Just got cornered into a Rainsoft EC4 Water Softener system, did I make a mistake?

We bought our first Rainsoft system 25 years ago and just replaced it with a new one. It was expensive at the time, and we worried that we overpaid; however, I now feel it was one of the best long term investments we have make. During that time we only had 2 service calls, and never had salt deposits accumulate in the tank (which is a common complaint if you read about other systems). To this day, it continues to work.

We are replacing the old one with a new one because our well water changed after drilling a new well. We are replacing a 1 tank system with a 3 tank system to better deal with iron and sulfur, and to get the electronic controls. We expect the new system to be more efficient and use less salt and to automatically adjust to changes in usage, water hardness, etc.

We looked at every other system we could find before deciding to go with Rainsoft again. It seemed that we should be able to get comparable features and warranty from other manufacturers. If that manufacturer exists, we could not find them.

If all you want is soft water, you can get a water softener for less money. It will not have have the same warranty, but it will soften your water. However, if you want to remove other things from your water such as chlorine, sulfur, iron, etc. you will have to purchase more things than just a water softener.

I suspect you won't find the perfect product at the perfect price. In our case, we were satisfied enough to purchase a second one. And we did a lot of research on current products before doing so.

I paid $2750 for my system (I knew their tactics ahead of time and told them I don't want the soap or you coupons and I know if I rescind in 3 days you will drop the price, so stop the BS and give me your lowest price) -it was for a size for a household of 5. I knew the price was decent as I had another one installed and removed in my other home and they tried to get me to keep it by dropping it almost 2K. The problem is not so much the unit, it is the company and the people who install it. After "the company" got it right (plumbed incorrectly) on their on dime, the system has been running well for over a year now. I did have an issue where the suction valve had debris in it and therefore was not siphoning the brine solution. I just popped it off, cleared the debris and washed the salt tank good as new. We like our system - the toilets and showers stay clean longer - the water no longer has a chlorine smell, it tastes a lot better through the fridge water filter dispenser. We use less laundry soap, there isn't any build up in my faucets. I called moen and changed all my aerators and cartridges after we got the rainsoft installed, you would not believe the build up of calcified gunk there was. So I believe in the system and think it is worth it, but not for 6K (depending on what eles you got) best of luck.

We just had the system installed on Sunday. Same price. We have 6 people on the family and everyone except for my wife and I commented on how good the water tastes and they felt cleaner. None of my children knew we had the system installed. There was a significant taste in the water which is amazing even compared to supposedly "Bottled Spring Water". The long term savings and health benefits outweigh the initial and short term payments.

i have this system and the dealer i bought it from is not helpful maybe you could lend some insight my name is joyce 321-696-1988

I Live in Florida and I bought a Rainsoft water system, I have had it since february 2013, in that time this system has cost me over 1000 dollars, I do not have any of that warranty you are talking about. I paid almost 8000 dollars, I was told I would not have to do much maintenance on it for 5 years, I was lied to the light has gone out and I had to replace it and now it is beeping again and I just paid 300 to have it moved to my new house in January. It is a money pit. Boil your water and use a Britta pitcher it is cheaper and for your showers use a whole house carbon filter. I am so dissappointed in Rainsoft and I am stuck paying 8000 for a crappy system, DO NOT BUY IT!!!!

They got my contact info at local Home Depo (Whitby) in 2014 April, Kept on calling me every month, told them I was moving soon, calls did not stop, I was contacted again and again then finally fate got to me and I gave them an appointment (Stupid thing I've ever done in my life) Guys came.. fooled around and some how convinced us to sign for it so he can ''waive off the installation fee of 500?? and 5000.00 worth of free products. Very next day called me and said all approved, when asked about the interest rate he said they will get me the lowest possible and said his manager will call me back to confirm and he never did, then they called the house and got the appointment (how tricky) to go do the installation and completed it. Drill a hole on my brand new Granite counter top, alternated my plumbing line (house is still under Tarion warranty) then left us with some cheap products which they claimed it's worth of 5000.00.. reality it's same thing same from the Dollarama. All this happened so fast and quick. Then the same guy called me again and told me the Manager will come by to get the papers signed, I asked which paper he said it's the warranty. Manager missed 2 appointments then finally came and showed me the papers for both loan and warranty. WHAT a suprise interest rate was out the roof something like 29% when inquired he said i can pay off anytime and this is the usual int rate they charge by their bank. Advised me he will do the need ful for the warranty as '' the Customers always forget to send the warranty card to head office so we usually do it on your behalf'' and took it with him, Yeah No warranty on the equipment yet. then 3 days later he called me and told me the loan was never approved and their bank made a mistake so we needed to pay the whole amount or try with some one else's name (total is more than 11000.00) if not He will call the Police on me as I stole his products and didn't want to pay for it. Told him what have I DONE wrong here, and why did they rush to install my equipment and I never went to their warehouse to ''STEAL'' the products. the Manager is the owner's Son then the Dad called me and threaten me by stating he was ex-veteran and wants me to deal with this ASAP. After I made the offer he agreed to it, told him I need to see the warranty now they wants the payment before can show the warranty.. case still pending.. STAY AWAY FROM Rain Soft - Oshawa

My suggestion is doing a survey about water system or asking your neighbor how much they paid for a water system ,if it's overpriced,then cancel this deal .

