Why are Water Softeners so Expensive?

            With the price of things today,  this is a very good question. One must think about all the dynamics that goes into owning a business. We will discuss the overhead it takes to run a water softener business, market share, what the market will bear, and the price the dealer gets them for. These are things that any business owner must consider before starting their business. Knowing these things of many will help the business owner in deciding whether or not they should really open a new business.

            Market share is the percentage of the total revenue or sales in a market that a company's business makes up. For example, if there are 50,000 units sold per year in a given industry, a company whose sales were 5,000 of those units would have a 10 percent share in that market. This part involves the competition; how do they sell their product, how much do they sell it for and how many water softeners are sold.  The answers to these questions will have another determining factor as to whether or not the business owner will open their business, and how much should they charge for the product.

            Whatever the Market will bear; If you took Economics throughout your educational years, you learned that the selling price of goods and services are determined by “what the market will bear.” Consumers and the market decide what a product is worth and will give so much money, but no more for that product. In other words; charge the customer as much as they are willing to pay. In some places like Florida, water softeners ranged around 6-8 hundred dollars. Whereas, in Texas they can go from $800.00 dollars to over $7,000.00 and the people are willing to pay these amounts because of the destructive results one gets from hard water.

             Overhead is one of the greatest things to consider when you want to open a water softener business. There are things to consider like; what kind of vehicle will be used, the gas, insurance and maintenance. Other things like tools, supplies, training and licensing are among others that will cost money upfront. One of the next and bigger things to think about is the profit margin. If I buy a water softener for X amount of dollars and sell it for Y amount of dollars and after subtracting parts of the overhead, what will my profit margin be? After finding the profit margin, the business owner must decide if they can live off that income. As can be seen, there are a lot of moving parts to consider when it comes to having a water softener business. The aforementioned examples are reasons why water softeners are expensive.

            Dealer Pricing; dealers get their equipment for far less than what they sell it for, the profit margins start at about 300% markup. How to calculate markup  Now that appears to be an awful lot of money coming in; however, one must consider that most water softener companies don't sell a water softener everyday. If they did, the prices would be much lower because they could sell more for less. It is almost impossible to beat water softener prices on Amazon unless the business buys in bulk and or does a lot of business with the wholesaler. This gives them an advantage by having buying power.

Click this link to see a review of water softeners; https://youtu.be/QBn3Y2ykhHM

 

Why do I need a water softener

Why do I need a water softener

Some people like their water just the way it is and think that hard water is just fine and have no complaints at all with their water.  Some people don't like the slick feeling that softened water makes when they are in the shower.  Needless to say everyone has their own sense of feel and what appeals to them.  There are benefits to having a water softener that you are usually told about but in this blog you will not only be told about them but shown in an actual case of a homeowner who did not have a water softener and how it affected his quality of life as well as his pocket book.

Do I really need a water softener

The answer to that is almost always yes, and the reason for that answer is because not all water is soft  or reasonably soft and actually the large majority of water is hard.  I have also found that when hard water is combined with chlorine for disinfection purposes the calcium is precipitated out and you will see it sticking to the ends of faucets or on the faucet handles and over time it becomes very unsightly and very difficult to remove so the homeowner is now force to spend more money to buy a new faucet if they want their home to look nice for guests and or for themselves. 

Now you have probably heard how hard water affects your clothes by leaving stains on them and how you need to use a larger amount of laundry detergent in order to get your clothes clean as opposed to soft water where you only need to use 1/2 the amount of laundry detergent and shampoo and conditioner which over time save the homeowner hundreds if not thousands of dollars over the life of the home and water softener. When most water softener salesmen give their presentation they talk about all that and some even have a little kit to show the difference in hard water and soft water when it comes to the sudsing of the water as hard and soft.  There really is a difference but here you are going to see the larger impact that not having a water softener will do to your appliances.

Is my water really hard

Many people I run across will say that their water is soft when indeed it is not but the homeowner swears it is soft, so I will show them that the water is hard by using these little test strips to see exactly how hard the water really is.  You can see how hard your water is considered by the Water Quality Association here-https://www.wqa.org/learn-about-water/perceptible-issues/scale-deposits

Once you have established that your water is either hard or soft then you can make the determination of whether or not you want to buy a water softener or water conditioner.  Whats the difference between a water softener and water conditioner https://youtu.be/Uq847l8Nho4

How hard water effects appliances

Here is a video that shows just exactly how hard water can affect your appliances which in turn can affect your energy bill. 

Can A Water Softener Remove Iron

Do Water Softeners Remove Iron

The question "Do water softeners remove iron" is often times asked for a couple of reasons the first being the cost of both a water softener and an Iron Filter.  Depending on whom or what company you buy your water softener from you can pay as little as $600.00 found HERE  up to over $5,000.00 and though the salesman may not agree with my statement they are work basically the same in that they do remove hardness from the water.  Here is a water softener review that you may like; https://youtu.be/QBn3Y2ykhHM

Iron filters can be expensive as well whereas you can buy one HERE for as little as $750.00 or up to around $3,000.00 or more depending on your water dynamics and what kind of system the sales person is trying to sell you in order for them to make the most money since many of them work off commission.

