Before You Sign a Whole Home Water System Quote, Ask These 10 Questions

A whole house water filtration system is one of those purchases you make once and live with every day. It touches every shower, every glass of water and every load of laundry for the next decade or more.

So it's worth slowing down before you sign.

Most homeowners in Tampa Bay get two or three quotes. On paper they can look surprisingly similar: a couple of tanks, a price, a warranty line. The real differences show up later, when you need service, a part or an answer.

These 10 questions help you see those differences before you buy. Ask them of every company you talk to, including us.

1. How long have you been installing water filtration systems here?

Not "how long has the brand existed." How long has this company been installing in your area?

Florida water has its own personality: hard water from the limestone aquifer, chlorine or chloramine from city treatment, and in some neighborhoods, iron or sulfur. A company that has been installing locally for years has seen how systems hold up here, and it is far more likely to still be around when you need it in year eight.

2. How old is your oldest whole home water system still running?

This is one of our favorite questions, because a sales pitch can't fake it.

A company that can point to systems still running 10, 15 or 20 years after installation is showing you two things at once: the equipment lasts, and the customers stayed happy enough to keep calling. A company that's only been around a year or two simply can't answer it yet.

3. Can I read your reviews, and how many are there?

Five stars from seven reviews is a good start. Five stars from hundreds of reviews over many years is a track record.

When you read them, look past the stars. Do customers mention installers and technicians by name? Do reviews describe what happened months after the install, not just on install day? How does the company respond when something went wrong?

4. Is this your own water system, or a brand you resell?

Many companies sell equipment made by someone else, sometimes with their own name on the tank. That isn't automatically bad, but it changes who stands behind the system.

Ask who designed it, who supplies the parts and media, and who you call if the company that sold it to you is gone in five years.

5. Was this water softener or filtration quote built for my home's water?

Pay attention to how the conversation started. Did they ask what's bothering you about your water: the spots, the chlorine smell, the taste, how your skin feels after a shower? Did they ask about your home, your household and what treatment you already have?

Or did they arrive with one system and a price?

Water in Clearwater isn't the same as water in Wesley Chapel or Lakewood Ranch. The right system should be built around the problem you want solved. If soft water is all you care about, the quote should be built for soft water, not padded with things you didn't ask for.

6. Can I see the water system warranty in writing?

"Lifetime warranty" can mean very different things. Ask for the actual document before you sign, and look for three things:

• What's covered: the tanks, the valve, the filtration media, or all of them?
• For how long: each part can have a different term.
• What's not covered: labor, trip charges and media replacement are the usual exclusions.

A simple way to cut through it: ask, "If something fails in year 11, what do I pay?" The answer tells you more than the word "lifetime" ever will.

7. Does the warranty require a service plan, and if so, why?

Some warranties only stay active if you buy a yearly service package. Regular maintenance can be worth it, but you should know up front whether it's required and what it costs each year. Add that cost to the price of the system so you're comparing quotes fairly. And it's fair to ask the obvious question: if the system is as good as they say, why does it need a mandatory service plan?

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8. Is the warranty void if I skip service?

This is the follow-up to question 7, and it matters. If you miss a scheduled service visit, do you lose coverage? Get the answer in writing, not just from the salesperson.

9. What will it cost to service my water softener or filter after the install?

A system can be affordable to buy and expensive to own. Ask what a service visit costs, whether there's a trip fee, what common replacement parts and media cost, and how often you should expect to need them.

10. What exactly is included in the price of the whole house water filter?

Two quotes with the same number can include very different things. Ask whether the price includes installation, materials, removal of old equipment, a drinking water system, and a follow-up visit after the install to make sure everything is working the way it should.

Bring this list to every estimate

1. How long have you been installing water filtration systems here?
2. How old is your oldest whole home water system still running?
3. Can I read your reviews, and how many are there?
4. Is this your own water system, or a brand you resell?
5. Was this water softener or filtration quote built for my home's water?
6. Can I see the water system warranty in writing?
7. Does the warranty require a service plan, and if so, why?
8. Is the warranty void if I skip service?
9. What will it cost to service my water softener or filter after the install?
10. What exactly is included in the price of the whole house water filter?

A good company will be glad you asked. If a question makes a salesperson uncomfortable, that's an answer too.

How Purity Bay answers these questions

We'd rather you ask than wonder. Here's our side of the list:

• Experience: Purity Bay has been building and installing water systems for Tampa Bay homes since 2002.
• Oldest system: It belongs to our very first customer. We installed it in 2001, before Purity Bay was even officially a business.
• Reviews: More than 300 five-star Google reviews from homeowners across Tampa Bay.
• Our own system: We don't resell other brands. Every system we install, from the 10-stage 10X Elite to the 5X Pro and 3X Essential, is our own formula, built for the water in your area.
• Built for your home: Every system starts with a free 10-minute in-home estimate. We ask what you want fixed, then we build for that. If all you want is soft water, that's exactly what we build. We'll show you what else we find in your water, but what you treat is your call.
• Warranty: Lifetime warranty on all parts and media.
• Mandatory service: None, ever. We don't sell service plans, and your warranty never depends on buying one.
• Follow-up visit: A few days after every install, we come back to check the system and make sure you're happy with it.

Comparing quotes? We'll make it easy.

Bring us your other quotes. We'll walk through all 10 questions with you, side by side, with no pressure.

Purity Bay serves homeowners throughout Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Largo, Palm Harbor, Wesley Chapel, Brandon, Riverview, Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch and Parrish.

Schedule Your Free 10-Minute In-Home Estimate or call (813) 709-7873.