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Thread: Water softner?

  1. #1
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    Default Water softner?

    Hey guys,

    Thinking of getting a water softner...is there anything special I need to know about them?

    Been looking at this one at Home Depot
    http://www.homedepot.ca/product/ge-l...oftener/977694

    Please teach me on water softners as I want to buy one for my parents place as well and want to make sure I don't buy some crap when something better is available.

    Thanks!

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    Everything I have ever heard says go with Kinetico, if you don't want to drop the coin for it then don't bother getting one.

    Looking into having one installed in the New year hopefully.

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    its not like one softener is better than another.

    Kinetico basically uses 2 small tanks instead of one, so you have one regenerating while the other is in use, and doesn't use an electronic flow meter.

    Personally I like my kenmore, but Costco has a 40,000 grain one that they sell for I think $450 with the whole kit.

    they are very easy to install, as long as you have pex pipes

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    http://forums.beyond.ca/st/310867/wa...s-suggestions/

    I went with Aquamaster Pro and I am really happy with it. No issues at all.
    Like said before it is easy to install. Pex or not it is not an issue any more. You can use Shark Bite,
    http://www.sharkbite.com

    When I got mine I called around to get a quote for the installation people were quoting me $700 for the install. I did mine and it costed me less than $100.
    Last edited by ganesh; 12-26-2013 at 09:56 AM.

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    No problems with my kinetico.

    One question though. What am I supposed to do fornmaintenance?
    Quote Originally Posted by 89coupe View Post
    This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
    Beyond, bunch of creme puffs on this board.
    Everything I say is satire.

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    I bought a Fleck water softener from Aquatell.ca. Much cheaper than anywhere I could find and had a local plumber do the install for me. Shipping is free too. There's a few threads on here that talk about Fleck vs. Kinetico. I'm not going to get into that bun fight. I'm happy w/ my purchase and that's all that matters to me.

    Just another option for you to consider.
    Last edited by black_2.5RS; 12-26-2013 at 12:57 PM.

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    all softeners have the same maintenance - you put in Salt

    the only difference is the elctric flow meter, which gives you a bit more control over the process and that you will not have "soft water" available for the hour it recharges that one morning you decide to do it.

    I have mine set for 18 grains of hardness and its been re-generating every 5-7 days (I set 7 days max before it auto-does it)

    you want to buy a softener to size for the number of people in your household, based on total gallons of water consumed based on a average of roughly 17-18 grains (typical south Calgary hardness) so it re-generates once a week.

    for me, that's roughly 40,000.

    I had a bud who thought bigger was better for the size of his house, and bought a massive 58000 softener, and he's had some issues as it was just for his wife and him.

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    Originally posted by killramos
    Everything I have ever heard says go with Kinetico, if you don't want to drop the coin for it then don't bother getting one.

    Looking into having one installed in the New year hopefully.
    It mixes salt with water, it's not rocket science.

    I bought a Costco one for $450, and it works awesome

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    Wow thanks for the info guys.

    What is the costco $450 dollar one, this thing?

    http://www.costco.ca/Vitapur%C2%AE-W...100055718.html

    $450 sounds pretty cheap and tempting if they more or less do the same thing.

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    They are talking about this one:
    http://forums.beyond.ca/st2/kinetico...co#post4000254

    Haven't seen it in store lately.

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    This is the one that was offered in store for $450. It's more expensive on the website due to shipping:

    http://www.costco.ca/.product.103694...ultiItemViewCP

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    What's the benefit of water softener? For those that have them, notice difference?

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    ^ I was always under the impression that a whole-house water filter would be a better choice.... but thats from living on the west coast mind you, not like the lime and calcium water we have here.

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    Cool thanks I will drop by costco and take a look what they have in store.

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    With softened water, can I do the following:

    Water plants?

    Wash rice or vegetables?


    I can easily convert my fridge drinking water to be on non-softened water, but the kitchen faucet would be very complicated (tear down ceiling in basement)

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    Originally posted by TomcoPDR
    What's the benefit of water softener? For those that have them, notice difference?
    Yes. No calcium buildup anywhere in the house. My dry skin in winter is an issue of the past. Clothes feel softer. Anything that uses soap runs better and rinses cleaner. No more soap scum buildup in the shower.. or at least not nearly as often.



    Originally posted by eblend
    With softened water, can I do the following:

    Water plants?

    Wash rice or vegetables?


    I can easily convert my fridge drinking water to be on non-softened water, but the kitchen faucet would be very complicated (tear down ceiling in basement)
    Yes. Yes. Why bother? Softened water is just fine. If you're concerned about it use potassium instead of sodium. I personally prefer the potassium as I can use it to water the lawn. Greenest healthiest lawn on the block. Also, it's really nice to wash the vehicles with as there's no hard water spotting on the glass.

    "We need a vaccination for stupidity, with booster shots against an unwillingness to learn."

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    whole house filters can't filter out hardness thats dissolved into the water.

    Water is a solvent, but if its fully of minerals it has less ability to absorb and effective for things like Soap and can leave deposits behind, like calcium.

    To make water efficient again, you run your water through tanks that contain resin beads that are "charged" and pull these mineral grains out of the water, making it soft again.

    The beads have a "capacity" which is why they are rated for whatever "grains", that then is appropriately sized for the hardness of our water, and its usage.

    You want to size your softener to recharge these beads about once a week, otherwise you risk damaging them (mostly due to lack of use).

    Whether u use salt or potassium salts, its really the same...
    Its not the Salt that softens your water, its the beads that do. The salt brine cleans out the beads.

    There are no issues with drinking "softened" water, as they say that a days worth of water consumption has about the same amount of salt as a piece of white bread, and some people prefer it, as it makes better tea's coffee's and juices.

    Also there is no risk to your lawn, but you are using up your softener's capacity by running your outdoor lines through it.

    Water here in Calgary though, is very tasty, so I'd recommend a bypass for your cold line to the kitchen tap (but not the hot water line, especially to your dishwasher).

    there are some conflicting articles regarding the health benefits of consuming distilled/soft water vs. hard mineralized water.

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    Cool thanks for the info. I went around toa few costco and none of the carry them in store anymore it seems. I asked about them and they said they don't have the room to stock them andi can order online. How is the $470 unit at costco? (Link I posted earlier) Reading the details on it is there anything that looks like it would not be a good decision?

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    Originally posted by eblend
    Cool thanks for the info. I went around toa few costco and none of the carry them in store anymore it seems. I asked about them and they said they don't have the room to stock them andi can order online. How is the $470 unit at costco? (Link I posted earlier) Reading the details on it is there anything that looks like it would not be a good decision?
    ]

    I bought the unit from Costco 3 months ago but I haven't got around to installing it yet.

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    Originally posted by Proyecto2000
    ]

    I bought the unit from Costco 3 months ago but I haven't got around to installing it yet.
    Did you buy online? Curious as the lady made reference to the fact that some stores may have them in the store but was having trouble finding any info.

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