Water softener advice

[DevilDog]

Have had a Kinetico for 3 yrs now and love it. So nice to not have to worry about it being hooked up electrical. It was pricey but well worth it.

[NebrClone]

I have Kinetico that was here when I bought the house. I think it is close to 30 years old. I have had it serviced twice in the 13 years I have owned the house. I asked the serviceman if there was anything better and he said just keep the one I have.

[twittkop]

Last night I went price shopping out to compare prices. It was funny listening to the sales guys bad mouth the other product.

The Kinetico that was recommended for my house is $2995 installed and the Culligan is $1099 installed. Considering I could buy 2 Culligan water softeners for less than one Kinetico, and my folks haven't had many problems with their Culligan in the 20+ years, I think I'm going to go with the Culligan.

If the Kinetico wasn't almost 3 times the cost of a Culligan, I would probably get the Kinetico. I like the idea of not having the water heater regenerate at 2:30am every day regardless of water usage. The Kinetico salesman claimed that they were more expensive because of the dual tank, but I don't buy it. The extra tank probably costs an extra $800, but they don't have the circuit board that Culligan has (~ $300 to replace).

I appreciate all of your input.

[bostinelosd]

Sort of off topic, but wasnt Ames rated best water in the state at some point?

[GoCy]

I bought the el-cheapo GE model from Sam's Club about 8 years ago. I think it was something like $200. It's worked fine for us, and we have really hard water in our town. I've heard some of the more expensive manufacturers sales pitch about using less salt than the others, but we only use one bag every 2 months, so I can't see spending $1,000 or $2,000 just to save $15 worth of salt every year.

[cybsball20]

Originally Posted by cys_av8r

Where's Jon Miller when you actually WANT to know what he thinks???

I know his daughter Gracie loves it... No more tangles in her hair...

I'm with brianhos on this one (for once) I like my water just the way it is...

[md66]

I've been a culligan man for 17 years, the last 10 as the dealer in Marion, IA. I'm definitely biased but feel that the 1 cent of electricity that Culligan uses every month can provide huge advantages to complex internal water gearing mechanisms. Our store is open M-f until 5:30 and Saturdays 9-12. Please feel free to stop in and you can compare the systems side by side. Marc

[hoopsnut]

Ditto on Kinetico....you won't be sorry. I have had the same one for about 20 years. Purchased from Docs Softwater in Winterset. Absolutely the best money can buy!!!

[pulse]

Originally Posted by bostinelosd

Sort of off topic, but wasnt Ames rated best water in the state at some point?

Yes, the water is already naturally filtered very well, and then the city's water treatment plant does a good job.