Need opinion on Ecowater ERR 3500 PLZ! (H2oMan plz reply)

H2O_MAN

Not to worry, I have appreciated your advice and it is clear that you make serious and honest attempts to help the originators of threads and not spend in inexhaustible amount of time attacking others, their beliefs and undermining their sincere efforts to help others.

We all have our own ways of doing things and preferences but a professional also respects others' opinions without insult, belligerence and arrogance.

Under no circumstance have you demonstrated anything less that mutual respect and clarity in appreciation of others, even when really not deserved.

Keep up the good work.

Andy Christensen, CWS

Good morning, gentlemen and we on the Moderating Team all hope you had pleasant holidays.

These are the circumstances under which you are all here, and under which you all remain. Direct solicitations will be considered in violation of our Terms of Service and we welcome reports thereon, not accusations on the site.

The people who ask questions here want your answers and advice, not your personal squabbles. Anyone who understands one whit about capitalism is well aware that differing brands are in competition. A certain amount of puffery is expected, and the savvy consumer should understand that. We are also abundantly aware that you are not here solely out of a sense of charity, and that you are hoping for increased sales from participating on A2K. We do, however, request that you keep everything on a professional level and not stoop to the personal level.

I am not saying that you all have to love one another, but we do request that you behave professionally and keep any disputes, whether offline or from some other forum, off Able2know. Thank you all for your anticipated cooperation.

I started in water treatment in 1987 as an independent dealer. I've been helping people by answering their questions in usenet newsgroups, now Google Groups mirrors them, and forums concerning water quality and treatment equipment since Jan 1997. Since then I have recieved many emailed questions, which still continues today. In mid 2002 I started to sell equipment to some of the people that emailed me. In Sept 2003 my stepson did a small web site for me and I'm amazed and very grateful at the volume of business I have. And I have never initiated any contact with any poster of anything anywhere I've posted and if I get a PM, I tell the person I don't do PMs, that they should post so everyone can learn.

I closed my local water treatment sales and service the end of 2004 and my well pump business mid 2005. I don't sell pumps or pressure tanks although I've answered questions about them and wells since Jan '97.

I think that covers it but if you want to know more just ask.

We love our H2O-Man, he's helped quite a few people around here
without ever giving any sales pitch. A simple "thank you" was sufficient.

A thanks you works for me too. I don't ask anyone to buy from me, and the vast majority of people I help already have equipment and need help fixing it themselves. That's why they post here or wherever.

As an example, In the last day or two I've answerd 2-3 posts on my forum from a competitor's customer.He bought a softener with a Fleck 7000 control on it and it is adding water to the brine tank instead of sucking water OUT of the brine tank. It's done that since day one. They, www.ohiopurewater.com has had him reprogram it while they are on the phone with him, everything checked out. So they sent a new control. Same problem. Everyone checks it out and same problem so they send another new valve. Same problem. Now they say they've called Fleck and Fleck and they beleive he has done something to cause this... He can't return the unit because he doesn't have the big tank boxes anymore. \

So he searches for help on the internet and finds me. He posts his problem on my forum and I replied. I told him three valves and same problem!! Check if it is plumbed correctly. So this morning he tears it all apart and makes sure it is and it is... So he calls me. I spend my money for his 800 number call and my 50 minutes of time going through everything to find the problem. Had they called Fleck, Fleck would have told them what the problem has to be.

He thanked me profusely and I didn't ask him to buy anything or attempt to sell him anything. I get posts, emails and calls like this about once a week, from competitors' customers with brand new stuff thata isn't working right BECAUSE they don't know what they are doing. This guy tells me they told hiom the factory default settings in the programming is just fine. It's a 1.25 cuft (40K at max salt dose) softener for 16 gpg city water in a retirees' 2.5 bathroom house with only he and his wife there and they have the thing using 18 LBS of salt and 36K of capacity!!! If you don't know all of what that means, please visit the sizing chart page on my web site, but it is BAD.

They never talked to him before he bought from them. They have failed many times to successfully troubleshoot the problem. ALL 3 valves they sent him operate exactly the same with the same problem and they tell him he's done something to them (like I did before I knew he had more than one valve)....

In their defense they sent him two replacement valves at no cost unless he fails to return them BUT, who's to say they didn't get them back from softeners with the same problem they can't identify? That's my guess, or they would send him a nerw brine valve for a Fleck 7000, and the problem would have been fixed maybe weeks ago; he hasn't had much soft water in that time.

H20_Man will love this DIYre tale of woe!

An annoying problem and a time wasting solution to be sure and an example of why some people should buy locally.

A local pro would have everything working properly before they left. If a problem arose then they would return to correct it.

In the defense of all long distance sellers of anything, they are at the mercy of the customer's ineptness and inability.

Often times, "do-it-yourself" ends up being "screw-it-yourself" and as Clint Eastwood said, "a man (woman) has got to know his (her) limitations".

