Water Softeners, BIG BOX STORES VS. Local Dealers-Professional Grade compared to Appliance Grade

Most Big box stores sell "CHEAP" systems made by EcoWater Systems (IF ECOWATER PUT THEIR NAME ON IT THAN IT WOULD GIVE THEM A BAD NAME WHEN CONSUMERS GET PISSED THAT THEY ONLY LAST 2-5YRS IF YOUR LUCKY.....THEY ARE LIKE BIC LIGHTERS.....DRAG IT TO THE CURB AND GO BUY ANOTHER ONE INSTEAD OF PAYING A PROFESSIONAL $89.95 PLUS PARTS TO COME OUT AND FIX YOUR $499 SYSTEM!) and sold under PRIVATE LABEL brands like Whirlpool, G.E., Kenmore, Morton Pellet saver, or Northstar and are all EXACTLY the same tanks and the cheapest valves with the same resin. They come with a 1yr warranty and are not able to be returned to the store if taken out of the box and installed! No SERVICE or INSTALLATION, No parts, NO NOTHING! Just DIY! If your looking to sell a house and the buyer refuses to buy unless you furnish treated water, go down to HD, Lowes, SAMS, Wal-Mart, or SEARS and throw one in! If you are looking to actually live in the house for many years then I would contact a local dealer! EcoWater, Culligan, Kinetico, and Hague are the MAJOR BRAND MANUFACTURERS! They have PATENTED Unique systems that can't be sold by anyone but an AUTHORIZED DEALER! They provide installation, service, and factory trained technicians who can fix your system if needed and always carry the parts and filters you may need. I personally sell the ECOWATER BRAND PROFESSIONAL GRADE 3500 series because it has the BEST WARRANTY and HAS THE FEWEST ISSUES AS FAR AS SERVICE CALLS and is THE EASIEST SYSTEM TO DIAGNOSE AND TAKE APART, NO TOOLS ARE NEEDED! The system has a WIRELESS REMOTE MONITOR CALLED HYDROlink! IT DISPLAYS VALUABLE SYSTEM PERFORMANCE INFO LIKE WATER USED TODAY, AVERAGE DAILY USE, CAPACITY REMAINING IN % AND IN GALLONS, DAYS LEFT TILL SALT IS NEEDED, AND WILL ALERT THE HOMEOWNER IF THE SYSTEM HAS ANY ISSUES WHATSOEVER! YOU CAN ACTUALLY CONTROL THE SYSTEM AND MAKE IT REGENERATE FROM ANYWHERE IN YOUR HOME WIRELESSLY WITHOUT EVEN GOING OUTSIDE WHERE THE UNIT IS LOCATED!

Just to clear up any misunderstanding about EcoWater Systems, They DO manufacture 1 out of every 3 water softener/conditioners in the U.S and are the largest MANUFACTURER of residential water softeners in the WORLD! All Dealers are NOT the same as they are not corporate owned but are in fact independent. Prices will vary from Dealer to Dealer as the cost of doing Business will vary and the amount of overhead carried! I service any water softener out there as I will never deny a customer of Quality service.

ANY JOE BLOW OUT THERE CAN START A WATER SOFTENER BUSINESS! WE could call it AVERAGE JOE WATER CONDITIONING AND FILTRATION. USUALLY they sell FLECK, CLACK, AUTOTROL and build the systems NOT IN A FACTORY but in some cases a BARN, SHED, or at home in the GARAGE! Quality control compromised! Think about a guy building your system SMOKIN A CIGARETTE WITH DIRTY HANDS! WHO KNOWS WHAT HE MIGHT PUT INSIDE THE TANK AND HOW MUCH! There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE between an "ASSEMBLER" and an AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO SELLS A MANUFACTURED PRODUCT which comes from a factory SEALED IN A BOX! MOST GUYS WHO NEED CONSTANT RECURRING REVENUE WANT A SYSTEM THAT BURNS THROUGH A TON OF SALT (WHICH KEEPS THEM BUSY ON A SALT ROUTE)AND NEEDS A VALVE REBUILD i.e.(PISTON AND SEALS EVERY 2-5YRS...FLECK!) I CARE ABOUT MY CUSTOMERS AND WOULD ONLY SELL THE BEST!


