Water filtering system for the whole house in Cabarete.

drisforme

Active member
May 28, 2016
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I am looking to install a water filtering system for the whole house.
Not for drinking but to clean the water for shower and reduces any corrosion.

I am located in Cabarete. Looking for any recommendation of system that I should acquire and
possibly reference of people who can do the installation.

Thank you
 

drisforme

Active member
May 28, 2016
205
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Excellent !
Setting up an appointment for when I am back in DR in a couple of weeks.
Will definitively use your name as a reference.

Many thanks !
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
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English speaking....good service.

We are all happy,
Same purification system/company (Trojan) does NYC.... if I recall.
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
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One issue that you will want to address is the hardness of the water. Hard water clogs pipes, leaves your skin/hair feeling chalky. I don't know much about the various options but do know someone who has a salt based water softener and it works quite well here like they do back home.

Getting salt for it though requires some extra effort. Eco-serve and other filter companies may do drinking water treatment adequately, but I remain skeptical of their offered products to soften water and that solar powered copper ion based pool water gizmo.

I have no practical experience with this equipment but when I was doing my research I didn't stumble upon copious reports on the effectiveness of non-salt based water softeners. Lot's of sales pitches though claiming electronic alternatives were sweeter than milk chocolate.

Let us know how you make out.
 

drisforme

Active member
May 28, 2016
205
71
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One issue that you will want to address is the hardness of the water. Hard water clogs pipes, leaves your skin/hair feeling chalky. I don't know much about the various options but do know someone who has a salt based water softener and it works quite well here like they do back home.

Getting salt for it though requires some extra effort. Eco-serve and other filter companies may do drinking water treatment adequately, but I remain skeptical of their offered products to soften water and that solar powered copper ion based pool water gizmo.

I have no practical experience with this equipment but when I was doing my research I didn't stumble upon copious reports on the effectiveness of non-salt based water softeners. Lot's of sales pitches though claiming electronic alternatives were sweeter than milk chocolate.

Let us know how you make out.


Yes. My first concern is hard water. Do have it in my house. So, it's what I am looking for first to eliminate.
If the purification system can give me drinking water as well, great but it's secondary....

I would expect that a system providing drinking water would take care of the hard water as well but not necessary the opposite ?

Thank you.
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
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I don't think the average degree of filtering will remove the dissolved calcium. I have a small under sink reverse osmosis filter for small quantities of water to wash fruit/veggies etc. I still see calcium buildup on that faucet.
 

drisforme

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May 28, 2016
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jstarebel

Silver
Oct 4, 2013
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Hello drisforme,

I would highly suggest that you test your water before throwing money at a water system. There is no magic cure for your water problems from a single system. Easy enough to do and will save you money and headache later on. I take it that your water system is on a well? if so, do you have any idea of the flow rate? what is the pump size and is it submersible or an above ground jet pump? You mention "corrosion". Please expand this answer, so I may understand if you are talking about "White build up" on the fixtures, or is the metal on the fixtures being eaten away? The stains in the basins and the toilets.. What color are they? Greenish, or rusty color? Does your water go into a cistern first, or does it feed directly into the home? Have you by chance out of curiosity ever tasted your water and if so, does it have a metallic taste to it? Answer these questions for me, and I can direct you to the next step.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
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Can't answer the question , I'm afraid.
My driving concern was drinkable water.

As for Rebel.

Me - yes, a well. No not tested. Yes a cistern.
No discoloration in Toilets - frequently scrubbed by a Dominicana... you could drink from there too !!!

I drive the house water by impeller .... through an ultraviolet system.

All household stomach issues went away almost immediately....
 

drisforme

Active member
May 28, 2016
205
71
28
Hello drisforme,

I would highly suggest that you test your water before throwing money at a water system. There is no magic cure for your water problems from a single system. Easy enough to do and will save you money and headache later on. I take it that your water system is on a well? if so, do you have any idea of the flow rate? what is the pump size and is it submersible or an above ground jet pump? You mention "corrosion". Please expand this answer, so I may understand if you are talking about "White build up" on the fixtures, or is the metal on the fixtures being eaten away? The stains in the basins and the toilets.. What color are they? Greenish, or rusty color? Does your water go into a cistern first, or does it feed directly into the home? Have you by chance out of curiosity ever tasted your water and if so, does it have a metallic taste to it? Answer these questions for me, and I can direct you to the next step.


Thank you. I appreciate your precise questions.

It's a new house so I want to install preventively a water filter system:No experience of corrosion yet.
Yes, it's a well water.No idea of the flow rate. Yes, does go into a cistern first which was build as part of my house.

