Home water softener-filter

City or well water? Any special needs?

Re: Home water softener-filter

Ed, I've always defined the "best softener" as the one that gives you the longest service free operation, and costs the least to purchase and maintain when needed.

The heart and brain of a softener is the control valve, not that there aren't other equally important parts like the tanks and resin. I say that because all the moving parts are in the control valve.

Fleck has always been considered as having the best control valves until three of their senior engineers left to go to Clack Corp and designed a line of control valves copying the Fleck piston, seal and spacer design. Theuy did that in 1998 or '99 and the control was released to dealers in early 2000.

They also improved the design greatly. No more Teflon coated pistons and stems. No more contact switches. No more separate spring loaded brine valve with a Teflon coated stem. You've heard of or experienced Teflon coated cookware and its delicate nature I'm sure; it wears and scratches easily causing internal leaks in the control valve requiring replacement of the seals, spacers, piston and brine valve.

So... after selling Fleck and Autotrol control valves since 1987, I looked at the Clack WS-1 in Dec 2003 and have sold 865 as of right now, having only 19 problems and 3 of them were lightening strikes. Two were the owners' fault. You can't buy a better quality control valve than the Clack WS-1.

So I suggest a correctly sized softener using the Clack WS-1. You can learn about correctly sizing your softener on my web site; just click the WWW button below this post and then come back here with any questions you have.

Nice sales pitch