Being stroked by a long distance seller into doing a job for which they are not qualified by being told "I taught a 90 year old woman to solder over the phone" does not qualify the customer's ability. It only encourages the customer's willingness to do something that, has a high degree of probability, will end up as a bigger problem for someone else to repair.

As far as the seller being named in the previous post, nobody bats 1000. Since they are not on this forum to defend themselves or relay the other side of the story I'd reserve commenting or posting their name. Actually, they probably wouldn't respond if they were here because they are a class act and real professionals.

Really!! It's the customer's fault... and yet you've been telling people how "professional" OPWC is... now it's local pros, as if you know them too.

This guy isn't inept or lacking in ability. Three valves with the same problem and being told he did something to them to cause the problem didn't make sense to him. There's nothing a customer could do to cause the problem, he didn't have them apart.

You left out the punch line... so what was the problem?

You're still taking your eye off the ball and skipping over the details of the problem.

No I'm not, I wanted to see if you really post to inform and help.

juatalurker.... to catch up loose ends and an update. Here's what I said: "they would send him a new brine valve for a Fleck 7000, and the problem would have been fixed maybe weeks ago...".

The customer from www.ohiopurewaterco.com, he called me a day or so after I replied to his post on my forum and here. He decided to have them take the softener and the extra controls back. Then he ordered a softener from me with the Clack WS-1 control valve. It shipped the other day and is to be delivered today or tomorrow. He gets much better salt efficiency and a higher SFR while having a control valve that is much easier to repair when needed with lower priced parts.

BTW, I'm getting an increasing number of calls, and a large percentage of those people say they are getting a good laugh from your posts that they're reading all over the 'net. I guess I should at least say thank you.

Again you're making it personal on someone else's forum so, in response...

I have been getting a good laugh from your posts also... but sadly the joke might be on the people calling you.

I note that you joined here Mar 10 2007, eight days after I joined. You follow me around and then accuse me of being personal... LOL

Anyway, I bring a lot of traffic to the forums I post in, that causes ad revenue to increase. I also help a lot of people by freely giving them my knowledge based on 20+ years experience in water treatment (99% on well water) and well pumps and tanks etc.. I only see you running down "certain" internet dealers (me) while directing people to OPWC's site and answering only the simplest equipment problem questions. This thread is proof of that.

Re: Need opinion on Ecowater ERR 3500 PLZ! (H2oMan plz reply


I see this thread went off in all sorts of directions ... how did things work out for you cougie?

New to this - Ecowater questions for H20 man, please?
I'm new to this, so I hope no one will send me scathing replies or anything.

I had the Rainsoft guy come, didn't buy, and have been researching since. Alas, I'm still clueless as to how all the water treatment systems work and what we need.

We own a small (1400 sq ft) single-family home, we're a family of 3 that will only grow to a family of 4, and the water here tastes dreadful and is definitely hard. Could you help me identify just what we need? Any help would be much appreciated. I readily confess my ignorance.

No scathing replies, just a few questions

Is your water chlorinated municipal/city, community or private well?
What did the RainSoft guy try to sell you?
Do you know were your water line enters your home?

City of Dayton water
We get city water. Not sure where it enters our home; the water heater is in the utility closet off the garage.

RainSoft guy tried to sell us a system that has only been around since August of last year for a single-family home. Alas, I don't remember exactly what it was.

The Dayton city website has a detailed file about the water quality, which includes the following, which are all mg/l --

Total Hardness as CaCO3 - 150.0 mg/l
P Alk as CaCO3 - 6.3 mg/l
Total Alk. as CaCO3 - 73.7 mg/l
NonCarb Hard as CaCO3 - 76.3 mg/l
Ca Hard. as CaCO3 - 71.2
Mg Hard as CaCO3 - 78.2
Calcium - 28.5
Magnesium - 19.0
Sulfate - 54.4
Chloride - 57.0
Sodium - 25.9
Potassium - 2.8
Chlorine - 1.208
Silica - 7.178

Other info
PH, S.U. - 8.46
Total Solids mg/l - 284
Radon pCi/L - 110

Thanks for your help!

Re: City of Dayton water


My suggestion is that you contact your local EcoWater dealer
and have them come out to discuss your installation options.

The ERR 3500 and an RO should do the job quite well

Re: City of Dayton water


How does a ERR3500 compares to GE model? http://www.geappliances.com/smartwater/model_fs.htm?GXSF18G
I know the grains capacity is smaller with GE. Here is my question, will GE die after 1-2 years on city water? What is the difference between Ecowater and GE? Is it worth the 6 times the price?

Re: City of Dayton water



GE warranty GXSF18G:

Limited 1-year entire appliance
Limited 2-year electronic monitor

EcoWater warranty ERR 3500:

Resin Tank ~ Lifetime
Resins ~ Lifetime
Brine Tank ~ Lifetime
Faceplate ~ 5 Years
Valve ~ 10 years
Other ~ 5 Years

At the very minimum, expect the EcoWater
system to last 5 times longer than the GE.

Be sure to compare installed prices.

HTH ~