Water softener

[fowldreams]

What kind of softener do you guys recommend? Currently I have a waterboss from a big box store that needs to be replaced. And, I'm not so sure I'd like to take that route again. Oh, and I am on well water with high iron levels if that helps.

[311Hemi]

How high of iron are you dealing with and how often were you regenerating with your old softener?

I personally would stay away from big box store water softeners. I purchased an 3m Aqua Pure softener last year from Ferguson. They are more expensive that anything you will find in the big box stores, but they have a quality valve on them. You might call Ferguson to see what they have to offer.

If your dealing with high iron (anything over 3 ppm I would think), it might pay to look at getting an iron filter. It will cost more to get an iron filer and softener, but should last longer. If you have high iron and don't buy an iron filter, you should probably be regenerating the softener every 4-6 days regardless if it needs it or not to keep the resin from fouling from the iron. This means you will use a decent amount of salt.

I have 3 ppm iron and 10 hardness, and I have mine set to regen ever 4-5 days to try to keep the resin from fouling. I also put super iron out in with the salt pellets (in layers), and do a manual regen with super iron out in the brine tank each time I refill the salt tank.

[fowldreams]

If I remember correctly when I set-up the last unit the hardness was at 12 and the iron was 3.

[311Hemi]

How long did the current one last, and any idea how often you were regenerating?

I am of the opinion of spending money on quality units and getting a softener with a valve that can easily be worked on and resins that are of higher quality (fine mesh resins that work better with iron).....however they do cost a good chunk more than what you will find in big box stores. Some people get by just fine with the cheaper ones...so that's a decision to make. 3 of iron sets you up either way to potentially have the unit foul sooner than normal, so more frequent regen's can help with that. Something to keep in mind.

Take it with a grain of salt (if you go this route again), the plumber that plumbed my house when we built said the waterboss units from Fleet Farm were better than the waterboss units in other big box stores, something about the internals possibly being stainless steel or something if I remember correctly.

[BobT]

I've been using a Water Boss for about 8 years and love it. I installed one at my mother-in-law's and it has been working great. Just a note about that. She lives in Hibbing and the iron content of her water is more than double yours at over 7 and her hardness was around 25 if I remember right.

What is the problem you are having? How often do you clean the nozzle screen? How often do you run a "powerclean" cycle? Are you using iron removing pellets?

[fowldreams]

The waterboss is 6 years old and I've had to replace the motor and now the control board is out. $200 for the board and I don't know if I want to keep throwing money at a old unit. I do buy the morton green bag with the rust remover.

[Craigums]

I have a biased opinion but I'd suggest a Whirlpool which are sold at Lowe's based on the fact that it comes with a fair warranty, it's manufactured by a MN company and it is priced aggressively.