Need some advise fella's

Had the water heater serviced today as part of a pre paid service contract.

Water heater is Electric Reem brand 40 gal, approx 3 yrs old

Sediment was present upon draining at first, then water flow while not a trickle, did not gush out of the end of the hose.

The plumbing company if recommending a (for lack of a better word) pre filter to trap some of the sediment in the future
to extend the life of the water heater

Or

They are trying to sell me on getting a whole house water softening system starting @ 5K

If you have one can you please advise the pro's and con's of a whole house water softening system.

some research I did indicates that softened water is not really recommended for cooking or drinking,
and that it has the potential of boosting one's sodium intake

Sooo... water softener Yay or Nay??

We had a whole house one in San Antonio. Good for the house, but not as good for outside water, per the person that installed ours. He left one hose bib unfiltered for us. Didn't have to use as much soap/shampoo, etc after it was installed. We still filtered our drinking water. Didn't like how it made the water a bit salty tasting.

We have a whole house one here and it really is a requirement. I can get enough calcium buildup in 6 months to stop the koi pond pump. Just think about what that does to your water heater.

Yes sir, SA and all the Hill Country have some of the hardest water found in the US. Hard water will absolutely shorten the life of every one of your appliances and faucets. Ice maker, dish washer, washing machine, etc...

If your house was pre plumbed for a softener, its an easy install. I moved to Wimberley 3 years ago and a softener was the first thing I installed, after I replaced the fridge and dishwasher that were toast.

As for drinking, cooking, its great. There is no salt in your water, maybe untraceable remnants left after a flush. We use soft water in our fresh water tropical aquarium without issue. The salt is used to backflush your media that takes the limestone out of the water. Your skin we be softer and your cleaning products will go further and work better.

^^^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^... But the price you were quoted is a little high. I would look around some.

hill country also has some of the best water as far as purity, all the limestone in the edwards aquifer filters it out pretty well but you end up with the build up.

like said, get some quotes and get ya one, they are good in your area.

Did they test the water? Sediment after 3 years is not a big deal. I’d look at this https://www.watts.com/our-story/brands/oneflow.

Hill country water is loaded with lime. Water softener helps keep plumbing alive a lot longer.

And your kidneys will thank you.

And your clothes get cleaner.

Soft water feels slimy, I like it better hard.

Thats what she said

You shouldn't assume.

We have a whole home system, as it's a must as our well has hard water. That being said we have freeze proof hydrants on all four sides of the house that are plumbed separately for irrigation.

Dafannan, I’m only 30 miles away from you and I’m going to contradict what most folks are telling you. I was told I needed one and 19 years later I’m still using the same washing machine and ice maker. What I would highly recommend is draining your water heater ever year or two and pull the bottom element. Use a shop vac with a hose taped to the end to suck out the lime scale. Finish it off with a couple gallons of vinegar then refill. I got 15 years out of my last water heater doing this. In my opinion I can do this a lot of times for $5000.