Water softener choice
#11
Ok with the master bedroom and bath remodel I am finally going to put in a water softener since I also have to move the waterheater... 

      We have very hard water here at 14.5+ grains but it's much softer than it used to be. It used to be around 30+ grains. So with the new walk in shower I don't want to have a constant layer of calcium forming on everything. It's basically a loosing battle as is. The shower can be perfectly clean of minerals and within a couple days it already looks like crap. It's also ruining faucet seals etc.

      The commercial plumber that I know recommends Fleck which I know is a good brand(he also said not to buy Culligan). Are there any others that I should also look at that may be a little more affordable? Looking at a unit of around 40,000 grains but might look to go bigger since water usage will increase some and I have no doubt that our city water supply will get worse.
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#12
I have a Fleck 5600. At least I think it’s a 5600. I’m sure it’s a Fleck. It replaced a Culligan that came with the house. I can’t say it is ‘better’- they both worked pretty well, but I’m happy with the Fleck. Bought it online at 602ABC Water. Best price i could find, and I would recommend them.
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#13
Been pleased with my Culligan....it's only about 30 years old, still does the job.

No, I don't buy their overpriced salt for it.

Ed
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#14
I got rid of my Culligan and went with Kinetico and have been well pleased with it.  It uses far less salt and no electricity.
Herb
I'm supposed to respect my elders, but it's getting harder and harder for me to find one now.
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#15
My wife and I built our house 15 years ago and had a Culligan softener installed.  We have a lot of lime and sulfur bacteria (the stinky rotten egg smell) and the culligan hasn't had an issue.  We only use culligan salt which they deliver and take to our basement and when the tank needs salt, they come out and fill it.  I don't need to touch a bag.  We also have an extra culligan filter that purifies our drinking water.  Makes it as pure as battled water.  There is a second faucet at the sink just for this water and it also is piped to our refrigerator/freezer.  Our son is Autistic and he only drinks water so we thought it was worth it.  Oh, we also use very little salt, about two bags a year.
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#16
If you plan to do your own maintenance, use fudge imho. Their one valve system simply has less parts to wear out and parts are easily available.

That being said, I would not buy any water treatment system without first having the water tested and performing a flow- rate test.

I've installed three fleck systems purchased from Ohio Pure Water.
Very happy with their pricing, delivery and especially their technical service post purchase. They won't sell you a system without first providing them with water test results and flow rate.

I've found Ohio Pure Water prices about 40%-50% cheaper than local plumbing suppliers n Fleck equipment.
Neil Summers Home Inspections




I came to a stop sign and a skanky tweaker chick in a tube top climbed out of the brush and propositioned me.  She looked like she didn't have any teeth so I counted that as a plus.


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#17
One of the biggest problems I’ve encountered with Culligan is their repair prices. Their new part pricing matrix is really ridiculously high and the rebuild option isn’t much better or is reliable. Being they make their own parts, finding alternative outlets is non existent in my experience. Other than that they do as advertised.
Any free advice given is worth double price paid.
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#18
(03-11-2019, 07:52 AM)Snipe Hunter Wrote: If you plan to do your own maintenance, use fudge imho. Their one valve system simply has less parts to wear out and parts are easily available.

That being said, I would not buy any water treatment system without first having the water tested and performing a flow- rate test.

I've installed three fleck systems purchased from Ohio Pure Water.
Very happy with their pricing, delivery and especially their technical service post purchase. They won't sell you a system without first providing them with water test results and flow rate.

I've found Ohio Pure Water prices about 40%-50% cheaper than local plumbing suppliers n Fleck equipment.


    I do my own maintnence, construction, repair etc. However I do defer to guys I know to do roofing and concrete for large jobs. I generally don't rely on others to do what I should be doing for myself.

      Our water is tested every month from a test point right by the house and I can get those result as as I need. The only thing they don't test for is Iron which is an issue with the old steel watermains. As for flow rate and water conditions both of them change allot. Our water pressure fluctuates quite a bit and it's been low for the past few months to around 30 to 40 psi(the city doesn't know what to do to increase it). Also the minerals in the water vary widely throughout the year depending on weather conditions because it is lake water. I have looked at some of the results and tds can vary from as low as 180ppm to 600ppm. That makes it harder to tailor a system here as the water conditions are always changing. They keep the PH at just under 8 as well.

        I have been looking at Ohio pure water. I plan on seeing what one of the local guys the commercial plumber knows recommends and what he can do for equipment. It's not going to happen until I am done with the other work on the house...
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#19
(03-10-2019, 09:21 PM)R12C Wrote: My wife and I built our house 15 years ago and had a Culligan softener installed.  We have a lot of lime and sulfur bacteria (the stinky rotten egg smell) and the culligan hasn't had an issue.  We only use culligan salt which they deliver and take to our basement and when the tank needs salt, they come out and fill it.  I don't need to touch a bag.  We also have an extra culligan filter that purifies our drinking water.  Makes it as pure as battled water.  There is a second faucet at the sink just for this water and it also is piped to our refrigerator/freezer.  Our son is Autistic and he only drinks water so we thought it was worth it.  Oh, we also use very little salt, about two bags a year.

I put in a house filter and a reverse osmosis several years ago as the tap water is quite nasty. The house filter is just a prefilter for the RO and even at that the filters don't last very long. I have a large commercial 3 canister filter that I plan to put in with the water softener. I have it feeding the fridge as well as the faucet at the sink and it also feeds the pot filler over the stove. We don't drink or cook with pure city water because of the minerals and it often smells like the lake. 
 
      I wish our well water didn't have iron and sulfur bacteria cause its probably better than our city water for the house otherwise... I only use the well for irrigation.


            Whats sad is that when I lived in Fort Worth the neighbor emptied his pool to replaster it. He refilled it with tap water and it was crystal clear. The pool guy came to service it and asked if he had already put chlorine in it... The pool guy was quite impressed.
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#20
Our well water is full of iron and calcium.
Our Kinetico system is nearly 22 years old and works perfectly.
Gary

Please don’t quote the trolls.
Liberty, Freedom and Individual Responsibility
Say what you'll do and do what you say.
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