How to Remove Iron From Your Water

There are many ways of removing iron from your water and they can range from easy and relatively inexpensive to expensive.  We will cover just a few of ways of how to remove iron from your water; The method used most is an iron filter which will either use air, chlorine, ozone or hydrogen peroxide in order to oxidize the iron and precipitate it into a solid which is then caught in the filter media and then removed by back washing the filter.  Some people will just install an ozone generator and others more commonly will use chlorine which will not only remove iron but will remove odor and disinfect however in many cases a storage tank of some size is necessary for best results and making mention of a storage tank some people will just put a piece of PVC pipe into a storage tank and drill hole in the PVC to allow the water to spray into the tank (called a spray bar) thus mixing the water with air in order to oxidize it.

Using a Water Softener to Remove Iron

As most people know we use a water softener to remove calcium, manganese and other contaminants from the water however it's primary purpose is to soften water but there are also other benefits to a water softener.  It can remove barium, strontium, cadmium and other constituents in the water but more salt is needed to remove these constituents as well as calcium from the resin beads inside the tank.  So let's talk about using a water softener to remove iron from the water.

I have had a couple of occasions where my customers did not have enough money to purchase an iron filter and water softener so I used a water softener to do both, one case in particular I can remember is when the lady hard approx 17 gpg of hardness and 3ppm iron.  She however did not have the money for an iron filter and as you can see she really needed both.  What we did do was also figure how many ppm iron = gpg of hardness, so we multiplied 4x3ppm iron and got 12 then added 12 to 17 and got 29 so we estimated So she had 29 gpg of hardness.  Not many people would agree with doing this method but we did what we could for our customers and we never got a call back to fix the water softener.  However, what I did was install a water softener with a "Turbulator" distributor tube. The difference is that on a normal distributor tube the water is forced down to the bottom during regeneration and stirs the bed from the bottom up

Turbulator Distributor Tube

however with a turbulator you can see that there  is another screen towards the top which is there to ensure that the entire bed gets stirred up in order to allow the brine mix to be used at full advantage and that the bed is lifted completely.  If this doesn't happen then over time the weight of the iron since it has not been removed will foul the entire bed and either a super good cleaning is necessary or just replacing the media beads would be the other step.  Speaking of good cleaning you can do a couple of things in order to maintain the health of your water softener when using it to remove iron also, that is to adjust your salt setting a little higher according to your water softener size and hardness or you can purchase Resup which I highly recommend.  You can get a gallon of the cleaner HERE  keeping in mind you will also need a feeder which will help in cleaning the resin beads in your water softener and definitely extend its life.  Get a feeder HERE

Now we can see that a water softener can be used to remove iron though it is not recommended but can be done with the right equipment.
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What kind of water filter do I need

What kind of water filter do I need

This is one of the most asked questions there are in the water treatment world and that is What Kind of Water Filter Do I Need.  Many people in the United States have problem water and it really doesn't matter if they have ground water (from a water well) surface water (from a lake river or stream) city water or rural water which may come any of the above or a private water well.  In order to answer the question of what kind of water filter do I need we will first have to identify which contaminant is in the water.

Problem Water

Most people that have problem run into the challenge of determining which kind of contaminant is actually in the water though many guess or listen to the advice of a neighbor which is not always correct. For example a lady who lives near the Guadalupe River told me that her water well gets water from the river.  I explained to her that she was misinformed and yet she still insisted though I am a licensed water well expert and not only have a license but must have continuing education classes each year.  So then I had to show her by means of what is in her water and what is in the river water.  Her water well had iron in it and left red marks on her trees and out buildings but the river water was always green and never stained the dock or boats in the river.  After she saw the difference did she actually begin to believe me over that of her neighbor whom she thought knew what they were talking about. So I explained she needed an iron filter since we could tell that she had iron in her water but in addition to the iron she also had hard water.  Now the difference is in this case that you need an iron filter to remove iron and a water softener to remove calcium or hard water.  Find out the difference HERE

 What's in My Water

The next and most important step is to find out exactly what is in your water in order to know which kind of water filter you will need.  Here is a kit that you can use to determine what kind of contaminant is in your water;  https://amzn.to/2RmQjOP   Once you know what is in your water you can get the right kind of filter because to use the wrong filter for the wrong contaminant not only brings frustration but will also cost you time and money which is the most important thing we have in our busy world today.  Most of what we find in our water is Sediment, Iron, Sulfur, and Hardness which doesn't need a water filter but a water softener.  So let's get to what you came here for

Water Filters

Sediment Filter Needed for sand and sediment

Click For Link

  

 

Click For Link

 

Iron Filter- Removes Iron

Click For Link

Sulfur/Chlorine Filter-Removes Odor Caused by H2S

Click For Link

Whole house

 back 

washing carbon filter

The Best Water Filters

The above water filters should take care of any of your needs for filtration however if you do not find what you are looking for then you may want to watch this video and then you can ask questions to narrow down your search for your water filter needs; https://youtu.be/Uq847l8Nho4

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What's The Best Water Softener

What's The Best Water Softener 

In today's world that is the most common question "What's The Best Water Softener" because there are so many out there and the people who sell them say that theirs is the best water softener.  So what I wanted to do was give you some answers based on my experience as a water softener company owner to help you in your decision.

