Hi; I currently rent an old water softener and would like to buy a new one. I bought a do-it-yourself kit to test the water hardness before I make a purchase and figured I should use the water on the outside hose bib since this wouldn't be treated for hardness by the current unit I have. But, the test came back as soft. I know we have very hard water here in northeast Florida so is it possible the water at the hose bib is also serviced by the water softener ? If so, how can I determine the hardness under these circumstances? Thanks, Glenbury