Water Softener Companies (sales, appliances, house)

[Border Scot]

I just purchased a home in San Tan Valley and want to have a water softener installed. I'm looking for recommendations for what companies are considered the best and most reputable to get estimates from. Thanks to all who reply for your advice.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by Border Scot

I just purchased a home in San Tan Valley and want to have a water softener installed. I'm looking for recommendations for what companies are considered the best and most reputable to get estimates from. Thanks to all who reply for your advice.

I sent you a pm with the guy I buy parts from - softeners are a high-profit item that's often sold with a heavy dose of fear - "if you don't HAVE a filter, you ARE the filter" -

There's alot of snake oil out there, be sure to take any advice from commissioned salespeople with a big bag of salt. Water softening isn't "cutting-edge technology", it's been around for a very long time - and some of the most reliable softeners out there look just like the ones from the 1950's. Clack, Fleck, and GE-Autotrol make the valves, the guys selling the softeners make their own labels, and invent retail pricing.

Stay away from the "one piece" softeners at the home depot/sears, etc - they use expensive proprietary parts, and they don't last.

[AZ bound]

While we're on the snake oil subject-
Does anybody know the validity of the new technology/system that uses the polymer method?
It's supposed to be a gel that needs to be changed only once a year or so, and uses an ion exchange system when the water passes thru.
The cost difference in units is only about $50.
Is this a fad or scam?

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by AZ bound

While we're on the snake oil subject-
Does anybody know the validity of the new technology/system that uses the polymer method?
It's supposed to be a gel that needs to be changed only once a year or so, and uses an ion exchange system when the water passes thru.
The cost difference in units is only about $50.
Is this a fad or scam?

I'd stick to proven technology - plain old rock salt works well, it's cheap, and the softeners that use it are durable.

Salt is probably going to cost you less than replacing "gel" - if the system is set & sized properly, you're only looking at a bag or two of salt a month for most homes...

Every "saltless" softener I've seen has been a gimmick.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

I sent you a pm with the guy I buy parts from - softeners are a high-profit item that's often sold with a heavy dose of fear - "if you don't HAVE a filter, you ARE the filter" -

There's alot of snake oil out there, be sure to take any advice from commissioned salespeople with a big bag of salt. Water softening isn't "cutting-edge technology", it's been around for a very long time - and some of the most reliable softeners out there look just like the ones from the 1950's. Clack, Fleck, and GE-Autotrol make the valves, the guys selling the softeners make their own labels, and invent retail pricing.

Stay away from the "one piece" softeners at the home depot/sears, etc - they use expensive proprietary parts, and they don't last.

I've had a Sears water softener for 15 years. It works as reliably as the day I installed it. I replaced an o-ring in the bypass valve maybe 5 years ago. Parts are available on the internet.

[Border Scot]

Ponderosa... while I tend to agree with you I also realize that appliances made 15 years ago were made to a different standard than today. Microwave ovens used to last 10 years or more. Not so today. Most last less than five. That said, Sears is on my shortlist of vendors.

Zippy... got your PM. Thanks.

What I'm searching for is someone who has had good experiences with local companies. I'm not going to mess with this project. I want to call several companies that I hope to find from this forum through recommendations, get estimates and then contract one to do the job. Thanks to all who have replied thus far. Now, who would YOU call to install a water softener?

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by Border Scot

I just purchased a home in San Tan Valley and want to have a water softener installed. I'm looking for recommendations for what companies are considered the best and most reputable to get estimates from. Thanks to all who reply for your advice.

Be careful! I posted a thread about this 2 years ago asking the same question you did. Since I did a lot of research on this topic. There are companies that install a water softening system but based on my research there is no good data to prove their technology works. There are a lot of scams out there. The only technology that is proven to work are the exchange systems in which salt is exchanged for other particles. Trust me, I was like you. I wanted an elaborate system that was salt free(maintenance free) and you discover the sales people working for these companies really try to upsell you on a lot of junk and charge a high price. The salt free systems are kind of a scam and aren't proven to work.

I ultimately went to Sears and bought a Kenmore water softener and had it installed for $700 and it works great and I've noticed the difference. I didn't want to pay thousands to have some elaborate system that is questionable in it's efficacy. Ideally, I wanted a hands free system and didn't want the hassle of having to replace salt. I heard the Kinetico commercials on the radio and they sound so convincing. In reality, the salt system is not bad. I buy a bag of salt once every 2 months. The bags are not heavy and you can buy them at the grocery store, Sams Club, Costco, Walmart etc sell for between $4-7. You just dump salt into the bin and press reset and you are as good as new.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by Border Scot

What I'm searching for is someone who has had good experiences with local companies. I'm not going to mess with this project. I want to call several companies that I hope to find from this forum through recommendations, get estimates and then contract one to do the job. Thanks to all who have replied thus far. Now, who would YOU call to install a water softener?

That's what we are trying to tell you, a lot of the local companies are not selling ion exchange systems. They are selling you the crap that doesn't work and charging you thousands of dollars. They will come to your house and give you an elaborate presentation and then charge 4K to install it. Like Ponderosa and I said, you are better off going to Sears and buying a system and have them install it. If you are concerned about durability, you can pay for a Sears warranty and the nice thing about Sears' warranties is they have their own workmen. If there is a problem with it, Sears will come to your house and service and replace parts. They don't outsource to some shady third party company to service their equipment. I buy all of my appliances from Sears for this reason. If there is a problem and it's covered under their warranty, they fix it or replace it; they aren't like a home warranty company or a third party company that tries to get out of fixing or replacing the item. I pay more to buy items and additional warranties from Sears but the peace of mind is worth it.

[musicforme]

We went with Renegade Water Services, LLC about a year ago.

We bought one that has a carbon filter layer built into the water system. My wife has a skin condition and the carbon layer helps with the water that a normal softener wouldn't help.

As of last year, the guy that comes to your house is the owner of the company. They were very to the point and honest about whether you would benefit from the more expensive systems.

I would suggest having them come out last if you're getting quotes from multiple companies.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

I've had a Sears water softener for 15 years. It works as reliably as the day I installed it. I replaced an o-ring in the bypass valve maybe 5 years ago. Parts are available on the internet.

The "Homeowner" grade softeners cost just as much as the "contractor grade" softeners (if you buy them right), and the parts inside aren't nearly as reliable - The softeners sold at Sears and the depot include one design sold as "GE", "Morton" and "Kenmore" brands - a quick Googling will show you the internet is littered with corpses of that machine - some have had great luck, others have had to replace the entire machine every couple of years. The "water boss" brand sold at the Depot has especially bad reviews on the web.

If you stick to the major brand "pro grade" softeners like Fleck and Clack, you can get all the parts required to rebuild the control head for under $100, and if the tank splits open ( it does happen sometimes), it's a standard part that's under $100 instead of a whole new softener.

If you check Craigslist as I suggested, you'll find lots of ads that read something like - "1 year-old softener, paid $3000, will sell for $1000" - when you look at the softener, it's the same softener sold by wholesalers on the interweb for $500-$1000 brand-new.

In fact, the softener in my house was purchased on Craigslist from someone who was still making payments on his $3200 softener and didn't want to "give it" to the bank... The problem for him was, the softener was a $1k unit with a $2k markup...

I can appreciate not wanting to do it yourself, but softeners can be installed by any plumber - the softener is a commodity...

Please update the thread when you buy, I'd love to see what you get for quotes...