Types of Water Softeners

There are various types of water softeners and they all range differently in price and looks but the performance is basically the same.  So I thought I would start with the most popular and give the pro's and con's and then my recommendation

Rain Soft- Pro's works great, con's expensive, you need them to come fix it

GE/Whirlpool, Kenmore, Northstar- Pro's works great, inexpensive, inexpensive parts; con's can't find anyone to work on it
Kinetico- Pro's works great, needs no electricity; con's- expensive, only they can work on it
Culligan- Pro's works great; Con's- expensive, not everyone can work on them, parts expensive
Hague- Works great, lifetime warranty; con's- expensive, parts expensive, only they can work on it
Fleck-Pro's works great, inexpensive, parts inexpensive, easy to work on; Con's - none

Water Softener

https://youtu.be/QBn3Y2ykhHM https://www.facebook.com/Low-Cost-Water-Softeners-1490645221225279/

What is The Best Iron Filter

What is The Best Iron Filter

If you are reading this article then you probably have iron in your water and it is causing odor and staining your sinks, showers and if you use this same water for irrigation then it will certainly stain the walls of your house.  Having iron stains is one of the most undesirable things to have on your home not to mention the rotten egg like odor caused from the Iron Bacteria.  I have battled iron problems before and I am going to tell you how to get rid of iron in my water.

  How do you get rid of Iron Bacteria

A good indication of Iron Bacteria is the staining on your sinks and showers as well as the outside of your home.  Another indication of iron bacteria is the terrible rotten egg like odor and the metallic like taste in the water.  You will need an Iron Filter and one household item.  Here are some steps necessary to take in order to remove the bacteria.

1. You'll need to check your PH level to ensure that the waters PH http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/biology/bio4fv/page/ph_def.htm is neutral or close because most water needs to be in a neutral state in order for this to work best.  Get PH test kit HERE

2.  On the top of your well head you will see a little blue or black plastic nut looking object, you'll need to remove this and using a funnel pour bleach into the well, you can use a 1/2 gallon of liquid bleach or more if you like but keep in mind that the more you use the longer it will take to get out of the water.  I usually use 1/2 gallon.  (make sure the bleach is standard bleach, not concentrate or any other type with odor etc.

3.  Once you have put in the liquid bleach you will need to get your hose and flush water into the same hole in order to wash the bleach off your pipes and it will also help stir up the bleach in the well.  Once you smell bleach coming from the hose you can turn it off and move to the next step.

4.  Go into the house and turn on all the faucets until you smell bleach coming from them, to include the hot water and the shower heads and outside faucet.  Every faucet in the home and or on the farm, all of them.

5. Now you can let it set for about an hour or so and this will kill all the Iron Bacteria in the lines and the well.  While you are letting the water sit in the well and the lines this is the best time to install your new Iron Filter

6. Once you have completed step 5 you can run your water until you have no more bleach in the water lines.

The small hole is where you add bleach

Why you don't use powdered bleach

The Best Iron Filter

The best iron filter is the one I have listed below.  It has a Fleck 2510 valve and when the water comes into the filter it hits a little basket in the top portion of the tank and that water then splashes inside the tank and the iron is oxidized and it becomes a solid and is caught in the medium inside the tank.  When it is back washed out the tank draws another air bubble in and the process is repeated.  I have used this system on every home I put Iron Filters in and it always works.  I also do the above process each and every time I install a new system.  I have seen other iron filters out there and this one is what I have in my home and is the only one I recommend hands down.  The important thing to remember with all of this is that the PH of the water must be higher than 6.5 in order for the system to work.

How do I Know the Iron Filter will Work

Many times you see people sell products and they don't work but here I have put a video of my system and my testing it so you can see that this iron filter really works.  Get the filter HERE

Water Softener Sales Decatur Texas

Water Softener Sales Seguin Texas

If you live in Decatur Texas or Wise County Texas and are on a water well then you know that there is lots of hard water in Decatur as well as lots of iron in the water.  We also know that there are not many water softener companies in the area and therefore the consumer is charged a higher price because the water softener sales person must come from far away.  Well you can call JPI Water Conditioning in Decatur TX, they will come out and check your water and let you know how they can fix it.

Water Softener Seguin TX

Water Softener Seguin Texas

If you are looking for a water softener or water filter then you will want to call JPI Water Conditioning, they have over 10 years experience and are willing to help you get your water soft because as you probably know what hard water can do to your appliances and how hard water can ruin your clothes especially the whites, with those stains and other strange things that just show up on your nice blouse or favorite T-shirt.  See how a water softener works here; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7u0zFr1srQ&feature=youtu.be

Contact JPI Water Conditioning today (940) 210-2248

Drinking Water System Decatur TX-Wise County Business Directory

 Drinking Water System Decatur TX-Wise County Business Directory

If you live in Wise County Texas and are looking for drinking water or a drinking water system then you will want to go to this website and you will find what you are looking for at a low price.  Most of the water is Decatur Texas is ground water which comes from a water well and the remaining kind of water is surface water like what may come from Lake Bridgeport.  In either case you will want to get a water purifier so that you can have safe drinking water.  Runaway Bay Texas is a good example because over the years they have had to send out boiled water reports and by the time you get your report in the mail you may have already drank the contaminated water.  That is why it is recommended that you get a water purifier so you can have safe drinking water all the time and need not be afraid of what comes from your faucet.  To find a drinking water system then click HERE or you can go to http://www.wisecountybusinessdirectory.com/home.html

Water Purifier

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#waterpurifier
#purewater

Water Softener Sales The Villages Florida

 Water Softener Sales The Villages Florida

When shopping for a water softener it can get quite difficult especially if you have different water softener salesmen come to your home.  They are all trying to get your business and rightfully so however each one will tell you that their water softener is the best.  I would like to give you some things to think about before you make your decision on buying a water softener.

