Water Softener? Cost, process?

[branv]

We have horrible, awful hard water. Our skin is dry and flakey, our faucets are crusted over, our dishes and clothes never look quite clean enough, and I'm starting to notice pitting/corroding/staining of our bathroom/kitchen areas that no amount of cleaning seems to keep up with. I'm going through vinegar by the gallons on a regular basis to even touch the dish/laundry problems. I shudder to imagine what this is doing to our hot water heater.

ARGH!

I keep thinking about a water softener (you can tell it's a big issue b/c our local Home Depot stocks the salt for them out front in big piles ), but I haven't a single clue where to start or what to expect.

What is a fair cost for installed price? Will it also cost me in electrician fees, or do the quotes you usually get involve all of that. What should I look for in an installer?

What other costs should I expect (upkeep, supplies, etc)?

How does it work with a gas hot water heater? Ours is in a closet in the garage in a corner between the wall and our door, and I haven't the faintest clue how they make room for a water softener...are all of them those large tanks?

Yes, I really am that clueless!

 

[AuroraBeauty]

A water softener needs to be looped into both your hot water and cold water supply. Gas or electric hot water doesn't matter really.

I would suggest you call the local plumbing council in your home town area and ask to talk to someone knowledgeable about water softeners. Tell them you're not sure if you want to buy one but that you want to find out if your house can have one and what it will do and how much it will cost to install if you get one. The plumbing council will likely give you a few reputable plumbers. Have 2 or 3 come out and tell you about them.

I have a Kinetico system. I've had it for over 10 years and my prior house had one too. LOVE IT! They are probably the most expensive up front b/c they don't run on electricity (hence the name kinetico for the kinetic energy process). We found them to be less to maintain so that is what we chose.

There are others out there but talk to a reputable plumber and find out what it would take to put one in your home. A standard unit from, say GE, could be $1,000 but if it costs $3K to put in then it might not be in your budget.

If you get one, you will LOVE IT!! We notice a difference when we travel and there isn't soft water -- even at WDW. Not only on the body, but it's easier on the clothes when washing, saves detergent, and all the other things you already mentioned.

Definitely look in to it and see if it will be cost effective to retro-fit your home. Of course, if you already have a soft water loop -- easy as pie to install!

Best Wishes!

 

[minnie1928]

I just had a system installed about a month ago, what a difference it made!

I paid about $1650 for the whole thing. It is 2 large tanks and the salt is supposed to last me about 2-3 months. They tapped it into the house right where the water main comes into the basement. The process took a couple of hours to install.

Keep in mind that the water softener will need a power supply (mine was an extra $250 for the electrician). I think the pricing that HD or Lowes advertise is the "perfect scenario" pricing...meaning that everything is exactly where it needs to be.

If you have sprinklers in your lawn, you want to make sure that the sprinkler system bypasses the softener. Otherwise you'll go through salt a lot faster.

 

[jme829]

My dh is a national account manager for the #1 manufacturer of residential water softeners. Their products are sold at Sears, Lowes and HD primarily. Pm me your specific questions and I can forward to him..

 

[jmsaj]

Not sure about your local HD but ours has an installed water treatment program. This is available thru Home Services. They will come test your water for FREE and give you solutions and cost of water softeners and whole house filtration systems. Go to the service desk or see one of the plumbing associates. I think you may even be able to go to www.homedepot.com under the HOME SERVICES tab. It is listed under HOME SYSTEMS and request a IN HOME CONSULTATION for this.

 

[FoundMyPrince]

We purchased a water softener from Home Depot - it cost around $600. For HD to install the water softener it was going to be another $600. DH and a friend installed it in under two hours, and it cost very little in supplies.

We do have to refill the water softener about every 4 months.

 

[da-winnie-pooh]

So, how is FL water? Hard or soft?

 

[tikilyn]

We had home depot come out and give us an estimate. We were quoted 6000.00 ! We turned the guy down sorry to say. Is it easy to install ourselves? I wouldn't mind spending 1200.00 for a system.

 

[FoundMyPrince]

For our system, we had a space in the utility room for it - right next to the water line and next to the drain in the floor. So, it was very simple.

 

[SLDL]

My in-laws own a well drilling business which also installs water treatment systems. If I were you, I'd contact some local well drillers in your area, see if they also do this & if they test for free (we do at our office). Our county health dept. also tests for this. Personally, we test for hardness, pH & iron, which can all be treated with a system. DH installed a system for us at home & I too can tell a BIG difference when I visit friends or travel. Cost depends on the system, obviously, but I would say $1000 to $1500 is reasonable. $6000 as pp posted is crazy!