Not another water softener post.....

[Mark S]

Yes, it is another water softener post. I am thinking of ditching our Rainsoft system. The thing unreliable and to get a tech to even walk in the door costs as much as getting a new model from Home Depot. Does anybody have a system that they love or one that I should stay away from? Any suggestions would be great! Mark

[JoeM]

CSI INC-Signature Series

[Robert Barr]

[blevins]

I would go with a Kinetico system. It is like buying 2 units with the twin tank. You never run out of treated water. It is like buying a cordless drill with 2 batteries, it works all the time. The other units only have a limited supply of quality water. Buy something that works all the time not part of the time. You will use less salt and water too!

[Larry and a Cat named Dub]

[Mark S]

Thanks Larry, and your cat... After some poking around, the Water Boss does look like a good option. The price is in the right neighborhood, and apparently you can get them at Home Depot. (Close to me) Not too many complaints on the web. It's funny I just got a call from RainSoft letting me know it's time for them to come and deprive me of several hundred dollars, again... And my softener is stuck in the middle of a regen, AGAIN..... New head, a couple of hundred more... NOT! Thanks Mark

[Gary Slusser]

The 12 gallons and 2.5 lbs of salt sounds great!! Until you add up 7-8 days of daily regenerations; 12*8=96 gallons and 2.5*8=20lbs of salt over a week's time. And compare that to a softener using the Clack WS-1 control valve set for a capacity that regenerates on average every 8th day and then uses 50+/- gallons and only 6-9 lbs of salt TOTAL. And it has a 5 year warranty on the control valve and 10 years on the tanks. It might cost a hundred or so more.

Kinetico sounds great too. They claim as little water and salt use as the Water Boss. But compare it to say a Fleck 9100SE, or 9000SE, or either in a machanical metered version instead of the electronic meter version. Then set it up to regenerate every 3 days or so than maybe

3-4 times a DAY. And you don't need any disposable cartridge prefilter and you save maybe $2000.00.

To learn about correctly sizing a softener:

[Mark S]

Thanks to all that responded. Another option that I came across, that I think I am going to do... Replace the valve head with a Fleck 5600. I found this on my own...

tanks are fine, and this eliminates Rainsoft from the picture. The Fleck seems to be an industry standard with replaceable parts. I just figured I would respond to let other dissatisfied Rainsoft folks know that there is another option... Mark

[Gary Slusser]

own...

My tanks are fine, and this eliminates Rainsoft from the picture.

Caution, the new control may not mate properly into the RS tank ad that can/will cause leaking.

Gary Quality Water Associates

[Mark S]

According to the distributor he has had no problems replacing them.

Mark

[Gary Slusser]

That may be true on newer tanks, so how old is yours and will a standard control valve's o-ring fit flat on the top of their tank neck or should/will it go down into the thread area slightly on a 45* angle deforming the o-ring?

Gary Quality Water Associates