Water Leaves Stains Behind – Is My Water Softener Working?

LESLIE: Claire in Maine, you’ve got The Money Pit. How can we help you today?

CLAIRE: Yes, I have a little problem with my water softener. I seem to have nice, soft water with it. The soap lathers good and everything. But when I wash my vehicles and then one of those is black, after it dries, wherever there were any of the droplets of water, when that dries off I get all these little white deposits all over the vehicle. And I was wondering why, if it’s soft water, why I’m getting those.

TOM: Yeah, because it doesn’t sound very soft; it sounds more like hard water. You’ve got a lot of minerals in that.

Now, the water that you’re using to wash the vehicles, this is coming from the water softener?

CLAIRE: Yes. All my water – my hot and my cold – go through the softener.

TOM: Including the hose bibbs that you’re hooking up to to wash the car?

CLAIRE: Yes.

TOM: Well, obviously, the water softener is not working correctly. You’ve got a lot of minerals in there and that’s what’s showing up on your beautiful, black car.

CLAIRE: Well, I know I had the hardness checked about three years ago and they gave me a number, 23, and they set it at that and that’s what I’ve been going with ever since.

TOM: Well, maybe it’s time to have it serviced again and have it checked again, because things can change. A water softener that’s working properly should eliminate minerals.  And that’s got to be what’s causing it, though.  And if you do decide to upgrade, consider an environmentally-friendly water softener that works just as well.