With the vast amount of promotion from different water treatment providers and the confusion it creates, we have developed a list of simple steps or guiding points to help you select a Water Conditioner or Water Softener. Remember that the ultimate decision is: “what quality of water do I want in my home”? The second determining factor is the water.
Unfortunately, not all places have water systems. The recommendations listed below are for treated or municipal water. For well water or water for specific applications, we have alternative ideas.
You will choose the system you use more wisely if you follow these straightforward guidelines.
These ideas could be a little difficult for you to grasp, so do get in touch with us if you need assistance. We’ll try our best to clear things out for you. Alternatively, you can learn more by visiting our website at puritybay.com or by having one of our private, 10-minute in home estimates.
The amount of confusion that is out there is fantastic! The amount of options being offered is also staggering. 1 tank; 2 tanks; Multi-stage units; Magnets; Salt or none-Salt, and many other options.
So here we go:
- Check to see if the location you choose to purchase from operates a LOCAL REPAIR facility: These places can better care for your unit(s) and have the features on hand. So often, people will buy online and or from those companies that come to town and blanket sell units, and then the buyer beware. It has been a great source of revenue for our service department.
- Ensure that NON-PROPRIETARY PARTS were used to construct the units: This is different from a PROPRIETARY DESIGN! Some Water Filter Systems use parts made by a manufacturer that makes similar valves, but they have the parts modified so that you need to buy them from them. These units are made to help secure future service for the dealership. Not a bad thing if you are the dealership! But, in some instances, the dealership leaves the area or the fly-by-night salespeople are nowhere around when a part fails, and the local repair places can’t buy parts. Some parts are unavailable except to branded dealers, so a small $0.29 gear can cost $180 or more to get and install.
- Programmed or adjustable heads: Many control heads on units fall into the following categories. An adjustable head will give you the most efficient service and can be changed according to the water. Here are a few of the more common control heads;
- Timers: These water conditioner systems have a specific clock and will clean themselves according to time, not water use. If the system reaches its capacity to hold stuff before the timer settings, you get what we call BLEED THROUGH. This condition is where hard water passes into the home while the unit still has not reached its timed setting to clean itself.
- Mechanical or Metered controllers: These companies claim no electricity is needed because they use gallon counters. These require an initial setup, which can create an issue of either cleaning itself too soon or not soon enough.
- Time of use replacement units: Some Water Softeners are installed with no regeneration capabilities, and you need to replace or replenish the internal guts or MEDIA every few years. These are my least favourite units. If the life of the media is expected to be replaced every 3 to 5 years, then in the 5-year version, for example, the unit efficiency is -20% less every year. It isn’t like a light bulb that burns out at a particular time. And like the fridge filter and over the counter filters, you may be able to continue to draw water way past the point where it no longer works correctly.
- DIR units: DIR stands for DEMAND INITIATED REGENERATION. These units are the best. Most parts of their design can set the cleaning or regeneration of the unit to the water and its specific conditions of hardness.
- Salt or SALTLESS WATER SYSTEMS: There is still no system that gives the same quality water as a salt water filtration system for hardness except for a Reverse Osmosis unit, but those get expensive for the whole home and are not cheap to maintain, and they require a large footprint in a home.
There is much discussion within the industry that companies claiming non-salt units should even be able to use the word softening in their promotional materials. This is because they may have the best-looking websites but are not designed for the same optimum water. And they are honest about it, but those honesty points are buried deep into the fine print on the last of many pages or web promotions. Then there are the add-on water filters that need to be replaced frequently, creating an ongoing expense that helps generate revenue for the company selling the units.
There isn’t a true water professional I know who would be excited about a saltless water system ! But, still not built to give the same quality softness of a resin-based system!
- Multi-staged: Today’s water requires today’s technology. Simple Water Softeners have long lost their opportunity to give ultimate water quality in today’s environment. Nevertheless, they have a place in the mix and are a central part of most quality Water Filtration Systems. The different stages in today’s water treatment products are designed to reduce other things floating around in today’s water.
Some companies sell a 2-tank system with Resins in one tank, the carbon in a separate tank, and an added salt to hold the salt used to help clean or regenerate the softener part of the unit. Beware, those telling you the carbon will last longer than 5 years in a separate tank. That is not going to happen. Carbon is excellent, and every Fridge Filter has that. But the carbon will eventually rot and breed bacteria.
So, any NOT SO LOGICAL common-sense claim should raise your concern. I’ve heard stories that are so amazingly impossible but impressive. One guy sells a unit that has a 5-micron filter as part of his softener that never needs replacing! That would be like having a coffee filter that never needs changing or cleaning. The fact that they claim a small 5-micron hole as the filtration size means it will hold back items larger than 5-micron, so it will plug up!
There are those applications or situations like Well Water where different tanks may be needed.
- Warranty: Warranty provisions are also extensive and varied. The key points here are what are the exclusions. For example, the RESINS (Media used to remove hardness) on a simple softener may have an extended warranty but not from failure due to chlorine damage. And I can tell you the primary source of resin failure in units we see is CHLORINE! So MAKE SURE THE WARRANTY IS IN WRITING!
And a significant point is this: Do you have specific challenges with your water? One through 6 above are for units installed in homes with pretreated community or city water. If you have well water or water with specific challenges, then some of these may not be adequate as a single solution. An example will be if you have a Well Water system with excess iron in the water. OR A Rotten Egg Smell from the water, a regular water softener would not work even with multi-staging unless built explicitly. If this is the situation, you will need a true professional to help you fully address the concerns or issues with your water.
- Water professional or company? The hype about water treatment systems for Home, Business or Commercial varies by the company selling them. A proper water professional can help you navigate and select a unit. Those who are proprietary dealers may have limited resources, but some sections of water system providers have no clue! So ask a bit about the water professionals’ attitudes, experiences, and qualifications. The passion and desire to help will become evident quickly.
So to summarize: It can be difficult to choose a water softener for your home, but there are numerous guidelines you can follow.
- Local Repair Facility
- NON-proprietary parts
- Softening with Resins that need salt to clean regenerate their capacity.
- Multi-Staging for better quality water
- Adjustable DIR Control Head to adjust to the water.
- WARRANTY
