Water Softeners

[itlnstln]

I live in South Texas, and our water comes out like a limestone slushy, so I decided to rent a water softener.  I called Culligan and got set up with a $30 3-month trial; I just got the softener, not the filter.  I was wondering if anyone here has owned/rented a Culligan softener and what you thought of the equipment and service. Also, if anyone has any experience with other brands of water softeners, what do you think of it?

[MsKeyboard]

itlnstln,

My SO used to be in the water business (owned private municipal water systems), and his advice would be to check out Sears or Home Depot before committing to a service contract.  The equipment is not real expensive, a basic unit is sufficient, and maintenance is practically zero.
The big name companies tell you that they are basically giving you the equipment, which is true since there is not much cost anyway, and then they have you locked into a long term maintenance contract, which is where they make their money.  When you try to switch companies the new one will tell you that they don't service so-and-so's equipment and now you have to decide whether to keep paying a high maintenance price or change out your equipment and deal with another company determined to continue to take your money.

We have hard water here, and a softener is great once you get used to the change in soap and detergent needed.

Kind of like moving from an Alps to a Topre!

As usual, YMMV........Later

[itlnstln]

Good to know.  I am trying to figure out if I want to keep renting or buy a water softener before my 3-month trial is up.  What I am worried about in buying one from Sears or HD is that I have heard that the dept. store softeners don't work very well with our water (these are opinions from individuals, not Culligan).  That said, there are some larger units from Fleck and GE that look like they would work pretty well and cost quite a bit less than the Culligan unit if I were to buy it ($800-900 vs. $2500).  If I do buy a unit, I would not be interested in a service contract.  I can buy my own salt/potassium for less probably, and other than warranty work, I can fix stuff myself (I'm pretty handy).   Unlike other home appliances, though, I just don't really know much about water softeners when it comes to requirements, quality, etc.  The mechanics are pretty straightforward, though.

[ironcoder]

I live in South Texas, and our water comes out like a limestone slushy, so I decided to rent a water softener.  I called Culligan and got set up with a $30 3-month trial; I just got the softener, not the filter.  I was wondering if anyone here has owned/rented a Culligan softener and what you thought of the equipment and service. Also, if anyone has any experience with other brands of water softeners, what do you think of it?

I lived in Florida for years and Culligan was as common as the weeds that pass for lawn grass down there. The problem with any of the softeners that use salts is the water starts feeling slimy. Damned if you do, damned if you don't, because there's so much rust and other crap in the water you need something. Where you are what you get after softening might not be a whole lot different than what you're describing with the limestone. Maybe see if you can find a homeowner's show or something and check out the alternatives. I would definitely talk to your neighbors and see what they're doing before spending big money. By now there's probably some high tech filter that really works. In the old days it just sifted through big tanks that looked like welding cylinders, for all I know they were just full of salt or crushed charcoal.

[itlnstln]

Yeah, I was thinking about talking with some neighbors and see what they got going.

[MsKeyboard]

For the most part, a softener is just two tanks with a control head that works like a meter.  One tank is full of a media called resin (pretty much the same thing used to make plastic from), and the other is full of salt.
The water runs through the resin collecting the minerals and such, then the meter takes salt water from the brine tank and flushes out the resin tank, and the cycle starts over.
Whether you spend $300 or $3000 it is the same process, just prettier.  Our system is now 14 years old, cost around $600 new and has been serviced once because one of the gears broke.
Save your money, buy a decent but cheap unit and spend the difference on wine.
PS...you'll get used to the feeling of soft water in the shower pretty fast, then you are going to hate hard water forever.

Later.....

[itlnstln]

Whether you spend $300 or $3000 it is the same process, just prettier. Our system is now 14 years old, cost around $600 new and has been serviced once because one of the gears broke.
Save your money, buy a decent but cheap unit and spend the difference on wine.
PS...you'll get used to the feeling of soft water in the shower pretty fast, then you are going to hate hard water forever.
 
Later.....

That's good advice.  Here is the one I am thinking of purchasing.  Culligan is coming today to install their unit, but I think I will just cancel after the trial and get the Fleck (or a comparable GE model).

[MsKeyboard]

Looks like a good unit.  When they worked on ours they replace the head(?) with a Fleck unit, said that it was industry standard and easy to maintain.
Think about the beige unit, they tend to disappear inside the garage better.
You should also think about having it installed with mechanical couplers so that if you move you can disconnect it and take it with you, not a big deal, but one less thing to buy when setting up a new home.
Good luck..............

[itlnstln]

I will definitely get the beige version (I think they have a black one, as well).  That's good advice on the mechanical couplers, too.  Thanks for all your help.