"Schooner" wrote in message
...
Our water softener is connected directly after the well tank and before
the
UV filter, hence softening the entire house.


I connected the outside faucets ahead of the water softener and sediment
filter. That way we have hard water outside and soft water inside. I
disagree that having softened cold water inside is unusual or undesirable.
Most people don't shower or bathe in 100% hot water; maybe 50-50, but not
all hot. If all your cold water is hard, your bath, shower, and laundry
water will be partially unconditioned. I find that having softened water in
the toilets eliminates mineral build-up and makes them easier to clean.
Soft water for laundry drastically reduces the amount of detergent needed.
I have switched to nearly all cold water washing, and of course, I always
use cold water rinse option.

Having softened water for irrigation is at best a waste of money and is not
recommended for the health of your plants. I don't know if it would kill
them since you will have some rain as a primary source of water unless you
live in a very dry climate. The rain should leach away some of the sodium.
You also have the option of using potassium chloride instead of sodium
chloride in the softener. Potassium chloride costs about twice as much as
salt, but over a year's time that would only add up to an additional $20-$30
if you use 4 pounds of salt each week. I have never seen any comments about
the use of potassium chloride softened water on plants, but my guess is that
it might actually be beneficial. If so, the addition expense might be lower
than paying a plumber to reconfigure you pipes. If you live in an area
where the winters are cold and you don't irrigate most of the year, you
could use lower cost salt in the cold months and potassium chloride in the
months that you irrigate.

If you have access to the plumbing ( like in a basement or crawlspace), you
should consider reconfiguring the lines so the outside taps bypass the
softener. If you can't do that, you can use a bypass valve at the softener
to manually bypass the system when you water. Most softeners come with a
bypass valve as part of the installation kit. If not, you can buy one.
And, as I mentioned, you can simply use potassium chloride instead of sodium
chloride in your softener.