit)...