Water Softeners - What are the differences in brands?

I have asked about what you have said, I'm sorry if you see that as anything other than the honest discussion it is. As to the tech, stay tuned and recall he has already stated a few things that do not support your statements.

...stay tuned as he has already stated a few things that do not support your statements.

Actually I test water softners for a living and there is a huge difference. One is that a more expensive rainsoft system does more than soften. It gets rid of conttaminates lik chlorine and deadly crap. They condition water. I have tested three month old culligans that test only 3 to 4 grains less than the tap. HORRIBLE. With the sears model i will test them out of the box and they are always at least 3 off

I think the best softener is one that is sized correctly and has the Clack WS-1CS control valve. It gets better if you buy it online at considerable savings, and install it yourself.

You get industry standard nonproprietary equipment that you can fix yourself very easily and you can find instructions online to do it and yo can buy parts from many online or local dealers.

"Unless you have water being used 24/7 like a 24/7 car wash etc., you don't need a twin tank type softener. "

That has nothing to do with why people get a twin tank system. I have never had that as a request, an offer, or a need. I have never heard of any residential demand like that. The "24/7" is a weak argument as it is a moot point.

Salt efficiency is measure by grains per pound of salt. It doesn't matter how often it regenerates, a 5000 grain/lb setting is always more efficient than a 3000 grain/lb setting. Basing a singe-tank softener on an eight-day period would be usless in my area.

The sizing of twins are not under the same restrictions a single tank system. They are not under-sized if they work all the time. Period.

Andy Christensen

GARY SLUSSER
<< And as usual, you Kinetico salesmen mislead everyone you can about how great Kinetico salt efficiency is because you only talk about grains per lb per regeneration (as you just did here) but won't say how frequently your softener regenerates. Actual efficiency is the total lbs used over a given period of time; day/week/month/year. >>

What do you mean "as (I) did here"??? Can you show me where I say that here. Are you misquoting me? Are you putting words in my mouth. This is an all too common fault of yours, Gary. You only hear what you want to hear but not what people say. I wish just once you would stop misquoting people for the whole basis of your argument.

GARY SLUSSER
<< And when my softener uses a total of say 8 lbs per regeneration and is regenerated on average once every 8 days, and yours uses 2.2 lbs once per day, for a total of 17.6 lbs in 8 days, mine is the more salt efficient softener. Or if yours uses 4 lbs per regeneration and regenerates a tank on average every 4th day (30/4=7.5*4=30lbs), in a 30 day period yours uses the same amount of salt as mine (30/8=3.75*8=30lbs). >>

Where in the world are you getting thses numbers for a Kinetico? Absolutely so far off the mark that doesn't even deserve an explanation. Did I bring up the name Kinetico or did you? But then, that is typically you.

I could just as eaily say 1 lb for every two days: That means nothing. Just pulling numbers out of the air is ridiculous. Throwing around calculations without a baseline is neither scientific or realistic.

Come on Gary, if you are going to represent data from an unfamilair product, without any point of reference, you should at least do a LITTLE homework. 2.2 lbs??? Everyday??? What are you talking about? Your statements are those of a beginner not an expert or professional. What strange fellow you are!!!

I've never owned a water softerner before and would like to purchase one this month.

I would wonder why you selected that model and that salt setting. Why the 2030 at 2.4 lbs? How did you determine that? Are you basing it on 22 grains at the source? What is the salt efficency of that setting according to the water softener NSF protocol testing in grains per pound?

Why not the 1.8- lb setting, or 3-lb setting? Why not the 2060 or the 2040? How many gallons in 30 days? Are you calculating 2 people at 60 gal/per/day in a typical house with typical plumbing? Are we talking about high iron (>1.0 ppm). Like I said a 5000-grain setting is more efficient than a 3000-grain setting.

How many treated gallons of use between regenerations for eight days? How many grains per pound is that? Why did you select an 8-lb setting, why not a 12-lb setting or a 4-lb setting? What size tank (10x54?) and volume of resin (1.5 cuft)? As I said before, there is more involved than just throwing numbers out.

I like your bold print in big red letters. Very expressive, Gary, thank you. Try not to be frustrated and remain calm.

That is most likely the OWNER'S MANUAL that asks about salt per month, right? That has nothing to do with actually setting the salt, which is done at the time of install, Gary. It is only for the owner to make note of how many bags the customer might use per month for record keeping purposes--not for counting gallons or determining efficiency, except maybe for comparing to what his previous softener did.

And, there is very little precision there; it is only a simple guide for notation. That could apply to any manual for any softener manufacturer. Try not to read into something that is not intended...you should know that. Let's keep it real, OK?

Now you have noticed, Gary, that I have never slammed the Clack valve or said it was junk or even that it is a bad choice, have I? And yet you take every opportunity to slam and put down just about everything you don't personally sell, often on these forums. Worse yet, you attack people and their choices in a defensive nature. Remember, none of us use forums to sell products for our own benefit. We are here to help not attack, ridicule and belittle. Why are you here?

Andy Christensen, CWS-II