Let me be as clear as mud. Ok maybe clearer personally I believe that the Rain Soft brand is overpriced. I cannot say that for every case but years ago we bought an EC4 system water softener, greensand system, p-12 under sink water filter and UV for about $7000.
The facts: We have a well. The water is hard. Minor amounts of iron.
System seemed to work fine for a few years. Annual maintenance ran about $350.00
Is hard water good or bad for health? That depends on what is making the water hard. Some minerals are good others not so. Obviously iron can cause bacteria to form often giving of that rotten egg smell and iron taste. So does sulfur. So you can’t just say hard water is healthier, it may be but that depends.
It will clog, stain, plumbing bathrooms, clothing etc. The house and system had no filter.
All that being said I decided to learn about all this. Why because our casing cracked in our 35 year old well. It got to the point that mud came through the facets. You heard me right 100 percent mud! Now that’s a water issue.
The water level in our area is down 500+ ft. Total cost for a new well about $12000. Not in our budget and drilling companies only accept cash up front. So what to do?
After the initial casing crack the sediment levels went down but dirty water none the less. Self-taught on water issues to solve the problem I needed filters that led me to the water softener issue since that needed to be cleaned up. I learned all about water softeners how they work and why. Also the costs and what I found is the mark up on the system was amazing compared to purchasing yourself. And its easy to self-install. You can check it out on YouTube.
Still no well but with large pleated 4.5 inch by 20 inch filters in 5 micron, 1 micron and .35 micron step down a carbon filter of the same size I have crystal clear water after cleaning out and replacing the resin beads for about $75, getting rid of the green sand system flushing pipes and UV system and flushing all pipes with bleach.
Check online for water system prices delivered to your house. Here is a place to start your price search US Water Systems. I like them but that should not be your only choice but it’s a good place for price comparisons. With that knowledge you can talk to a salesman from any salesman from much stronger position knowledge is power. Learn about the whys and the how of water. Get your own water test kit. A professional model not the cheap ones. If you know what you need want and why you can defend yourself from the sales hype.

I am a Rainsoft sales rep, and I can tell you that you were right to have red flags with the guy you had in your home. I never make health claims regarding the hardness of water. The bigger issue is the chlorine, chloramines, and other chemicals that are found in your water. Even at that, we cannot make health claims... All we can do is show that they are there, and that we have a solution to clean that stuff up (and the EC4 does not remove those...the additional QRS system does). It sounds as if this guy was just making stuff up to get a sale. (Hard water = hard brain?!?? Give me a break!) As for the price... I paid almost the same amount for my Culligan several years ago. It is the price we get from the manufacturer, so there is little we can do as sales reps to change that. I'm sorry you had such a shady sales experience.

Having said that, I still believe that Rainsoft provides the best possible solution you can find on the market. It is not overpriced for the quality you get.

You made a decision to fix your bad ground water problem it's really easy to understand fix it or don't fix it spend thousands in damage to your home and appliances Go buy a big box store product for $ 500-1000 designed to FAIL in 5 years or less then replace this unit over and over !!! Buy a more reputable product from a well know company also designed to fail in 10 years or less because the resin can't handle the city water chemicals spend $4-5000 replace this equipment every 10 years so in 20 years spend 3 X $4k =12 thousand and fully expect to replace again in year 30 And for a lifetime on and on So the now 7000 for your RSoft system with that lifetime warranty. Now which one cost more. The big box store product or brand X a never ending expense. So it really does not matter what the cost of the RS system is 7,000 or 10,000 it's the the last system you will ever buy and now which one cost less ? Oh by the way if Home Depot and NASA endorses RS that's a strong testimony

They did not come out and repair your system and then it not work straight for 3 months because anytime they touch your system and work on it they give you a 90-day service policy to where if anything goes wrong 90 days after they put their hands on it they will come out and repair the system absolutely free of charge regardless of the issue. Anybody will tell you in life you get what you pay for you pay for a cheap tool you can tell you to replace it you pay for a nice tool you use it for life no other system out there has a lifetime warranty like they have. Life means life. Rainsoft is proven to be the best at what it does. NASA is one of the leading research companies in the entire world they choose to go with Rainsoft for one reason and one reason only they did their research and it is the best on the market.

I just bought a system for a couple dollars under $4000.00. I have had it for about a month. So far I like it, I can see and feel the difference. But still a little debris left behind from time to time. Not perfect, but it does definitely help. Most people need a system. Our hard water test revealed a hardness of 12 without it. I plan on having them retest to see the difference soon. I would buy it again. By the way, I live in MI..

I've had mine for probably about 10 years and bought it for $5000 back then! I LOVE it!!!!! You will use less bath soap, laundry soap, coffee, shampoo, conditioner for your hair, etc. etc. Your clothes last longer too. Plus you don't get the hard water rings around your faucets! It is worth it!!! Also, your skin doesn't feel really dry all the time. I can definitely tell when I need salt.

@badboca Rainsoft sells its systems through dealers AND these dealers are money swindlers . They sell the systems with up to 60% markup or more depending on how the gauge how naive you are. STAY AWAY from these people or deal with them if you know your stuff about water softeners .

We had our rainsoft water system for over 20 years. We love it. It just went bad and we need to replace it. Do you mean the company should be replacing it for free since it's a lifetime guaranty?

We've had our rainsoft system for about 25 years. We love it. We were just told it needs to be replaced. Does lifetime warranty mean that it should be replaced for free? We were given a special rate of about $1400 to replace it because we are a long time customer.

lifetime warrantee? We have the RainSoft repairman here today and he wants to sellup a newEC4 series for $2,700 instead of fixing the old one.

I don't know if you did that already, but we were told that when we upgraded to the EC4 that our warranty no longer applied!!

how did you ever resolve the electric bill

Hi,
I need your opinion/advice. I have the rainsoft TC-M50 CD system. Its doing a great job filtering the water but my water bill has more than doubled. I understand that there is some water wasted during the back washing process. Should it be consuming that much water is my question.
Thanks!