Advice on aged Water Softener

[Dal Norris]

Hello Folks --
Just moved into an area with very hard water and approx. 2K sq fit house we purchased has a roughly 16 year old Kenmore Water Softener that has not been running for at least a year (house was uninhabited). I know nothing about water softeners and their typical life expectancy. Is it worth it to spend money on inspection / repair / etc to bring it back to life (there is an obvious leak on the input line but beyond that no idea of what could b ein Pandora's box)f? Or better off to put the money toward a new (and likely more reliable) system. All expert opinions appreciated, though I know that there are a huge # of variables (volume, hardness of water, etc)

 

[Reach4]

1. If you are on a well, get a lab water test. I like kit 90 from http://www.karlabs.com/watertestkit/ . Figure 2 weeks to get results including two trips in the mail (kit plus return sample). A free test can be very expensive. If this is city water, you may be able to get hardness info from the water seller. You want the high number -- not the average.

2. It is probably going to make sense to get a new softener. With your number of people, hardness, iron, manganese, pH, and anything else that stands out, we can probably suggest a good size.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[ditttohead]

If you are on a municipal supply, post your zip code and I can usually find the water report. If you are on a well, Kar Labs or NTL LABS Well test are needed.
Do not waste time and money trying to fix your old unit.

 

[Dal Norris]

Thanks all -- couple of experienced pieces of input was all I needed to validate my gut. Have several local reputable folks and will reach out about a new unit!