Here is the site of the system that you presently have.

http://www.lifesourcewater.com/about-lifesource/

For a point of reference, you used the words 'purifier' and 'purfied'. Let's take a look at that:

"PURE" used in water treatment is a marketing tool not a technical description. It is used to catch the eyes and ears of the consumer to incite purchase and a false sense of accomplishment.

Pure H20 is practically impossible, even in laboratory conditions, to exist on this planet. If it is ever acheived, it will last that way but for the briefest moment only. Don't be misled by marketing tools.

Secondly you made the statement:...it is not an RO but rather a water purifier." Well, an RO can far better 'purify' the water than the Lifesource ever can. Hands down, no comparison. The membrane technology removes dissolved solids to slightly larger than the molecule of H20. This is an incredible, albeit, common water treatment.

Your statement that you are seeing stains, calcium build up and other evendence of water damage, is testimony that the Lifesource, is no way making your water 'pure'.

Would adding a softener to the already installed Lifesource work? Well, that depends. Are you on city or well water? The Lifesource will act as a prefilter to the softener and can be recommended for city water applications but on most well water sources, it may be unnecessary.

I would seriously considering learning more about ROs and other factors in water treatment. Just go ahead and ask and someone will get bak with you.

Please excuse my wanting to make purifyingly clear a few terms as this is cause for many disappointed consumers.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

Andy,

Thanks for the clarification....here are my goals.....maybe you can suggest a plan. My house came with the Lifesource unit already installed, so I am not necessarily tied to this system.

My Goals:

Soft Water& good tasting, clean water in all faucets/showers,tubs. We drink incredible amounts of water (our main beverage) and want it to taste good and be healthy too!

My Stats:

City Water Source

15 on the hard water scale according to the water company

Household of 2 adults and one child.

Run approximately 3 to 4 loads of laundry in Milele front loading washing machine.

Use dishwasher about 4 times a week.

Showers daily for hubby, and nightly baths for me in a rather large tub (60 gallons). Little boy sometimes bathes!

Current Likes:

water tastes good

The Lifesource Filter is good and dirty when I replace it once a month (which is really appalling!)

Dislikes:

New washer is getting build up. Stainless steel dishwasher always has a white haze to it. Whites laundry not as white but turn rather yellowly quickly. Towels seem stiff.

Son has very sensitive skin with consant excema on face around mouth. I don't know if that has anything to do with the water.

So I am open to any suggestions.....

Ann

Sorry, I thought the Lifesource was a whole house filter system. It sounds like you are talking about a faucet type filter. Is that right?

You need a softener. All the symptoms you are mentioning are evident of hard water damage.

I recommend Kinetico softeners but there is a wide range of different types out there. You migfht want to consider removing chlorine from the water as well. I really believe that ROs are they way to go for the best drinking water.

You need to know what your total iron count is, also.

Where are you located? Let em know if you have more questions, please.

Andy Christensen, CWS-II

I was geussing the lifesource filter was just a whole house sediment filter based on her description. I would agree with Andy, I would get a water softner for the house and a RO unit for the drinking water (at the minimum). Any reputable service selling water softners will offer water analysis to determine Iron or other contaminents you may want or need to remove. It would be a good idea to get more than one analysis done from a different supplier. Afterall, there is a financial motive to sell you more stuff.

Poll your friends that share the same water company and see what they do. Also, depending on the source of the water things can change seasonally. My water varies between 15-35 grains, seemes to depend on the amount of rainfall and water in the aquafier.

Hi Ann,

Ok, water softener 101 ...

Since you're on city water you can get a copy of the EPA required water quality report from your water department. Keep in mind that those results will be at the water treatment plant and not necessarily at you kitchen sink.

Hit the Yellow Pages and call at least three local water treatment pros. Make sure you call at least one of the big dogs like Kinetico or Culligan for comparison and at least a couple independent pros.

Give each an opportunity to offer suggestions and provide you with a quote to meet your water treatment needs.

Ask lots of questions. Softening the entire house or just the water heater (bad idea)? Warranty, parts & labor or just parts, how long and on exactly what? Install, permits required, licensed plumber? Routine maintenance and costs? Do they stock parts? Response time for emergency (water leak) calls? If they don't explain things to your satisfaction that is a good indicator of how you'll be treated after the sale.

Are all your treatment needs being addressed?

Ask your neighbors if they have any water treatment experience. They might tell you who's good or who to avoid.

Come back here and post the specific recommendations and hardware components with the costs and we'll give you our opinions.

If you're a DIYer then you have other options but remember, when you do it yourself there's no one else to blame.

How do you know you have 15g hard water? is it well or municipal? I highly recommend EWS Water systems.

RainSoft conditioning systems are mostly used. Enchanted Waters specializes in residential water treatments, and magnetic water softeners

Here is a link that might be useful: Enchanted Waters