My well water here in Buri Ram is very hard - the soap lather is poor. What are the least technical options for softening well water?

I think Ion Exchange it the most common.

Have the water tested before firing the new parts cannon.

Our well water used for product cleaning is manganese rich and clogs resin softeners over time.

I agree. First get the water tested and a plan of action.

It would be work with a professional on putting a system together.

Completely agree with others and get it tested.

This is our system, without the water softener as we have mainly iron in the water.

From the submersible pump into a Big Blue sediment filter, then 3000L tank, 2 automatic backwash filters, a chlorine infuser but no water softener filter.

A float switch in the tank starts and stops the submersible pump. :)

A 3-litre sample of well water will be submitted next Monday to Rajabhat University for laboratory testing. The test results are expected to be available by the following Friday.

I agree about testing. This is the first step in deciding what equipment will be required to produce minimal mineral water.

When I had my borehole drilled (51 metres) my water test showed loads of calcium carbonate in amongst others. This was due to gypsum rock deep underground.

The water was so hard that no amount of resin would fix it. Many metal water fittings including the jet pump venturi, which completely disintegrated, were affected.

I stopped using the borehole water pretty quick and went exclusively with a 5.5 meter surface water well. Filters are zeolite, carbon and resin.

The zeolite is good for many things including ion exchange which deals with heavy metals and softens water but also it's millions of tiny pores are very good

at capturing suspended particles in the water. Then there is a carbon filter which collects more of the same but not quite so well

then on to the resin filter which may seem redundant but, unlike the zeolite it should never need replacement. This is due to a rejuvenative saline cycle.

The best people to see about water treatment in Buriram are a company called PP Water. They have a website.

20 hours ago, Muhendis said:

I agree about testing. This is the first step in deciding what equipment will be required to produce minimal mineral water.

When I had my borehole drilled (51 metres) my water test showed loads of calcium carbonate in amongst others. This was due to gypsum rock deep underground.

The water was so hard that no amount of resin would fix it. Many metal water fittings including the jet pump venturi, which completely disintegrated, were affected.

I stopped using the borehole water pretty quick and went exclusively with a 5.5 meter surface water well. Filters are zeolite, carbon and resin.

The zeolite is good for many things including ion exchange which deals with heavy metals and softens water but also it's millions of tiny pores are very good

at capturing suspended particles in the water. Then there is a carbon filter which collects more of the same but not quite so well

then on to the resin filter which may seem redundant but, unlike the zeolite it should never need replacement. This is due to a rejuvenative saline cycle.

The best people to see about water treatment in Buriram are a company called PP Water. They have a website.

Thank you for sharing your experience and for mentioning the water treatment company. Our borehole is approximately 60 meters deep, with the submersible pump installed at around 40 meters.

Although the well water appears bright and clear, I decided to install two “Big Blue” filter housings as a precaution. One is fitted with a 20-micron cartridge and the other with a 5-micron cartridge. Despite the clarity of the water, it is also very hard - the poor soap lather during showers is a clear indication of that.

After reading your post, I hope the hardness will not damage the internal components of either the 750-W submersible pump or the Grundfos SCALA2 pump. Until now, I had not realized that some well water could be aggressive enough to cause the type of deterioration you described, particularly to metal fittings and pump components. I appreciate you bringing this to my attention.

Once I receive the results of the well-water analysis from Rajabhat University, I will certainly consider consulting PP Water for their recommendations on appropriate treatment options. I will also update this thread with the findings and any solutions implemented.

2 hours ago, CharlesHolzhauer said:

Thank you for sharing your experience and for mentioning the water treatment company. Our borehole is approximately 60 meters deep, with the submersible pump installed at around 40 meters.

Although the well water appears bright and clear, I decided to install two “Big Blue” filter housings as a precaution. One is fitted with a 20-micron cartridge and the other with a 5-micron cartridge. Despite the clarity of the water, it is also very hard - the poor soap lather during showers is a clear indication of that.

After reading your post, I hope the hardness will not damage the internal components of either the 750-W submersible pump or the Grundfos SCALA2 pump. Until now, I had not realized that some well water could be aggressive enough to cause the type of deterioration you described, particularly to metal fittings and pump components. I appreciate you bringing this to my attention.

Once I receive the results of the well-water analysis from Rajabhat University, I will certainly consider consulting PP Water for their recommendations on appropriate treatment options. I will also update this thread with the findings and any solutions implemented.

The clarity of the water is due to the depth from which it is drawn. There is no organic activity down there and no "spare" oxigen.

Just to put your mind at rest, the metals which get attacked most voraciously are the soft metals like copper, aluminium and, of course, brass.

I did my own solar hot water heat exchanger which works brilliantly but, being made from copper, soon developed some pinhole leaks and as for the electric immersion heater, I'll Say no more. all is well now. Soft water is king.

Your deep well pump should be entirely stainless steel. the shaft and electrical connections will be segregated from the water by some extremely strong neoprene rubber gaskets so there should be no problem for the pump.