See, sometimes brown sediment in the water. Water does smell a bit.No ,I am not planning to taste the water until I have some
sort of filtering.
 

jstarebel

Silver
Oct 4, 2013
3,330
333
83
Thank you. I appreciate your precise questions.

It's a new house so I want to install preventively a water filter system:No experience of corrosion yet.
Yes, it's a well water.No idea of the flow rate. Yes, does go into a cistern first which was build as part of my house.

See, sometimes brown sediment in the water. Water does smell a bit.No ,I am not planning to taste the water until I have some
sort of filtering.

Then you need to test your water for the following;
1. Ph. a small swimming pool test kit will surfice.
2. Iron as Fe.
3. Calcium Carbonate. Hardness expressed in GPG (grains per gallon) or PPM (parts per million) either works.
4. Total Dissolved Solids or TDS. This is expressed in PPM or Us/cm Microsiemens per centimeter.
5. Bacteria test. You should be able to take a sample to the Dept. of environmental health to get this done.

You may be able to also get the tests done (except bacteria) from a friend of mine who has a full blown water system in Sosua at his Villas. He is also on this site so maybe he will see this post and chime in.

When drawing water samples, draw them straight from the well and not from the house. run the water for 2-3 minutes from a hose bib (NO HOSE ATTACHED) and simply fill a clean plastic bottle such as an empty water bottle. Don't let the water sit and get the tests done ASAP after taking the samples.

For the Bacteria, you will get the sample bottle from environmental health. Clean the sample port (hose bib) with alcohol using a cotton swab before turning on the water. Then follow the above procedures.

PM me and I will give you my friend's contact information in Sosua. Let me know the results, and we can move on as to how to properly treat it.
 

drisforme

Active member
May 28, 2016
205
71
28
Then you need to test your water for the following;
1. Ph. a small swimming pool test kit will surfice.
2. Iron as Fe.
3. Calcium Carbonate. Hardness expressed in GPG (grains per gallon) or PPM (parts per million) either works.
4. Total Dissolved Solids or TDS. This is expressed in PPM or Us/cm Microsiemens per centimeter.
5. Bacteria test. You should be able to take a sample to the Dept. of environmental health to get this done.

You may be able to also get the tests done (except bacteria) from a friend of mine who has a full blown water system in Sosua at his Villas. He is also on this site so maybe he will see this post and chime in.

When drawing water samples, draw them straight from the well and not from the house. run the water for 2-3 minutes from a hose bib (NO HOSE ATTACHED) and simply fill a clean plastic bottle such as an empty water bottle. Don't let the water sit and get the tests done ASAP after taking the samples.

For the Bacteria, you will get the sample bottle from environmental health. Clean the sample port (hose bib) with alcohol using a cotton swab before turning on the water. Then follow the above procedures.

PM me and I will give you my friend's contact information in Sosua. Let me know the results, and we can move on as to how to properly treat it.


Great. Let me PM you .
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,328
113
This is a good DR conversation for many.

My feeling is (I live in the country, more/less) that my well fills with the flow from field runoff.
Therefore it will be contaminated with cow manure and who knows what else.?

Populated areas may have less of this problem but that what was worrying me about my well and cistern, 
Even for showering...
 

Cdn_Gringo

Gold
Apr 29, 2014
8,670
1,132
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What about this as a second option ? https://www.pelicanwater.com/water-filter-and-salt-free-softeners-with-UV.php

Seems to kill 2 birds with one stone: hard water and filtering water so it becomes drinkable ...

"Pelican NaturSoft Salt Free Water Softener", this is the type of equipment I was referring to in an earlier post. When I looked into water softeners more than year ago, I was not able to satisfy myself that these non-salt alternatives performed at a level that I was expecting. Lot's of pre-sales hype but couldn't find any detailed credible reviews of their performance.
 

jstarebel

Silver
Oct 4, 2013
3,330
333
83
"Pelican NaturSoft Salt Free Water Softener", this is the type of equipment I was referring to in an earlier post. When I looked into water softeners more than year ago, I was not able to satisfy myself that these non-salt alternatives performed at a level that I was expecting. Lot's of pre-sales hype but couldn't find any detailed credible reviews of their performance.

If you wish to learn how their so called water softener works, then do a search on ScaleNet Media or Template Assisted Crystallization. The company you reference calls it a softener but in reality, the media used and the process is actually for de-scaling. It also does not last forever and how long the media lasts is based on the water hardness, chlorine, iron and manganese in your water. Maximum hardness treated by this process is 25 GPG. It is also not recommended to be used on well water systems and is for use in city water supplies. This media is actually used in industrial applications for descaling boilers and cooling towers to reduce service and lessen the amount of chemicals that need to be purchased.