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Old 07-09-2012, 03:58 PM
 
43 posts, read 170,455 times
Reputation: 38

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We get our water from the Brushy Creek MUD and were given a sales pitch by Rainsoft folks that our bad is 4 out of 5 in terms of hardness criteria. With the same sales pitch, we were offered a Rainsoft elite softner, filter and osmosis system for ~7K and we are still recovering from the price quote

Can you please recommend me a decent water softener which costs less? Can I just go ahead with ones from Lowes(Whirlpool) or HD(GE) costing about ~500-1000$. Should plumbing cost be a consideration when I go with Lowes/HD/Sears?
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Old 07-09-2012, 05:48 PM
 
Location: Avery Ranch, Austin, TX
8,977 posts, read 17,555,108 times
Reputation: 4001
Quote:
Originally Posted by austin_buyer View Post
We get our water from the Brushy Creek MUD and were given a sales pitch by Rainsoft folks that our bad is 4 out of 5 in terms of hardness criteria. With the same sales pitch, we were offered a Rainsoft elite softner, filter and osmosis system for ~7K and we are still recovering from the price quote

Can you please recommend me a decent water softener which costs less? Can I just go ahead with ones from Lowes(Whirlpool) or HD(GE) costing about ~500-1000$. Should plumbing cost be a consideration when I go with Lowes/HD/Sears?
That RainSoft price would go down $2K with a phone call. STILL VERY expensive, but it is not a basic water softener. A basic unit can be bought(not installed) for the price you mention; but, installation can be relatively easy or very difficult depending on your plumbing. To me, softening the water is paramount. To filter the water, RO filters work well(we have one) but an inexpensive in-line filter might be all you need...depends on what you want filtered out. The RO unit would run +-$150 plus installation. Again, the cost of install would vary according to the amount of work needed(granite drilling, etc). The ice and water we get from our KitchenAid fridge(small in-line filter) and garage fridge(bigger, '5-year' in-line filter) taste great. We use the RO filter for coffee and cooking and the doggie(who had liver cancer). If we couldn't have the RO system for some reason, I'd go with a relatively inexpensive in-line cartridge system.

There have been recent discussions on softening systems here on C-D. Might be worth a search or two to check those out. The worst thing about RainSoft and similar outfits is the sales pitch...second worst thing is the PRICE . Our unit has been trouble-free for 4 years and I hope to get many more years out of it. If we had predicted the general downturn in the economy 4+ years ago, I might have purchased a more basic unit...BUT might have had some non-covered problems along the way. I REALLY don't want trouble with the water supply in the house. So far, so good.
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Old 07-09-2012, 09:30 PM
 
Location: Round Rock
481 posts, read 2,417,076 times
Reputation: 254
Quote:
Originally Posted by austin_buyer View Post
We get our water from the Brushy Creek MUD and were given a sales pitch by Rainsoft folks that our bad is 4 out of 5 in terms of hardness criteria. With the same sales pitch, we were offered a Rainsoft elite softner, filter and osmosis system for ~7K and we are still recovering from the price quote

Can you please recommend me a decent water softener which costs less? Can I just go ahead with ones from Lowes(Whirlpool) or HD(GE) costing about ~500-1000$. Should plumbing cost be a consideration when I go with Lowes/HD/Sears?
I live in BCMUD and the hardness ranges between 10 - 15. They say anything under 10 and you don't need a softener. I used to live in NW Indiana with a hardness of 50 so to me the MUD is nothing. Definitely not a 4 out of 5. And 7k - crazy! I bought locally, not a chain store and paid $1499 all installed - it's a larger size one. We used choice water.com. I didn't go with Lowes/HD because I wanted a separate salt tank. Good luck!
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Old 07-10-2012, 07:47 AM
 
Location: Central Texas
13,714 posts, read 31,180,231 times
Reputation: 9270
Doesn't the OP realize that his family is in dire danger right now because he doesn't have a water softener? The water he drinks and bathes in every day is DANGEROUS!

Well that is what the Rainsoft sales guy wants you to believe.

It is just sad that all water softener sales people use the same sales strategy. They want to scare you into buying their system. I do think a softener is a good idea for most in the Austin area. Our water ranges from hard to very hard. And you can see it in your fixtures after just a short time.

A $600 Whirlpool unit I installed myself many years ago is servicing my house very well. My father recently had a softener installed by Kinetico but I don't know how much he paid (other than too much).
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Old 07-10-2012, 10:27 AM
 
Location: Avery Ranch, Austin, TX
8,977 posts, read 17,555,108 times
Reputation: 4001
Quote:
Originally Posted by hoffdano View Post
Doesn't the OP realize that his family is in dire danger right now because he doesn't have a water softener? The water he drinks and bathes in every day is DANGEROUS!

Well that is what the Rainsoft sales guy wants you to believe.

It is just sad that all water softener sales people use the same sales strategy. They want to scare you into buying their system.
I do think a softener is a good idea for most in the Austin area. Our water ranges from hard to very hard. And you can see it in your fixtures after just a short time.

A $600 Whirlpool unit I installed myself many years ago is servicing my house very well. My father recently had a softener installed by Kinetico but I don't know how much he paid (other than too much).

It IS sad...like an industry requirement or something . Along with the phone calls and fliers in the door the day someone moves in, it's too bad 'they' can't just present their product and go from there. Also, too bad they take the 'car dealership F&I back room' approach to pricing. Same thing happened with GutterGuard back in Atlanta...over the top sales pitch and the inevitable call to the 'office' to get a 'better deal' for the customer. JUST TELL ME HOW MUCH IT COSTS...it ain't Antiques Road Show!
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Old 07-11-2012, 10:11 AM
 
4 posts, read 6,906 times
Reputation: 15
Default Rainsoft

All I can say is we've had a Rainsoft system for more than 20 years and have been very satisfied with it. Yes, very costly when first purchased, but worth it. When we moved to the Brushy Creek area, the system moved with us to our new home. We did have to replace the motorboard recently & spent about $500, but that's not too bad after so many years of good service. Good luck.
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Old 04-02-2014, 10:58 AM
 
1 posts, read 2,679 times
Reputation: 10
I recently bought a Morton watersoftner. my water tested at 425 but I don't know what to set my softner at. I need heip
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