Got my first water softener quote (sales, HOA, appliances)

[PNWGuy]

Signed up for free consoltation for a water softener from a guy in one of the booths at Costco. I figured i might as well do the AZ thing and get it going so the spots on my shower glass will stop showing up. This is what i realized:

1. your house needs to be plumbed for one. Meaning you need to have a waste line near by so the unit can drain. In my case, the main shutoff is outside, in front of the house, but under the patio overhang. I can then run the drain line up and over the house, and attach it to the on sticking out the roof. Then just need to cover the unit in the front so the HOA doesn't send me a letter.

2. Costco units are expensive, and so is the labor charge from the vendor. They want $900 to do the install (they later then said $750), and the units are some dual purpose descaler + softener, which is supposed to help clean up the descaling inside the existing pipes, they also have a computer chip that reduces water waste/salt usage and increases flow rate compared to timered/metered units. Starting price is $5K for the unit! They have a metered unit for $2K as well, but it looks like at minimum, if i go the costco route, i'm lookin at ~$3k-$6K.

3. I seen other threads here stating these can be had for $1K installed. Don't know if those are metered or timered units, nor do I know the effiiency/residual costs per month. I have leads for online purchase of units that i will look into, i remember seeing those, assuming $500 install via local labor, $1K would fit the bill.

So, who pays for the $4K units, and is the added built-in descaling feature really worth it? I'm not going with Costco, just out of my budget right now. But just curious.

[Zippyman]

If you read the data sheet for the softeners, that drain line can be really crazy long - like 50+ feet if I remember correctly. I had my plumber put in a special "drain box" @ the washing machine that has a second drain port for the softener..

DOUBLE DRAIN WASHER OUTLET BOXES and VALVES by IPS CORPORATION | Bexar Supply LLC

As for the "magic" salt-saver electronics, i dunno.. if your softener is metered, it knows how much water youre using & can then adjust the regen based on anticipated usage.. you're only talking a bag or two of salt per month if you use *a lot* of water.. so paying an extra $1k or more to save at most $6 per month in salt (and thats if it reduced your usage 100%) doesnt pencil out.

[Pink Jazz]

We have a GE Profile water softener, and it has worked fine for us. However, I have seen a few homes in our neighborhood that have the premium DuPure water softeners that Fulton offers. Not really sure what benefits it offers over the GE units.

[TiredOfyycCold]

I'm wondering if the costco one you looked at is a Kinetico?.... that's what they sell here.

I do have a Kinetico here in Calgary and yes it was expensive, but I think more around $2500 with install. I think the main advantage is the dual tank system so that you always have a continuous soft water supply even when the unit is regenerating. It also doesn't use any electricity and I've used it for 6 years with zero operating costs or maintenance (other than the 3-4 bags of salt/yr).

Is it worth the extra cost? ... in the end all water softeners do the same thing, just depends if you think the "features" will be "benefits" to you.

[PNWGuy]

the costco here was selling ecowater brand.

BTW, i just remember the sales guy said there were two kinds of systems - salt and potassium chloride. He was selling salt system, but i forgot to ask him what the difference was. i just did some research and now realize those "saltless" systems are the ones that use potassium chloride, and don't require a drain line or electricity (at least the few models i looked at). these units are ~$1200 to $2000, the higher end one comes with a filter as well.

Some additional data for me to ponder over.

[LBTRS]

Ours is an Ecowater unit that we had installed after we moved into our new house. Our house was plumed for a water softener so I don't know how that changed the price. Ours was much closer to $1000 then what you're talking about.

[TiredOfyycCold]

I didn't verify the accuracy of the answer on Yahoo Answers but this guy sounds like he knows what he's talking about:
New water softener....salt or potassium chloride? - Yahoo! Answers

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by PNWGuy

the costco here was selling ecowater brand.

BTW, i just remember the sales guy said there were two kinds of systems - salt and potassium chloride. He was selling salt system, but i forgot to ask him what the difference was. i just did some research and now realize those "saltless" systems are the ones that use potassium chloride, and don't require a drain line or electricity (at least the few models i looked at). these units are ~$1200 to $2000, the higher end one comes with a filter as well.

Some additional data for me to ponder over.

As far as I know, there are no water softeners specifically made for potassium chloride; we have friends who have the same GE Profile model as we do, and they use potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride since one of them is sensitive to sodium.

The "saltless" systems are more accurately described as a descaler, as it doesn't actually soften the water, but keeps them from being deposited on pipes, plumbing fixtures, and appliances (except on appliances with standing water such as a water heater).

Originally Posted by LBTRS

Ours is an Ecowater unit that we had installed after we moved into our new house. Our house was plumed for a water softener so I don't know how that changed the price. Ours was much closer to $1000 then what you're talking about.

In fact, Ecowater actually makes the GE branded water softeners, as well as the Whirlpool, Kenmore, North Star, and Morton Salt branded water softeners.

[PNWGuy]

ahh, i see, the saltless ones are typically water "conditioners". meaning it will change the minerals in the water to prevent the scale/buildup, but won't remove the minerals from the water like a salt system would, and in the end, water will still be hard.

Am i understanding it better now?

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by PNWGuy

ahh, i see, the saltless ones are typically water "conditioners". meaning it will change the minerals in the water to prevent the scale/buildup, but won't remove the minerals from the water like a salt system would, and in the end, water will still be hard.

Am i understanding it better now?

Yep, exactly.