WATER SOFTENERS: MIRACLE FIX OR JUST ANOTHER THING TO CLEAN?
You nailed it—these things aren’t magic, and the maintenance is real. I tried a softener a couple years back thinking it’d be a set-it-and-forget-it fix, but honestly, it just swapped one chore for another. I still had to flush the tank, just not as often. The “slippery” water threw me off too. That said, if you’re dealing with heavy buildup, it does help a bit. For me, I’d rather stick with regular flushing and save the cash for now. You’re not missing out on a miracle cure, but at least you’re not alone in the lukewarm shower struggle.
“it just swapped one chore for another. I still had to flush the tank, just not as often.”
Yeah, that’s exactly it. Water softeners help a bit with buildup, but you’re still stuck doing maintenance—just a different flavor of it. I actually started missing the old “crunchy” water after a while. Plus, the slippery feeling is weird… like you never quite rinse off the soap. Not a miracle, but maybe worth it if your pipes are ancient. Otherwise, regular flushing seems less hassle.
I get what you mean about the “slippery” water—first time I noticed it, I thought I hadn’t rinsed off enough. It’s weird how softeners fix one thing but kinda create another. I’m still not sure if the trade-off is worth it, especially since I’m the one stuck draining the tank anyway.
Has anyone tried those tankless heaters with hard water? I keep hearing they’re supposed to be lower maintenance, but I can’t imagine they’re immune to buildup. Seems like you’d still have to descale them, just maybe not as often? Curious if that’s actually true or just marketing talk.
WHEN HOT SHOWERS TURN LUKEWARM: DEALING WITH TEMPERAMENTAL WATER HEATERS
That “slippery” feeling threw me off too—felt like I was never getting the soap off, even though it’s supposed to be a good thing. As for tankless heaters, I actually looked into them before moving in. The plumber said hard water can still mess with them, just in different ways. He mentioned you still have to descale, maybe every year or two depending on how bad your water is. Not totally maintenance-free, but maybe less hassle than draining a big tank? Still debating if it’s worth the switch myself...
