Water softener questions?

[hoggs222]

What size softener do I need? There's 2 people here now. I can't imagine more than 4 people ever living in the house.

I am just wondering if there's much difference between a Morton System Saver II water softener ($350-$400) or a much more expensive brand, i.e. Culligan ($1000-$2000)?

Any thoughts and input would be helpful.

Thanks,

Hoggs

[Walleye Guy]

Buy a Water Boss from Menards. They have a couple sizes. Either will work great and neither will cost over $500.

[hoggs222]

I haven't checked into the Water Boss yet, but the Morton Water Saver, I was looking at was from Menards for $350-$400.

[delcecchi]

You can find out the hardness of your water from the local utility. That will give you a handle on the capacity you need.

It isn't clear to me that there is much difference among units except that perhaps some are more likely to have parts available far in the future.

[krinkle]

What size softener? If you are on a well you need to get your water tested and get it tested for more than just hardness. There is a company just north of cub foods on 65 that can help. If city water you may find the hardness on their web site.

Once you know the condition of your water then you can size a softener accordingly.

Price difference in softeners due to the quality of heads used and resin. Price will also vary with the level of customer support from where you buy it. Many of the box store softeners I have seen and worked on are pretty much disposable softeners. Meaning when they quit working just throw in a new one. With the hard water in the ham lake, Andover area many last about 5 years delivering conditioned water. After that they really start going down hill. The softeners we sell are predicted to last upwards of 20 years. Granted there may be a repair needed in that time but at least the unit is worth repairing.

Last time I had to work on a water boss I was told it was going to be over a week for parts. With some of the hard water up here that is like telling a customer you will be with out water for a week.

I would say with most you get what you pay for. If you are able to put it in yourself maybe a cheaper unit is for you and you just change it out more often.

Not only do you want to make sure your softener is sized properly but you also want it programmed properly to. Most come with factory preset programming that is usually pretty high. This means regeneration more often than what you need which means much wasted water and salt.