1.  If it is an exclusive water softener then you will pay more to buy and to service your water softener than that of a more popular brand.
2. Parts will cost more to replace and so will the service call
3. Don't let them pressure you into buying NOW or giving you a discount for a buy now cash price
4. Do a little research and you will find that the Clack and Fleck valves are the most popular.
5. All water softeners work about the same and none are really better than the other when it comes to the consumer.
6. Buy a water softener that all service techs can repair, if not everyone can repair or replace parts then you are going to pay too much and can be held "Hostage" to that particular company or brand.

My recommendation is to buy a Fleck 5600 or a Clack WS1.  They both are quality and have been around for a long time and most service techs can work on them and if you are a DIY then you can find videos on you tube on how to do it yourself

You may also want to consider a Salt Free Water Softener or Salt Free Water Conditioner, they do work especially the ones found on this site;  http://lowcostwatersofteners.com/products-page/

Best Water Softener

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#thevillagesfl
#watersoftenersales
#watersoftener

Do I Need Special Soap With a Water Softener

A few years ago when the high efficiency washing machines became available a lot of people started paying more attention to the amount of laundry soap they were buying because these HE washing machines use less soap and that using regular laundry detergent may void the manufactures warranty. 

So does it make a difference what kind of soap do you use when you have a water softener or water conditioner.  With a HE washing machine you use less soap and with a water softener you will use less soap as well.  So if you have both then you may want to pay attention to how much soap you use and if there are a lot of suds left over or if your HE washing machine is taking longer to finish its cycle.

Let's talk a moment about why hard water uses more soap.  Before you had your water softener hard water probably stained your whites and you probably used more soap in order to get more suds and if you poured a lot of laundry detergent in your top loading washing machine you probably didn't see many suds at all.  The reason for this is that it takes twice the amount of soap to achieve the same result as when you have soft water because the minerals that make hard water hard interfere with the cleansing action of the soap.  The soap is attracted to these hardness minerals and you have less suds and it is less effective in hard water.  If you did a test you would find that with hard water it is difficult to rinse the soap from clothing and the clothes will also seem more stiff and dingy looking.  What has happened is that the limescale is clinging to your favorite pair of skinny jeans.  When you have a water softener you will find that it is much easier to rinse the soap out of the laundry because of the soft water.

Okay let's talk type of soap.  If you have a water softener you should try to use soap in its purest form because soft water maximizes the effectiveness of soaps and laundry detergents that should be as clear as possible with as little perfumes and dyes in it as possible.  Most soap manufacturers take in account that most people will have hard water and so they will add water softening agents and fillers to soap.  So what happens is that you pay more because there are additives in your soaps shampoos and conditioners however on the other hand you can make your own soap if you have the DIY energy.

You may have heard that soft water can save you money, and to tell the truth this is correct.  The water quality research council conducted the test with different levels of hard and soft water to determine its effectiveness.  The best news for moms is that when you have laundry stains the study showed that with soft water you use less water and soap and lower temperatures which help in the lowering of utility bills.  IE instead of using hot water you can use cold water in its place. 

House wives will be happy to know that with soft water they will use less shampoo and conditioner and will not longer need to buy rinsing agents for the dishwasher to have spot free dishes and the need to use chemical agents to clean the bathtub and shower walls is over when you have soft water.  There are many places to get your water tested to determine how hard your water is which is what you will need to do if you need to buy a water softener

How to winterize your water well

I know that the blog name is low cost water softeners but I am also a licensed pump installer and owned a water well company before I sold it. So i will be posting things on water wells here and giving you videos as well that I made when I owned my company. So if you live near wise county Texas we can be of help to you. You will want to take a look at this video in order to be familiar with your well house. Now that you are familiar you are ready to go

The things that are most important to winterize are the nipple just below the pressure switch and any metal parts on you equipment.  the metal parts will get cold and freeze much sooner that PVC parts.  You can use heat tape, insulation, or even a heat lamp.  Now I have seen things like blanket, rugs, hay, dirt and other objects used as well so if it works then I guess it is okay.

It is not necessary to insulate your pressure tank because it is so big around that the water in it will not be able to freeze.  So there is no reason to spend the money and have to deal with the fiberglass in the insulation.

Now if you have a water softener you will want to insulate the tank and any metal parts that may be on or near the water softener as well.  It would also be a good idea to put a heat lamp in the well house or near your water softener if it is in the garage since it is possible for the water softener to freeze up in the garage.

Most importantly is to just keep it warm in your well house or garage in order to prevent damage and incurring other costs because you really cannot go overboard unless you you insulate your water well tank or commonly known as a pressure tank.

