I moved into a house constructed in year 2000 that already has an Ionics Hydro 5000 water softener installed. The old owner never left a manual and I couldn't find a manual online, so I'll voice my concerns here.
The water softener is installed in the garage, which is in the front of the house:
On the adjacent wall in the front of the house, I see two spigots. I suppose one is for softened water and one is for the original hard water. I should be using the hard water spigot to wash my car so I can reserve the soft water for indoor use. How do I know which one is which?
In the back of the house, I have a single spigot. Is it serving hard or soft water? In the back yard I have fruit trees that need watering. The salt in the soft water will dehydrate trees, so it is cruicial that I don't use soft water on them.
As requested by @TDHofstetter, this is a closeup of the shutoff valves going into the head of the water softener:
Best Answer
If that water softener has a shutoff valve (it should, for service purposes), your task is simple - shut off the softener and test each sillcock. If you still get water, it's hard water. If not, you may get a very small flow for a moment (until the plumbing is all depressurized) but it'll stop quickly.
If it does NOT have a shutoff valve, one should really be installed at some point, along with a pair of unions to make water-softener replacement or service easier.