Received Quote for Water Softener (Liberty, Leander: renters, appliances, how much)

[Gabecava]

Hey Guys,

So I'm pretty new here and just purchased my first home! I'm pretty much in North Leander, and the water is pretty hard, my builder suggested a water softener, which I've never had to invest in before. I went through the whole process, went to Lowe's picked one out, had to get an estimate from them. Well the guy came out, explained everything he needed to do since I don't have a loop. And well the estimate came out to 1900. Now it just seems a bit extreme to me, as the water softener was just 398. Is there a chance that someone out there around me can do this for MUCH cheaper as obviously I'm not "Water softener ready" to begin with. Thanks guys!

[10scoachrick]

Not having a loop makes it a pain...serious wall work and/or digging; but that does seem high unless there are more components(whole-house filter?). I don't have a good answer since we had a loop and RainSoft system at the former abode and the new townhouse doesn't have a softener at all.

[hoffdano]

I'm a bit surprised if the builder of your home made this recommendation that they didn't plan for it by putting in a loop. It would have cost just a tiny bit during construction.

Without a loop they need to cut into the main water line entering the house and creating a spot for the water softener to be inserted in the water path. That quote does seem high, but I don't know what exactly they are doing for that $1900.

Call another plumber for another estimate. Do not call one of the big names in water softeners like RainSoft or Culligan. They will try to sell you a $4000 package including a hugely expensive softener.

[mamacatnv]

I live in Leander in a 15 year old home, shortly after we purchased the home the softener died (original to the house). We have opted at this point to not replace it. Many of our neighbors do not have softeners and several people on this forum pointed out our water is supplied by the city and the city is not pumping plumbing destroying water.

That said, the company that made our softener is in Liberty Hill, they also have a kiosk at Costco. I spoke with them, they did come out and evaluate the current unit, we did not get a quote, we just decided against the additional expense. Its been six months, so far, so good. We have a filter for our ice maker and we have Sparkletts water mainly because we are huge water drinkers.

Eco Water System, Dennis I believe is the owner.

[Gabecava]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

I'm a bit surprised if the builder of your home made this recommendation that they didn't plan for it by putting in a loop. It would have cost just a tiny bit during construction.

Without a loop they need to cut into the main water line entering the house and creating a spot for the water softener to be inserted in the water path. That quote does seem high, but I don't know what exactly they are doing for that $1900.

Call another plumber for another estimate. Do not call one of the big names in water softeners like RainSoft or Culligan. They will try to sell you a $4000 package including a hugely expensive softener.

Yeah we were surprised too with the builder as it was mentioned in more of the, "Oh by the way" context after they just finished the house. I do believe they have to run a pipe under the ground from our cut-off in the front yard to the garage. But still does seem high at $1900 as I found out that was without the water softener price included. But I'll definitely be looking at other plumbers today.

Originally Posted by mamacatnv

I live in Leander in a 15 year old home, shortly after we purchased the home the softener died (original to the house). We have opted at this point to not replace it. Many of our neighbors do not have softeners and several people on this forum pointed out our water is supplied by the city and the city is not pumping plumbing destroying water.

That said, the company that made our softener is in Liberty Hill, they also have a kiosk at Costco. I spoke with them, they did come out and evaluate the current unit, we did not get a quote, we just decided against the additional expense. Its been six months, so far, so good. We have a filter for our ice maker and we have Sparkletts water mainly because we are huge water drinkers.

Eco Water System, Dennis I believe is the owner.

Yeah we're on the verge of Leander/Liberty Hill so I'll check into the company, and possibly see if they're still at the Costco. But we're mainly concerned about our Appliances and the mineral buildup, we checked out Scalebuster and NuvoH20 but they just seem like "snake oil"

[lucknow]

I used to sell water equipment and I'm still familiar with the install prices. Loop or no loop a water softener install is a pretty simple process. The rate a subcontractor gets from a equipment supplier today is $200 for a simple install. Now that's Canada where everything is more expensive than the USA. Where costs can mount up are if it's a complicated situation to bypass the outdoor taps and the cold water at the kitchen sink. Many times I would sell the customer an RO system for the kitchen and then the line could remain soft. Everyone needs an Ro in any case for PURE drinking water. The bypass for the outdoor water supply is important as you don't want to be using soft water for irrigation purposes. It is damaging to the soil as the sodium levels will increase over time and hurt the plants or lawn.

The most reasonable way to purchase and install a softener system is to research all the equipment available online. Purchase the unit that best meets your needs using this criteria. Proper size for the volume of water used in the house. That is figured out by the number of people living in the dwelling PLUS the hardness of the water to be softened. A unit too small will regenerate too often and you will run out of softening capacity, usually at the worst time!!!! A unit too big is a waste of money and the bigger units cost more. Another important consideration in my opinion is the removal of all organics and chlorine from the water. I always sold a mixed bed, "Carbon and resin" softener to everyone on a municipal water system. Because I have had this type of system for so long, all untreated city water smells like bleach to me now.
Another consideration is how much salt and how much water is used per regeneration. Some of the newer units are real salt and water misers.
The warranty on the system is an important consideration. Lifetime on the tank and ten years on the valve is minimum IMO.

When you have purchased your equipment and have it on site get a few quotes for the installation from local licenced plumbers.

A water softener is the only household appliance that actually saves you money. If your water is even moderately hard the reduction in all cleaning products is at least 75%. Many people continue to use the same amount of laundry, dish soap, all other cleaners and personal products anyway, DON'T. The wear and tear on all equipment that uses water is dramatically reduced. Hot water costs are greatly reduced as the water heater is so much more efficient once it is no longer full of rock.

Personally, I think people who have hard water and don't soften it are nuts!

[Gabecava]

lucknow

Would you strongly advise against a system like scaleblaster or NuvoH20? I do want to get a softener as soon as possible without breaking the bank right off the bat. I understand those systems basically "break down" the mineral but aren't essentially softeners. I've personally ruled them out but I'm just curious as to your opinion on them.

[lucknow]

Originally Posted by Gabecava

lucknow

Would you strongly advise against a system like scaleblaster or NuvoH20? I do want to get a softener as soon as possible without breaking the bank right off the bat. I understand those systems basically "break down" the mineral but aren't essentially softeners. I've personally ruled them out but I'm just curious as to your opinion on them.

Those systems are a complete waste of time and money. You should be able to purchase finance a softener system for around $25 a month for 60 months. Offer Culligan $18 a month for a refurbed unit installed with a complete warranty as a starting point. Refurbed units are complete rebuilds that come back from the rental pools.

[tickledpink]

Have you thought about renting one? My parents rent a water softener and it's just 20 dollars a month. This included installation, routine maintenance and salt.

[lucknow]

When I was in the business we just loved those who rented softeners because we made WAY more money off rentals than sales. You should be able to buy one for around $20 a month for 60 months. We hade renters who had been paying that for 30 years. Those people paid for 6 water softeners.