My Water Softener Keeps Running Water to The Drain

Let's say you live in the city and you get your water bill and it is much higher than normal. You think to yourself that we are in winter months and people tend to use less water in the winter months than during any other time of the year. Where is the water going? Why can't I see it in my yard or anywhere else for that reason. What the heck is going on?
So the wife goes into the garage to do laundry and notices the sound of running water and thinks to herself that is odd, why is there water running in the garage? She looks around and sees nothing, she looks in the washer and nothing, she even looks by the hot water heater and still finds nothing but as she walks by the water softener she thinks she hears water there. I don't see any water running but I can barely hear it she says to herself. So she calls you out and you take a look at it and then you pull the little hose out of the pipe in the back of the water softener and baaammm you see water running from the hose into the pipe. So you ask yourself why it is doing that. The water softener is in the service position and there is salt in the salt tank so what is going on.
So you get online and find this blog that tells you what the problem may be. The first thing you want to ask yourself is; did someone do some plumbing before the water softener? The reason you ask this is because sometimes when work is done to the water line before the water softener either PVC glue or some other object has gotten in the piston or rotor disc area and water is bypassing the system because of the PVC glue or other object like solder or plumbers tape. So what do you do know? You can be a DIY and go online and find a video that shows you how to take out the piston, seals and spacers on your fleck or clack valve or how to remove the rotor disc on the sears, kenmore, whirlpool type water softeners.
So let's say you are not a DIY then you call your water softener service man (it is better to call someone who knows how to work on a water softener rather than a plumber who does not know what he is doing on a water softener)and he arrives and takes apart your water softener valve and finds the object in the piston, seals and spacers. He has to replace the seal kit and offers to replace the piston as well. The reason to replace the seal kit is because the rubber seals often tear and that is where the water bypasses. You may need to replace the piston especially if it is a Fleck 5600 or 2500 valve is because the piston is made of brass and has a teflon coating and sometimes the coating comes off or is rubbed off and water will bypass and go to drain as well. So you pay your service man his fee and no more problems. However as you watched him you noticed that you could have done that yourself so for the next time you take down this web address for water softener parts http://lowcostwatersofteners.com/products-page/ 
and click on any item and it will take you to the parts page for you to buy the correct part for your water softener. 
The next time you will be ready and after you subscribe to this blog you will get updates on blogs or if you go to http://www.lowcostwatersofteners.com and fill out the form you will get all the updates on blogs and equipment so you will be the informed guy who all he neighbors come to for help.

Water Softener and Filter Products

Thank you for stopping by. Below you will find various types of water softeners and filters. To see more products click the arrows at the bottom where is says shop now and you will have access to an array of water softener and filter products. Thank you and have a great day

You Need a New Water Softener

I was called to a ladies home to check her water softener and when I showed up I saw a plumbing company's truck parked across the street and thought nothing of it.  I knocked on the door and the lady came to the door and said the water softener is around the side and asked if I could check it out.  So I went around the side and checked it out and found nothing to be wrong with it. 

I went back to the door and knocked and she answered and told me to wait until she was done with the plumber, so I replied sure and went and sat in my truck.  I saw the plumber leave and as he did he made note of the company information on the side of my door.  So he went and sat in his truck and sat there doing paper work I guess.

I went and knocked again, the lady answered and had me come inside she directed me to the kitchen and when I got there I tested the water and checked her reverse osmosis system.  Her water was soft and the water that came from her reverse osmosis system had tested to be well above 85% pure water.  (You test RO water with a TDS meter by getting before and after results and then using a formula which will give you the results you need to determine if the reverse osmosis membrane needs to be replaced)  I tested the water and as I said above that is was good.

So she asked me the results and I told her that the water softener was doing okay and softening the water like it should, I pointed out that the reverse osmosis system was doing its job and that she was okay on both pieces of equipment and that all was good.

She said well tell me what you think of this, she pointed out an estimate from the plumber that said
"I pushed the button and the water softener did not work"  Well of course it is not going to work if you press the wrong button, then the estimate said that to replace that water softener it would cost over $4,000.00.  That is not to mention that this particular water softener had a lifetime warranty on the tank, PC board and media.  I even called the vendor for this particular piece of equipment and verified with them that this particular customer still had the warranty and sure enough they did.

The purpose of this post is that if you are told by someone that you need a new water softener, I would suggest that you get a second opinion or maybe even a third.  Have each technician to write down their findings and then compare.  If one is way of from the other one or two then you have your consistency and you may save a lot of money and or have spent very little to get a correct opinion.

My Water Softener Made my Coffee Taste Salty

Can you just imagine, you get up in the morning and start to get your coffee maker set up to start brewing your favorite coffee.  You throw away yesterdays filter, you pour out the unused coffee still in the pot, you rinse it out and from the tap you fill it to that level that makes perfect coffee every time, you get out a filter and put in just the right amount of coffee.  You push the brew button and go hop in the shower and get ready for work.  You return to the kitchen dressed and ready to grab that great tasting cup of coffee, you grab your favorite cup and pour that fresh coffee into the cup and take a sip of nice hot coffee when all of a sudden your taste buds discover a new taste of coffee and spin out of control and you spew that mouth full of coffee into the kitchen sink.

That cup of coffee tasted like salt and has ruined the entire day because you really needed that cup of coffee on that particular morning, actually you need your coffee every morning.  So not only did the day start off wrong but now you know that when you return home you want to figure out why your water tasted like salt

Perhaps this is the solution to the problem;
When the water softener regenerates it takes in all the salt water that is in the salt tank as you know, but what you probably didn't know was that if someone gets up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom while the water softener is drawing the salt water into the water softener tank as you flush the toilet you will bring salt water into the water lines, then you flush again in the morning bringing it even closer to the house or even the toilet.  Then when you rinse out the coffee from yesterdays pot you get salt water into the coffee pot and thus have salty water.  The way you will know if this happened is to go look at your water softener and if it indicates that the water softener regenerated the evening then you know that was the problem.  You will be able to tell if it is a Fleck water softener valve because the white arrow in the upper right side of the valve face on the little transparent dial will be 11 o'clock position under the words "Gallons to Regen"

Or perhaps this is the problem;
Over the past months you have had power outages and when you come home from work or get up in the morning you adjust the flashing clocks throughout the house to set the right time but because the water softener is in the garage or well house it is forgotten and life goes on until that special morning that salt and time collide.  What has happened is that the timer on the water softener has gotten out of time and you begin to draw water into the house in the morning when you use the bathroom and then run the water to wash out yesterdays coffee while at the same time the water softener is in the brine cycle drawing salt water into the water softener to clean the media and salt water is also drawn into the house water lines.