I have a 3500 series REFINER (which is simply a city water system designed to remove CHLORINE tastes and odors along with filtereing and softening all the water entering your home all in ONE UNIT!) installed in my home and it is from 1996 and still works today! THE MACHINE HASNT NEEDED SALT IN A YEAR! DID YOU HEAR THAT CUSTOMERS! IT HASNT NEEDED SALT IN A YEAR! THE ERR3500 series REFINER IS ONE OF A KIND! IT IS THE ONLY RESIDENTIAL WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM THAT CARRIES 2 GOLD SEALS FROM THE WATER QUALITY ASSOCIATION (ONE FOR SOFTENING AND ONE FOR FILTERING CHLORINE). IT IS THE ONLY SYSTEM THAT CAN BE CALLED A REFINER AS IT IS VALIDATED BY 3rd PARTY TESTING! THE MACHINE HAS 9 PATENTS AND IS NO JOKE! CUSTOMERS ARE SHOCKED WHEN WE INSTALL ONE AS THEY ALWAYS COMPARE IT TO THEIR "OLD TIMER" AND THINK IT ISNT WORKING PROPERLY BECAUSE THEIR OLD SYSTEM HAD THEM BUYING SALT BY THE PALLET TO KEEP IT OPERATING! THE 3500 SERIES HAS A VALVE THAT IS ONLY AVAILABLE AND SOLD BY A DEALER FOR ALL YOU FOLKS WHO LISTEN TO THE BRAND BASHERS OUT THERE WHO SAY "ecowater is the same thing at sears!" THAT IS COMPLETELY FALSE! IF YOU HAVE EVER BOUGHT ONE FROM A BIG BOX STORE BEFORE THAN YOU ARE BUYING THE LOWEST GRADE CHEAPEST SYSTEM AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC! LAST TIME I CHECKED HD, AND LOWES SELL LUMBER, PAINT, NAILS AND DRYWALL! NO EMPLOYEE HAS ENOUGH TRAINING OR KNOWLEDGE IN THE STORE TO PROPERLY ANSWER A CUSTOMERS QUESTIONS! IT IS BASICALLY A "ONE SIZE FITS ALL" APPROACH! ONCE THEY SELL YOU A SYSTEM ALL YOU HAVE IS AN 800 NUMBER TO CALL! THEY WONT EVEN ACCEPT IT BACK IF IT IS DEFECTIVE! THEY WILL MAKE A FEW BUCKS AND WASH THEIR HANDS OF YOU! I HAVE TO GO ON SERVICE CALLS FOR THESE SYSTEMS WHEN A HOMEOWNER CALLS THE 800 NUMBER AND WANTS IT FIXED BUT ONLY IF ITS UNDER THE ONE YEAR WARRANTY! NINE TIMES OUT OF TEN THE PROBLEM IS INSTALLER ERROR! NOTHING AT ALL WRONG WITH THE SYSTEM JUST THAT SOME IDIOT INSTALLED IT WRONG! HAVE A PROFESSIONAL INSTALL IT AND ACCURATLY TEST YOUR WATER! I HAVE A $300 TEST KIT THAT I USE! THOSE DIP STRIP ARE FOR IDIOTS! THEY DO NOT GIVE YOU AN ACCURATE HARDNESS READING! I RECENTLY HAD A GUY WHO BOUGHT ONE AT LOWES AND CALLED SAYIN IT DIDNT WORK, ONLY TO GO OUT TO HIS HOUSE TO FIND HIS ELECTRIC PLUG HAD NO POWER GOIN TO IT! I KNOW THE WATER IN MY AREA IS 15-18GRAINS HARD AND I ASKED HIME IF HE KNEW HOW TO SET THE UNIT, HE SAID 7GRAINS BECAUSE THE DIP STRIP (IDIOT STRIP) TOLD HIM THAT!

PEOPLE THINK A WATER SOFTENER IS NOTHING MORE THAN A KITCHEN APPLIANCE THAT YOU JUST CONNECT WATER LINES TO AND PLUG IT IN AND THROW A BAG OF SALT IN IT AND IT WILL WORK FOREVER! IM HERE TO TELL YOU THAT IS FOOLISH! IF WATER FLOWS FROM YOUR FAUCETS THAN WHO CARES IF IT ACTUALLY WORKS!

CHECK OUT A COMPANY BEFORE YOU GET HYPED INTO SOME SYSTEM WITH A 5YEAR SOAP PACKAGE OR A NASA STICKER ON IT!