Water Softners (new home, calculator, upkeep)

[Nyce_1]

How beneficial are they? Building a new home in Lithia and I'm researching whether or not to have one installed for our home. How many of you have them and do you notice a difference? Can anyone also recommend a company to call for quote? Thanks

[Mike1306]

Hard to say how beneficial without a water test for your specific area but overall they are worth the $400-$500 they cost. The upkeep for a new one is not bad, just need to add salt once in a while.
I would go with one of the lower cost units, the high priced ones with all the bells and whistles look purty but just give you more parts to break while doing pretty much the same thing.

[Nyce_1]

Thanks Mike. Do you know what to look for when deciding what type to get? I'm completely green in this area so I want to make sure I research for the right components.

[Mike1306]

Take your water and have it tested first, this will give you an idea how many grain unit you need. I personally like the older style unit that did not have as many digital features as I think you have more problems in the long run.
Fleck and Autotrol make pretty reliable units, at least they used to when I was working with them, and they were always reasonably priced.
There is really not much to a softner, the water goes in to the tank and the resin attracts the hard minerals which make your water softer, the unit flushes the hard minerals off the resin once a week or so dependent upon the usage.
There are many calculators on the web to determine how large a unit you need but since you are building you will need to get some water from a neighbor unless they already have you hooked up.