How to remedy the problems;
You can get yourself a Reverse Osmosis System which has its own faucet and gives you bottled water quality water at the sink and avoid the chance of getting up and using the bathroom at the same time as the water softener is drawing in the brine water not to mention having great tasting water for your coffee.
The other way to avoid this is to periodically check your water softener to see that the time is correct and a good time to do that is when you add salt.

There are water softener valves that have small batteries in them to keep the time for situations like these but not very many.  As far as I know the only one that does have one is a Clack valve and I really don't recall that the others have a battery for just such the occasion. 

So if you get salty water don't get mad at your water softener or water softener service man just check your timer on the water softener or follow the instructions above and you'll have your answer.  If what was described here does not match your scenario then perhaps you may want to call your water softener service man.

What is The Best Kind Of Water Softener Salt

When I had my water softener company many of my customers would ask what kind of salt should they use.  I always responded with what I used as a water softener service company which was the most inexpensive water softener salt.

What I should mention first perhaps is what kind of water softener salt should you not use, though it is not even water softener salt but swimming pool salt for the salt water pools.  It is a very granular almost like what you may serve at the table and to my knowledge and experience it does not work as I found it in a salt tank (brine tank) at a home and ended up dumping it out.  Though thinking about it now perhaps it can be used since it is salt but it really isn't designed to be used for water softeners.  Another type of salt I found at a home which is okay to use however you may spend hundreds of dollars more is rock salt.  It is okay to use but it comes in such small boxes you would have to fill your basket and who knows how much that salt would cost.

I have always used the most inexpensive water softener salt since for the most part it really doesn't make a difference.  Though let's say you used the tablet or pellet form and you had problems with it making a salt bridge then perhaps you may want to switch to the granular type which is usually found in the blue bag instead of the yellow bag.

There are cleaner forms of water softener salts on the market.  The Morton's salt is one of the cleanest I have seen.  If you pour it side by side you can see the difference and it comes in a pellet form.  Some people like this kind because after a year or so the water in the brine tank begins to look pretty yucky and at the bottom of the salt tank you can find lots of dirt and other nasty stuff there.  It is not found to be unsanitary but it may be a good idea to allow your salt to run out and then disconnect the small tube and clean out the brine tank, I do know once you do you will feel good about it.

The green bag of salt?  The one with the form of hydrochloric acid that helps clean the beads if you have iron.  The regular salt will work fine though I have never done a test to see which is better.  I do know the non green bag is cheaper than the green bag.  There is a product called Resup that can be bought online or your local water softener service company may have it, you will need to put it in a dispenser and you will want to get the 1/2 oz per day dispenser which is the one with the yellow wick.  The 1 oz per day will put more than enough Resup in the tank.  Resup is a food grade hydrochloric acid that does a great job at cleaning the beads for the cost.  If you find that your water is blue particularly in your toilet after purchasing this product it is likely that you used the toilet the same time the water softener was regenerating and thus got it in the lines.  If you run the water for a moment it will clear up and all will be well.

Potassium?  You may use this product though it is almost 5 times as expensive as salt and does a great job but the price really is not worth it.  It is mainly used for people who are environmentally conscious.  It is environmentally friendly and does not damage the vegetation that salt may destroy.

All in all the best water softener salt for you is the one that cleans like it needs to, fits your budget and does not keep creating salt bridges. https://www.facebook.com/Low-Cost-Water-Softeners-1490645221225279/

My Water Softener is Not Using Salt

I have heard that statement more times than I can count.  Usually that is the first thing someone notices even before they notice the water is no longer soft anymore.  The home owner goes out and starts to put salt in the salt tank or what is known as the brine tank and see's that there is still a full tank of salt, oh what to do what to do.

The first thing you are going to want to do is to look at the time clock on the water softener to see if it is displaying the correct time.  If it is not then you will want to set the time to the correct time.  Then look to see if it is plugged in, who knows a cat, rat, or someone could have accidentally unplugged it.  I have seen that many times in my days as a water softener service man.  If it is plugged in and not a digital model try and see if you can look to the back of the motor.  If you can then you will see a little window and you should see a red dot every so many seconds.  This is an indicator that the motor is running but not necessarily good.  The next thing you are going to want to look at is the front of the large dial to see if it is in the service position, and actually you probably should have done that first but all in all most of this is simultaneously done.  If it is in the service position then you will want to begin to turn the knob from the service position to each position in the regeneration cycle and when it gets to the brine/rinse cycle stop and grab the little tube that goes from the water softener to the brine tank as tight as you can.  You are trying to feel the salt water going through the tube, if you cannot feel the water going through the tube then just monitor the water in the brine tank and you should see it going down.  If it does not go down then you will need to call a service man.  If it goes down then you will want to continue through the cycle and reset the knob in the service position.

The next thing you will want to do if you can is to make a fist and pound on the side of the brine tank towards the bottom about 1 foot from the floor. Start there and move your way up noticing any difference, if it seems to be softer towards the bottom and hard at the top then more than likely you have what is called a salt bridge.  You can hit the salt where the hardness and soft spot on the tank come together and knock the salt down.  You can also get a broom stick (make sure you put it back where you got it or you will get it when your wife finds out) and poke it in the salt upside down and move it around trying to make the salt fall.  You can also carefully shake the brine tank making sure not to break any pipes that may be exposed and this will help the salt fall.  This will fix your problem.  You will want to put your water softener in regen in order to have it regenerate so your wife can have that soft water she loves.  Make sure you do not put it in regen while she is washing laundry since it will make the clothes salty if all things come together at the right time.

