tankless heaters and watersofteners

mike yozell

My wife and i just purchased a new house .
The current set up for domestic hot water is a summer/winter hook up on the oil burner . Some changes I'm planing are to use trv's with constant circ and outdoor reset (tekmar 256). This house also has gas service , I'm planing to install a tankless water heater ,probably rinnai or noritz though I'm certainly open to other brands .My question is this, other homes in the area have water softeners,ours does not . how do you test water hardness and what effect will it have on the tankless heater if it is deemed necessary to add a water softener to the house
thank you
mike

ChasMan

If your home inspection included a water test, it will be on there. If not, you can take a sample and send it to a lab, or, you can use one of the test kits from the local home and garden center to get a rough idea. If you are on city water, the city will know how hard it is.