Whole house water filter & softener systems

vberch said:
I just replaced our 20 year old water softener (old Fleck) with a new one. There are a ton of water softeners on the market. You can buy one at Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, etc for $500-$800. These will last 5-7 years. Then you can buy a very well made Fleck or Clack valve based water softener either at your local water softener company or online.



Here is a very good place to buy one online (a lot of good info): Quality Water Treatment.



I did a lot of research and ended up with a Fleck 5600 SXT - 48M (48,000 grains capacity). I could have bought it from QWT for $543 shipped, but instead decided to get one locally for $900 installed (warranty, support, great local company to deal with).



It is a great unit and we are very happy with it.



Then we have a pre-filter and a reverse osmosis drinking system that requires 2, $12 filters once a year. We are very happy with the end result.
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vberch,

So the only thing you add during the year is sodium and the 2 $12 filters once a year? What brand and model pre-filter do you have? I'm guessing at least one of the filters is for this unit?



I'm on board with the "buy it locally" so I have someone that could service it if I ever needed.



Fleck and Kinetico are the 2 brands on my short list right now. Thanks for posting - I need all the input I can get.
 
dirtdiggler said:
JB,

My first recommendation would be to contact a Kinetico dealer in your area.. The dealer will provide a free water analysis and match it with a correct softener. Being in R&D, I have access to all our water gurus and Potassium Chloride will work with our systems, just a different module set-up, again this will be a conversation of topic with a Kinetico dealer. Note the benefits and cost.



My system at home consist of a prefilter and a softener. My cost is usually 8.00 us dollars for qty 2 bags of 50lbs of salt and I change my prefilter once a year. The usage of brine varies, because our softeners regenerate in gallon usage rather than electric timer, we feature non-electric. So if there is a power outage, our softener still works and no need to reset anything. And since it non electric, no added cost to your electricity bill and no battery to replace. basically set and forget.

Electrical softeners will have to be set at night when no water is in use to regenerate and some will not have the twin tank feature, so you may have hard water bleed in your line. Our softener features a twin tank that always one is on standby, so you will always have soft water.

I think the best thing is that we manufacture everything here in Ohio. Each plastic part is molded here and has our operator's initial each part. All Kinetico product have been burst tested, evaluated, and QA. If there is a problem with your softener, your local dealer is nearby or contact us here. We comply to full NSF and WQA certifications, not just buy the decals.



hope that helps.
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dirtdiggler,

Like I said in my previous post, I think I've narrowed it down to Fleck and Kinetico. What type of pre-filter are you using - is it the Kinetico whole house unit? That's one I'm considering.



My biggest drawback in choosing a Kinetico (and you can verify) is that I've read that only a dealer can work on it and I believe we only have one dealer in the DFW area. Another guess here, but I suppose the only thing I can/should do is add sodium/potassium to the unit and then forget about it?



Do you use sodium or potassium in your unit? Is potassium "better" or is it just used in different situations? Educate me on both - I'm a total noob when it comes to water filtration.
 
jb1 said:
My biggest drawback in choosing a Kinetico (and you can verify) is that I've read that only a dealer can work on it and I believe we only have one dealer in the DFW area. Another guess here, but I suppose the only thing I can/should do is add sodium/potassium to the unit and then forget about it?



Do you use sodium or potassium in your unit? Is potassium "better" or is it just used in different situations? Educate me on both - I'm a total noob when it comes to water filtration.
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The only things you really can do is change the pre-filter (a standard water filter you can get a Home Depot or Lowes) and add salt (either sodium or potassium). They do recommend you check the salt tank to be sure it has not "bridged" (become solid). The pre-filter is on the input line of the tank so it filters (to some micron level) to the whole house.
 
Bunky said:
The only things you really can do is change the pre-filter (a standard water filter you can get a Home Depot or Lowes) and add salt (either sodium or potassium). They do recommend you check the salt tank to be sure it has not "bridged" (become solid). The pre-filter is on the input line of the tank so it filters (to some micron level) to the whole house.
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Bunky,

Does the pre-filter come with the softener or is it an add on piece of equipment? I'm looking at the whole house filter but until I get the water tested, I'm not sure if I need it or not.



Since my future home site is undeveloped field/farm at the moment, I suppose I could get a sample of water from the model home. I can't imagine that the water at my house will be any different. If I wait until the home is built, it will be too late. I want it installed while the house is being built.



I appreciate everyone taking the time to help me understand Water Softening 101. :xyxthumbs
 
JB1, the pre-filter we have is a filter before the reverse osmosis system, not before the water softener. This is what was recommended based on the water tests we performed.



And yes, the only thing you add is salt and 2, $12 filters once a year (in our case, anyway). Our water softener takes about a bag of salt a month (about $6).



jb1 said:
vberch,

So the only thing you add during the year is sodium and the 2 $12 filters once a year? What brand and model pre-filter do you have? I'm guessing at least one of the filters is for this unit?



I'm on board with the "buy it locally" so I have someone that could service it if I ever needed.



Fleck and Kinetico are the 2 brands on my short list right now. Thanks for posting - I need all the input I can get.
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vberch said:
JB1, the pre-filter we have is a filter before the reverse osmosis system, not before the water softener. This is what was recommended based on the water tests we performed.



And yes, the only thing you add is salt and 2, $12 filters once a year (in our case, anyway). Our water softener takes about a bag of salt a month (about $6).
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vberch, ok that's darn cheap. Thanks for the info!
 