How does the salt bridge?  What happens is the water that is put into the salt tank only goes in so far, then during the brine cycle it is drawn out and rinses over the media in the tall cylindrical tank.  The water makes the salt wet so it can dissolve and make the brine solution, well sometimes for whatever reason the salt that gets wet begins to stick to itself and sooner or later does not fall down into the brine tank and forms a cement like hardness with the salt.  All the salt that is below the bridge is dissolved and the water comes and goes and comes and goes and never dissolves any more salt because it is bridged.  So if you follow the above directions the salt will fall and you will be back in business again.  If you have tried everything then you may have to call a service man out to see if you don't have a problem with your brine piston, which is another article in itself.

If you need water softener parts you can go to http://www.lowcostwatersofteners.com and click on any of their items and you will be forwarded to a larger website where you can get parts.  I hope this helped the old saying, "My Water Softener is Not Using Salt"

The Best Water Softener

Many people will ask what the best water softener is and the answer will depend on who you ask.  For instance if you ask the guy selling you one, he will say that his is the best, or if you ask your neighbor he will say his is the best especially if he paid a huge sum of money for his water softener.  You can also read the article on how to buy a water softener

There are water softener reviews that can help, and you can find them on youtube and I am sure there are some write ups on the internet as well.  If you are reading this I would like to give you my unbiased opinion on the matter. I have almost 10 years experience in water softener sales and service and have seen many water softeners and what I think are the best out there.

Let's start with the low cost water softeners, one would think you get what you pay for and in some cases you can, however on the other hand when it comes to water it us important to know what is in your water in order to perhaps decide which one is best for you.  The first thing you will want to do is have your water test done and you can order a water test kit HERE

The reason for the test will determine what size water softener you will need based on the hardness level and to see what other contaminants are in the water and here is why.  If you buy one of the inexpensive ones and you live on a water well and sometimes have sediment then you will want to have a Pre Filter  in front of the water softener and the reason for this is to stop the sediment or iron from scoring the disk that helps suck the salt water from the brine tank and into the media tank to remove the calcium build up on the media beads.  Once the disk gets scored to badly it will not pick up brine water and will only overflow the brine tank and make a mess in the well house or your garage.  In reality it is always best to put a sediment cartridge in front of your water softener just in case you do begin to get sediment.  Small price to help the life of the piston, seals and spacers.

The inexpensive water softeners bought at the big box stores will work best on city water and yet I still say put in a pre filter and use a carbon pre filter as to stop the chlorine because the chlorine will ruin the rubber seals faster and the carbon filter will help remove sediment and other contaminants in the water.

The next type of water softeners you will find the most of are Fleck and Clack brand water softeners.  These are two of the most popular water softeners and are in my opinion are the best on the market.  The cost may vary depending on whom is selling them.  As another water treatment guy told me once, "Build value in your equipment and charge more" thought it is good business sense I don't believe in selling people anything.  I give people information and let them decide on their own.  Another good thing about the two water softeners I listed are that the parts for them can be purchased online and at a good price.  You can then find videos on youtube that will show you how to replace the parts simply and easily.

The water softeners I would stay away from are the ones that have a special manufacturer and the reason for this is once you purchase the equipment you must call that particular guy back for the service call.  Some of these manufacturers will not give another service member parts, as I ran into this problem when I owned my own company.  I had a customer who wanted me to fix their water softener and I called the representative for that particular water softener and he could not sale me parts because it was in his contract with the manufacturer.  So I turned my customer over to him which really is no problem for me since I always believe in scratching other peoples backs and it did pay off for me because he gave me referrals on other types of equipment, but the only problem I had was the high prices they charged and there was no way around it for the consumer or DIY kind of people.  Any way you have my view on those one of a kind water softeners.

The Fleck brand water softener can be purchased online at various prices but usually inexpensive though I know that is a matter of perspective.  If you don't have $100.00 then $100.00 is a lot of money.  Low cost water softeners has Fleck brand equipment on their site and the prices are good.  Clack brand water softeners are not supposed to be sold on the internet but sometimes are.  The reason for this is because they are digital valves and sometimes they get messed up and the consumer calls Clack and wants help because the company they bought it from doesn't know how to repair them or cannot tell you over the phone.  That was one of the first things they told me when I started selling Clack valves was that I could not sale them online. So if you want to buy a water softener you can get one from Low Cost Water Softeners and you will find them to be a good price compared to the local guy.  The local guy has to charge more because his demographics are different from one who sales online.

Now the real story on the best water softener is this, the water softener that you buy and like and serves you well for the money you paid is the very best water softener.  And from my professional experience I say either Fleck or Clack because you can buy Fleck parts online and it does not cost a lot for repairs and repairs come about 5-10 years later and the problem will be fixed for another 5-10 years.  So do your research first and keep all that I said in mind and if you have any questions you can comment here or you may email us at info@lowcostwatersofteners.com

Saltless Water Softener

The saltless water softener has been scrutinized and misjudged but only because of the way it is marketed.  We know that people want a saltless water softener because they have either high blood pressure, don't want to hassle with the salt or live in a city or state that does not allow that much salt to go to drain.  So a manufacturer or two have done the homework and made the media that prevents the calcium from sticking to faucets etc.

