Water softener advise needed (house, water heater, to buy)

[bentlebee]

In the last couple of months the water quality has changed where I live and we need to buy a water softener. Now we are looking into which system and we don't want to spent too much on it.

The minute you speak with a water softener company the systems are an average of $ 1500.-. That is not what we plan on spending on a system.

We saw a city water system of $ 600 that looks good to us and a plumber told us over the phone that installing a system could be up to $ 1000.-

I'm overwhelmed with the info and doubt that so many people have paid between $ 700.- and $ 1000.- for installing a water softener...or am I wrong?

I would love to hear some experience of people who have a system and can let me know the good the bad and the ugly, but most important the good working systems that aren't too expensive.

[1coolcustomer]

There ain't no way in hell I'm paying a plumber $1000 to put a water softener in. $600 doesn't sound bad for a system. I'm in the same boat and was actually looking at a softener at Lowes for around $500 and the Lowe's salesman talked me out of it, (he must have not gotten a raise).

First your going to have to locate the incoming shutoff and cut pipe, put in softener, install inline and turn water back on. If you don't want to do it yourself I'd find a handyman, flip him a $100 or $200 and have him do it.
If your on city water you probably have metal pipe, just don't cut it, look for where theres a screwed in fitting, unscrew it, get the neccessary PVC fittings, thread tape and PVC it in. There's a wealth of information in the "house" section of CD on this subject also.

Be aware too that you can install it to treat in-house water only, I wouldn't condition the outside spigots or sprinkler system.

[bentlebee]

Thanks. We don't want to mess with this ourself since we have no clue what we are doing and if we watch the DVD that comes with it, it all looks easy.

I have made one big improvement by advise of one plumber. He told us that we need to buy dishwasher detergent with fosphite in it and the white stuff on the plates and the dirty looking glasses and silverware will be eliminated. This was great advise. We are having clear glasses and clear silverware, so if there is no package with fosphite in it in store, you know who bought it!

[Mike1306]

You should be able to get one installed for $650-$750 including the unit unless the drain had to be run a long distance. Just call around to different plumbers and ask them for a rough estimate on installing one if you provide the softener.

To choose the right softener and size you will need to know your approximate water usage per month.

The Fleck 5600 is a very good unit, they are low maintenance and can be found for a good price, probably under $450. If you have 4 people in the house and normal water usage a 32,000 grain should be sufficient size.

[angirocks]

fosphite, huh? doesn't sound earth friendly, but anything to get my glasses clean at this point!

Originally Posted by bentlebee

Thanks. We don't want to mess with this ourself since we have no clue what we are doing and if we watch the DVD that comes with it, it all looks easy.

I have made one big improvement by advise of one plumber. He told us that we need to buy dishwasher detergent with fosphite in it and the white stuff on the plates and the dirty looking glasses and silverware will be eliminated. This was great advise. We are having clear glasses and clear silverware, so if there is no package with fosphite in it in store, you know who bought it!

[bentlebee]

Originally Posted by angirocks

fosphite, huh? doesn't sound earth friendly, but anything to get my glasses clean at this point!

I know, but what can I do...I never had this and all of a sudden all my dishes had a white stuff on it and glasses where blurred. We also received calls at our property management with similar complains...and these homes are at least 30 miles from where I live. I was about to look for a new dishwasher after I tried so many things. Vinegar, almost 10 different detergents (but I guess all had fosphite) and I threw full bottles away thinking it was the detergent..now I know it has to do with the detergent, but for the dishwasher it is solved, but it probably will affect all other pipes and lines in my house.

I was told by a plumber that Pasco County has changed something with the water, which I have clearly proof of.

Perhaps it is bad for the environment but the same counts for food that is artificial colored to make it look better and without that nobody would eat it, due to it looking so discusting.

We use aproxx. 3000 gallons a month so that is not that much water for a household in a 2 story home. We are not looking to connect it to the sprinkler system since we are on reclaimed water and the rain is helping with watering the yard

I'm going to call other plumbers and see what the best price I can get since what Mike stated sounds more reasonable and I know that not many people are willing to pay so much for a watersoftener + installation.

[bnepler]

Go to Home Depot or Lowes and and ask one of the older guys for info and someone to install one for you. Should only cost less than $500 including install.

[TampaKaren]

We've had two water softeners installed at separate times and never paid over $100 for installation (one worked for a major dealer and did the install after hours, the other was an independent). It's located inside the garage near the hot water heater so the plumbing was minimal. The cheapest one, a Kenmore, worked better than the more expensive one from Lowes (cannot remember the brand). The Kenmore was a Consumer Reports Best Buy.

I think the use of phosphates is no longer allowed in detergents. There is a product called Lemi Shine that does a great job removing the white film left on dishes and dishwashers. We buy it at the WalMart Superstore. It's cheap and does a great job as an additive. You can also dilute it with water in a spray bottle and it cleans and shines a lot of things.

[Mike1306]

Originally Posted by bnepler

Go to Home Depot or Lowes and and ask one of the older guys for info and someone to install one for you. Should only cost less than $500 including install.

Lowes carries mostly digital, on demand units. While the salesperson may try and sell you on the latest technology they still have more problems that the old styled mechanical timer units.

The Fleck 5600 or an Autotrol are much better than the Whirlpools you will get at Lowes.

And to the OP, do yourself a favor and pick up a water test kit, they run around $25 and may save you spending $600-$700. You may not have hard water and that is all a softener can help you with.

[bentlebee]

Thanks for all your advise