Advice please: Narrowing down to USwater or Homeplus 1.5cuft

[Lee Enfield]

Operating scenario.
Hardness 12, no iron, PH=7.1 , 2 adults/2kids, significant calcification on faucets

Option 1) HomePlus 1.5 cuft with 5810 SXT head.

USA sourced tank, valve, and 8% media = https://www.home-water-purifiers-and-filters.com/softplus-premium.php#parentHorizontalTab5

The thing that gives me pause is that the service/peak GPM is 5.5/8.2 which seems unusually low.
Email with rep and says that is just them being conservative and that the unit should easily have a service GPM of 5.0 * 1.5cuft = 7.5GPM
This number is still below other claims at other places but I don't understand why their unit would under deliver since it has a fleck 5810 valve.
It makes no sense that they would do something so stupid on the riser pipe and screen that would limit them to less than others. Is this just specmanship?
https://www.home-water-purifiers-and-filters.com/softplus-premium.php#parentHorizontalTab5

Option 2) USwater product Flexx

(Pros)

• 15GPM service GPM (how they achieve is ??)
• Stainless steel bypass valve/connector assembly
• Bluetooth PC/phone for setup and monitoring and history stats
• 15% promotion for thanksgiving (850$ for 1.5cuft)

(CONS)

• (Non Fleck/Clack valve) USproducts valve that they say is USA made (7 yr warranty)

https://www.uswatersystems.com/flexxtm-pro-series-water-softener.html?quantity=1

My search on this forum doesn't seem to find much neg/positive either way on sites

 

[ditttohead]

Most online resellers use the lowest cost components in order to be the lowest cost. I generally recommend avoiding most online resellers for water treatment. It may have a Fleck valve but what medias inside? What tank, what other components? As to the Made in USA claims, this is very poorly regulated. We see that claim on many products that don't have a single made in US component. Making that claim properly is very difficult.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[KimbaWLion]

My Ionics now Puronics system gave up the ghost and after all the looking around
I went with the local company, bought and had them install a Hellenbrand PM6 DMT with a tank etc.

They installed it with a Uponor Aquapex fittings and comes with a 1oyr warranty in the fittings and pex.

Hellenbrand uses Clack Valves, I think a WS1. It comes with a 5 yr warranty on the parts, 3 years on the labor, and 10yrs on the
Mineral tank. FWIW it has a Vortech tank and a Carbon layer to remove chlorine. They left me both hardness and chlorine testing kits.

Was it cheap nope, but nor was it that much more than the online retailers! A quality install, with somebody to physically stand behind it, never is. The company that installed it has been family owned and operated since 1958 and did NOT hard sell me.
I realize you most likely have something by now but I wanted to add a little information.

 

[Taylorjm]

I actually went with the flexx from uswater and have been happy so far. Just installed it a couple weeks ago. According to the software, I was getting 15gpm which is about all my well can produce. The softener I purchased was the 20gpm model. Water is soft so it's working. I will say this though, and maybe this is common, but it sure seems noisy when it regenerates. Lots of water flowing type noise. I'm going to put some insulation on the pipes and see if that helps, I can't really tell where the noise is coming from. Also, the brine tank holds much more water than my old kenmore one piece unit. The water float is set to keep it about 2/3 the way up in the brine tank. So if the tank is half full of salt, it's submerged with water on top. Not sure that's the way it's done yet or not, but that's where the float is set to keep the water level. And the float isn't adjustable.

 

[Taylorjm]

Also, the one thing about the us water system, according to the sales staff, the 7 year warranty covers everything on the valve. Even the seals or any other part. The warranty on any other system I looked at said it doesn't cover wear and tear parts like seals.

 

[ditttohead]

You will not be disappointed with the Hellenbrand units, For now they are superior to the majority of the online systems. A 7 year warranty is not that exciting, Seals and spacers were removed form the warranty by Fleck and Clack due to abuse by a few companies. Once the abuse starts on the 7 year warranty, ie: remove the seals, spacers and send them back in 6.5 years, the warranty will likely end. In general the kits will last 10-20 years and they also know most people are not going to be using their valves in commercial applications where wear and tear become an actual issue. Instead of treating a couple hundred gallons per day, these small systems can be treating thousands of gallons per day.

 

[blaze4545]

US water Systems appears to offer great advice and has sufficient knowledge.
BUT, they seem to change their opinions of the "BEST" products quite often.

One year they are boasting their super efficient downflow Fusion NLT (Private Canature Valve) and the next year they bring
a new valve which is even better! Looks like Runxin valve or one of the valves you see on alibaba

 

[ditttohead]

Not surprising, there are a multitude of reasons, this is one of the reasons I push on people avoiding "assembled" products from online resellers. If you are buying a simple roll of toilet paper, Charmin is Charmin, but when it comes to items that have many components, cheap stuff can be substituted.

 

[Taylorjm]

True, but when you are comparing costs, and the only other choice are places like culligan who charge you thousands more, you need to weigh the good and the bad and try to make the best choice.