I need the truth

[jarjar]

I live in Magna Utah, we need a softener for our house. I'm really confused about what to buy. We want to take out all the lime and calcium and hardness, but most of the salespeople tell me that the water here in Magna is full of other metals and nastyness that can hurt our appliances and even our family. We had Intermountain, Kinetico, Superior, Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, Cleenwater and even our plumber give us advice and we've been quoted prices anywhere from $1000 - $7500 installed with tax, and labor included.

Some sales guys and one girl came to our house and did weird tests. one even hooked up a jar and poured our water into it then told us the cloud of s**t in the jar was in our water - is that for real ?

So whats the skinny - what do I need, what's a fair value and whats the most environmentally friendly way to go.

~We have 6 kids, two 40 gallon water heaters and a jetted tub.

[greg-cws]

I'm glad to see that you're being a smart shopper. There are many voices clamoring for your business, especially in Utah. - Caveat Emptor.

I work for Intermountain Soft Water, so please understand that I am naturally biased toward the products and services that we offer. :D

Heavy metals can be a definite concern in Utah, even on city water. Please understand that most, if not all Utah municipal water usually meets or exceeds federal (USEPA) minimum safety standards. Don't let anyone try to tell you that your city water will kill you or anyone else.

Regular softeners can be seriously damaged by heavy metals and chlorine, so look for something that has a good quality US made resin and the ability to resist chlorine attrition and metal fouling. I strongly recommend systems that incorporate performance enhancers like Pur-Gard.

I personally want my water to be as clean as absolutely possible, so that I can be assured that there's as little as possible there to negatively affect my health. I look for the very highest quality water that I can afford, and I want the system in my own home to address as many contaminants as possible (hardness, heavy metals, chlorine, tastes, odors etc...).

With that said, there are many really good softener companies in Utah and A LOT of scammers who would love to take advantage of you. Superior is a good choice with a long track record. I am not a fan of the 'disposable' systems sold at DIY home improvement stores, they just don't seem to last. I don't think I've ever seen one last more than 3-5 years in Utah. Kinetico makes a pretty decent product; just make sure that you get a large enough system for both flow and capacity. I will not comment about Cleenwater directly except to say that their system does not remove calcium from water. There's a Cleenwater employee who is a member of these forums so I hope he'll chime in and give some direct input about his systems and what they can do for you.

If I were shopping for a softener today, I'd want to answer the following questions:-

1. How long do I want it to last ?
2. Is it sized correctly to meet my household requirements ?
3. Will it handle the high water pressures found here in Utah ?
4. Will it produce enough flow to serve my household ?
5. Do I have enough room for it ?
6. Does it have the ability reduce bacterial growth within itself ?
7. Do I like the slimy feel of regular soft water, or do I want something that feels less slimy, like a Home Empowered Water System (* an Intermountain product)
8. Is the dealer a WQA member (http://www.wqa.org) ?
9. Is the salesman a WQA Certified Water Specialist ?
10. Is the company positively reviewed on Angieslist ?
11. Does the company have any negatives/unresolved issues on record at the Better Business Bureau ?
12. Is the company properly licensed by the State of Utah (Utah Specialty Contractor - S214 or Licensed Plumber)

The 12 questions above will help weed out the opportunists and scam artists & get you in touch with experts who actually can help you get the water quality that you deserve.

As a side note, I would recommend at least a 72,000 grain single tank system to ensure that you have enough capacity. Alternately, two 35,000 grain systems piped in parallel would give you complete redundancy and excellent flow rates.

Good Luck !

[jarjar]

Thanks Greg

I appreciate your honesty, I see that the Sears, Home Depot, Lowes etc... option is not going to be realistic for our family at all. I guess I just need to choose now between the local big guys like you & Superior. Even though the Cleenwater system doesn't take the hardness out, will it give help me with my laundry & soap consumption and protect my appliances ?

[greg-cws]

Thanks Greg

I appreciate your honesty, I see that the Sears, Home Depot, Lowes etc... option is not going to be realistic for our family at all. I guess I just need to choose now between the local big guys like you & Superior. Even though the Cleenwater system doesn't take the hardness out, will it give help me with my laundry & soap consumption and protect my appliances ?

Whatever any salesman says to you about his/her product, you should be able to have them demonstrate how it works/will work.

For example, if they say it will save you on soap, have them demonstrate how much more soap efficient it is than regular hard water.

[jarjar]

Guys- I spent two months of research and figured that the salt-free softners are not ligitamate. I called my plumber who put in a Patriot softner in April '08. I am VERY impressed with the water quality and the salt efficiency of this system. We've used about a bottle of PurGard already but my plumber says thats normal - is it ?

[greg-cws]

The Patriot will use varying amounts of Pur-Gard, depending on your water consumption habits and the hardness of your water.

How many people live in your home, what is your water hardness ?


Thanks for choosing Intermountain !