I have The General Ionics Reverse Osimosis System in my home. It is the same system that is used by NASA space program that's on the rocket ships. It's maybe 10 years old. I fill my detailing tank with the water from my system. When I wash cars,my water has more suds,ONR works great,and vehicles never water spot. Even if I do not hand dry it. You will be happy with a good water system in your home. Do your homework!
 
jb1 said:
...Since my future home site is undeveloped field/farm at the moment, I suppose I could get a sample of water from the model home. I can't imagine that the water at my house will be any different. If I wait until the home is built, it will be too late. I want it installed while the house is being built...
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It could be very different. It will depend on what aquifer they hit when the driller does his thing. My well is nearly 350' deep while a neighbor's is only 120'. He has a lot of iron and I have only a little. His water is softer and mine harder.



The drillers around here are required to perform extensive tests on the water and record that info with the county so you might get all the information you need from the drilling company. I'd start by asking them what they provide.
 
Lots of good info here, nice to see some expert advice :xyxthumbs



Regarding the whole house/pre filters, the quality of the water will determine how often you need to change them. I'm on "good" (scare-quotes very intentional :rolleyes:) municipal water and even had a new supply line and lots of new plumbing installed when we bought the house, but I gotta change the prefilters at least every other month, and even that's pushing it as they load up and make my booster pump work harder.



dirtdiggler- Heh heh, you make me wish I'd gone with Kinetico systems :D I did consider them, but I needed (well, wanted) something my regular plumbing contractor could service (he's 100% in my eyes, been there at oh-dark-hundred when I needed him).
 
jb, will your home have a well or will you be connected to a some sort of city/municipal water source? If your home will have a city connection, one thing you could do is call their water department and speak to their water engineer or chemist.



I spoke with chemist that is responsible for our city's water and after much discussion I learned that our water is hard because they draw from a river and also from a lake. During the summer, especially during droughts, I was told that the hardness rises to almost 600 TDS. Basically the water goes straight from the source, to the plant and then comes to us without much filtration. The only things they add to it are chemicals to kill viruses and germs. Because of the costs associated with water treatment and filtration, the city has no plans to upgrade/improve the system. Looks like I'm SOL. :(
 
Rusty Bumper, that's how municipal water is, everywhere....it comes from rivers and lakes (sometimes the lakes are manmade and called reservoirs)...they don't run it through a Brita filter! Well water frequently has high TDS and particulate because it's coming out of rocks that it's been dissolving...
 
lol...you're right. It all just doesn't magically appear. I guess what I really meant to say is that the sources we draw from are high in mineral content and that our facility does little to treat it.





Kind of makes me wish that I lived in Duluth, MN. I spoke with some one who lives there, yesterday, and he said that from the tap, his water TDS is 65!! Nice!
 
Before I changed the reverse osmosis filters I had TDS 95 and after I changed them my TDS was 60. But that is from the dedicated drining faucet. If I remember correctly, TDS from "untreated" softened faucet was 120.



RustyBumper said:
lol...you're right. It all just doesn't magically appear. I guess what I really meant to say is that the sources we draw from are high in mineral content and that our facility does little to treat it.





Kind of makes me wish that I lived in Duluth, MN. I spoke with some one who lives there, yesterday, and he said that from the tap, his water TDS is 65!! Nice!
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Great, so the city filters out chunks and sludge, hits it with some chlorine and sends it on it's merry way to us? No wonder our water smells like it does.



RustyBumper,

We'll be on city/municipal water. I probably gave the wrong impression when I said our future home site is field/farm land. Heck, the whole development is/was. The more you guys reply, the more convinced/certain I am about getting this done.



Again, I thank all of you for your input. Keep the feedback coming everyone.
 
jb1 said:
Great, so the city filters out chunks and sludge, hits it with some chlorine and sends it on it's merry way to us? No wonder our water smells like it does.
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What else would they do? The water they send you is used for flushing the toilet, watering the lawn, washing the car (um...that was probably a bad example), very little is actually consumed. If they were going to treat the entire supply the way you are going to do in your basement, the equipment required to treat those millions of gallons a day would be unimaginable.
 
JB1, I am on a private well and have 32 gpg of hardness and 2 ppm of iron.



jb1 said:
Great, so the city filters out chunks and sludge, hits it with some chlorine and sends it on it's merry way to us? No wonder our water smells like it does.



RustyBumper,

We'll be on city/municipal water. I probably gave the wrong impression when I said our future home site is field/farm land. Heck, the whole development is/was. The more you guys reply, the more convinced/certain I am about getting this done.



Again, I thank all of you for your input. Keep the feedback coming everyone.
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I guess you two managed to escape the incident unscathed?



Can I buy a water test kit locally (Dallas) that would show me everything I need to know before deciding on a system or would I need to take a sample (16 oz.?) to a particular lab that does water analysis?
 
You can take a water test kit at your nearest neighborhood Sears where they perform a test free of charge. Just take a kit, fill it with water, bring it back to Sears and they will test it for you while you are there.



Alternatively, you can make an appointment with a water treatment company near you (if you are considering buying a water softener retail) and they will perform a test for free (it takes 5 min).



When I was shopping around for a water softener, I narrowed it down to five companies and had five water tests performed since each sales rep performed a test. The tests varied a little bit but not enough to make a difference.



Good luck to you!







jb1 said:
I guess you two managed to escape the incident unscathed?



Can I buy a water test kit locally (Dallas) that would show me everything I need to know before deciding on a system or would I need to take a sample (16 oz.?) to a particular lab that does water analysis?
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