Best inexpensive dyi water softner

[Stephannie Grullon]

Trying to find a water softner thats not too costly but won't break down after a year and that my husband and I may be able to install ourselves. I've found a Kenmore brand and a Whirpool one both have mixed reviews though seems like it's a hit or miss. I've also seen PENTAIR Fleck softner.

Also wondering how many grains are needed. We are a family of 4.

 

[ditttohead]

Are you on a municipal supply or private well? Most of the online companies sell the lowest cost systems they can find, some stick a good name brand valve on top of a junk tank, media, etc. Stay away from these companies. I would avoid the Big Box stores, if you read through the past several years of threads you may find a person or two who likes those units but the vast majority of people on this forum consider them inferior in many ways. Most of the big box stores simply sell the product that had the lowest price... What is your plumbing installation location like?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Stephannie Grullon]

Thanks for the advice, the price is so attractive but it will cost more buying cheap in the long run. We are on private well water and have a long narrow closet where the softner system is in. I have a nitrate machine? 1 salt bin, the softner and an acid neutralizer and a UV lamp? Still learning here

 

[ditttohead]

Have you had a recent water test completed by a lab? Do you have to reduce nitrate to the whole house? Can you post some pictures of your existing equipment?

 

[Bannerman]

Photos of the existing controllers were posted in this thread: https://terrylove.com/forums/index....d-neutralizer-and-nitrate-regeneration.75221/

 

[Stephannie Grullon]

These are the water results from when the sellers of the house got the water tested. The nitrate tank wasnt even plugged in until I called for a service to replace the UV light bulb and found out the water is still hard (23grain) I dont know if I need the nitrate tank ro be running but I left it on anyways. Also salt bin looks dirty to me so I'll have to research how to properly clean it out and what other parts should be cleaned