When I worked remotely on an island off the top of Australia fresh water was drawn from the aquifer. Studies were done of the aquifer and maps drawn up.

In Thailand 'the Department of Certain Things' (I don't know which department) has done extensive aquifer mapping and if you find the correct department you will/may be able to buy copies of the aquifer maps in your area, or, search Ai for your regional aquifer.

This will tell you the geography, depths and composition of the aquifer, so with your well water test and this info. should help.

Initially, when I built the house, my well water was crystal clear but when exposed to the air the Fe in the water precipitated out and left a brown stain until I tested and installed the correct filters.

Now I have installed a chlorine pump initially my pool went brown with all the rubbish in the pipes.

On 3/14/2026 at 5:51 AM, CharlesHolzhauer said:

Thank you for sharing your experience and for mentioning the water treatment company. Our borehole is approximately 60 meters deep, with the submersible pump installed at around 40 meters.

Although the well water appears bright and clear, I decided to install two “Big Blue” filter housings as a precaution. One is fitted with a 20-micron cartridge and the other with a 5-micron cartridge. Despite the clarity of the water, it is also very hard - the poor soap lather during showers is a clear indication of that.

After reading your post, I hope the hardness will not damage the internal components of either the 750-W submersible pump or the Grundfos SCALA2 pump. Until now, I had not realized that some well water could be aggressive enough to cause the type of deterioration you described, particularly to metal fittings and pump components. I appreciate you bringing this to my attention.

Once I receive the results of the well-water analysis from Rajabhat University, I will certainly consider consulting PP Water for their recommendations on appropriate treatment options. I will also update this thread with the findings and any solutions implemented.

On 3/14/2026 at 5:51 AM, CharlesHolzhauer said:

I will also update this thread with the findings and any solutions implemented.

My well water test results:

pH: 6.9 Turbidity: 0.523 NTU

Hardness: 64.00 mg/L

Total Dissolved Solids (<removed>): 923.3 mg/L

Iron (Fe):0.020 mg/L

Manganese (Mn): 0.009 mg/L

Copper: 0.001 mg/L

Zinc: not found mg/L

Chromium: not found mg/L

Cadmium: 0.002 mg/L

Chloride: 486.36 mg/L

Sulfate: 52.40 mg/L

Bacteria: <2 MPN-100ml

E. coli: not found MPN-100ml

The test results revealed that my initial claim that my poor soap lather is due to hardness was wrong. The test results revealed the real issue, which is high <removed> and Chloride - it is mineral-heavy. It looks like a visit to professional water treatment people is in order. I may be up for a commercial-type RO system.

You must have some porn in your water as <removed> comes up. What is <removed> ?

FeSo4?

1 minute ago, carlyai said:

You must have some porn in your water as <removed> comes up. What is <removed> ?

FeSo4?

The first letters of Total Dissolved Solids

I'm not a fluids guy but don't know why you'd need RO for the whole property. We use an under sink RO for kitchen drinking water.

Do you need RO to get rid of <removed>?

59 minutes ago, carlyai said:

I'm not a fluids guy but don't know why you'd need RO for the whole property. We use an under sink RO for kitchen drinking water.

Do you need RO to get rid of <removed>?

I still have to consult a professional water treatment company. It's not only the drinking water I am concerned about, but also the poor soap lather in the shower, the laundry, and the water heaters. What I have read so far is that RO is the most efficient way to go.

RO is not normally a good way to go for the whole house but chloride is a tricky mineral and many would recommend it as one of the few ways for chloride removal.

Trouble is, a big RO system for the house will not be cheap and it's not exactly maintenance free.

Maybe you would be better off with a surface water well which would be soft water. Any organics would be a lot simpler to deal with.

My borehole (32k baht) was written off years ago and I've been using delightfully trouble free surface water for many years now.

29 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

RO is not normally a good way to go for the whole house but chloride is a tricky mineral and many would recommend it as one of the few ways for chloride removal.

Trouble is, a big RO system for the house will not be cheap and it's not exactly maintenance free.

Maybe you would be better off with a surface water well which would be soft water. Any organics would be a lot simpler to deal with.

My borehole (32k baht) was written off years ago and I've been using delightfully trouble free surface water for many years now.

Thanks for your insights - they are much appreciated. The well water issue has indeed turned out to be an unexpected complication. In hindsight, I would likely have made different arrangements for the water supply to my newly built house.

However, with the house now completed, undertaking a major overhaul of the existing water system would be both impractical and difficult to justify. At this stage, I believe the most sensible approach is to explore treatment options, and I intend to consult with the water treatment company you mentioned in your earlier post.

Based on my current setup and relatively modest water consumption, a reverse osmosis system in the range of approximately 1,200 to 2,000 liters per day should integrate well with the existing infrastructure and provide a practical solution moving forward.

Yeah, I think consulting a professional is a good idea.

When pricing out the system, be sure include price and availability of the consumables. A good spin-down pre-filter is most always a good idea.

Thanks for the update and keep us posted!