No problem here except the standard person in public has no idea of the difference between a water softener and a saltless water softener.  So the salesman sales and markets it as a saltfree water softener and the public eats it up.  So for the most part the problem has been created by some of the guys in the industry trying to make some money.  After all SEO and Keyword searches are the hot thing now days in order to get your product or service found on the internet so you just use the same words the people are searching for and want to hear.  The truth of the matter is that there is no such thing as a saltfree water softener or saltless water softener.  I will explain below;

In order for water to be softened it must go through an Ion Exchange process which to put it simply where the calcium ions in the water attach to the sodium charged ions in the softener media, like a giant group hug.  You can find articles out there that can describe it in more detail but if you don't care about being a chemist then there is no need.  So because of the ion exchange process the hardness is removed and you have soft water.

Saltfree water softener/ Saltless water softener- is more of a conditioner.  It conditions the water as it flows through the media and tank and as the water comes out it has been conditioned not to stick.  The process is relatively easy to explain unless you want the chemical make up as well.  Most companies use SP3 as the media and what the SP3 does is it makes the calcium stick to itself so it doesn't stick to pipes and faucets and glass, this being said in the most easiest form for you to understand. Go HERE for more information.

I have owned both.  My wife and I prefer the water softener over the saltless water softener/conditioner even though you still get that slick feeling and you don't get the sodium in your water and don't have to mess with the salt pellets or salt tablets.  One main reason is I noticed inside the dishwasher right under the door was some nasty red slimy stuff and when I switched back to the water softener the red slimy stuff went away.  You still don't use as much shampoo and conditioner and soaps etc we were able to feel the difference.  I had the both in case I forgot to put salt in the brine tank for the water softener I still had a back up just in case.  We installed a few of these and never had any problem with them from our customers.

Well I hope this helped some in distinguishing the difference between a saltfree water softener and a regular water softener and perhaps also helped in choosing a saltfree water softener or a water softener and if you do have one or the other I would also recommend a reverse osmosis drinking water system

How to Measure Water Hardness

I have heard many people say that they have hard water and others say they have soft water and when it comes down to it sometimes both are correct and other times both are incorrect.  Without testing the water one will never know just exactly how hard the water really is.

Let's talk about the types of water hardness;
1.  Temporary Hardness-Temporary hardness is a type of water hardness caused by the presence of dissolved bicarbonate minerals (calcium bicarbonate and magnesium bicarbonate). When dissolved, these minerals yield calcium and magnesium cations (Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺) and carbonate and bicarbonate anions (CO₃^2-, HCO₃^-). The presence of the metal cations makes the water hard. However, unlike the permanent hardness caused by sulfate and chloride compounds, this "temporary" hardness can be reduced either by boiling the water, or by the addition of lime (calcium hydroxide) through the softening process of lime softening.^[4] Boiling promotes the formation of carbonate from the bicarbonate and precipitates calcium carbonate out of solution, leaving water that is softer upon cooling.

2. Permanent Hardness-Permanent hardness is hardness (mineral content) that cannot be removed by boiling. When this is the case, it is usually caused by the presence of calcium sulfate and/or magnesium sulfates in the water, which do not precipitate out as the temperature increases. Ions causing permanent hardness of water can be removed using a water softener, or ion exchange column.
Total Permanent Hardness = Calcium Hardness + Magnesium Hardness
The calcium and magnesium hardness is the concentration of calcium and magnesium ions expressed as equivalent of calcium carbonate.
Total permanent water hardness expressed as equivalent of CaCO₃ can be calculated with the following formula: Total Permanent Hardness (CaCO₃) = 2.5(Ca²⁺) + 4.1(Mg²⁺).<sup>[citation needed]

So what does all that mean to you?  Let's simplify it, the type of hard water most people will have to 
fight will be permanent hardness.  And as you can see it is eliminated by water softener or ion exchange process.
So now we know that there are two types of water hardness now let's explore the way we measure hard water
in order to determine water hardness and buy the correct size water softener.

Water hardness is measured in a few different ways but we will only talk about 3 ways water hardness is measured
Mg/l = Milligrams per liter- when measured in this fashion it is 17.1
PPM= Parts Per Million- when measured in this fashion it is 17.1
GPG= Grains Per Gallons- when measured in this fashion it is 1
For example 10gpg hardness is 171.0 PPM or Mg/L

So in you'll want to know how it hard water is measured because when a salesman tries to pull the wool over your eyes
and says your water is really really hard and it is only 5gpg instead of 85 Mg/L or 85 PPM  It sounds really hard but 
let's look at how hard it really is according to our chart.
Classification          Hardness in Mg/L          Hardness in PPM          Hardness in GPG
Soft                                 0-60                       Less than 60                       0-3.5
Moderately Hard             61-120                       60-120                         3.56-7.51
Hard                               121-180                     120-180                        7.06-10.51
Very Hard                        >180                            >180                             >10.57

What do I use to measure my hardness?  Here are a couple of ways to do so.  You can go to the big box stores
and some will have a way to measure your water hardness by using a small matchstick style dipping stick and once
you dip it in the water you will match the color against the chart and it will tell you how hard your water is, you 
also have a water softener company come out and measure it for you but be prepared you may have to go through
a sales presentation.  You can also get the kit at a local pool supply place or you can go to Amazon for a kit.</sup>