Why do I still have mineral buildup?

[Subrosa]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

No, everything here runs through the water softener. The main waterline goes directly to the water softener before branching off. With the water we have, that is actually a good idea. :|

Theoretically, the salt and calcium combine and you shouldn't be consuming that much salt. Still, yes, that is something that we do worry about. However, I grew up getting my water from the Ohio river and that water was pretty bad (though it wouldn't hurt the plants, I think, just killed off my fish now and then) so I see this as an improvement.

That's not how a softener works. A more technical and explanatory name for them is "ion exchange unit". The device uses salt to provide sodium ions to replace magnesium and calcium ions. The more calcium and magnesium the tap water going in contains, the more sodium the product water contains.

[Leafmite]

Hmm, well, that is true. I wish we did not need the softener because many of my herbs and other plants would really love the extra calcium and magnesium (though the low pH loving plants would hate it) but we have to keep the plumbing and washing machine healthy so we have no choice.

[Subrosa]

If you have a couple inches of exposed pre-softener pipe you can install a saddle valve and get a source of un-softened water. The only tools required would be a screwdriver to mount the valve and a wrench to tighten the compression nut that connects your new pipe to the valve.