Wow, I feel privileged to have started a thread needing to be closed! That said, I've promised my wife that we would make a habit of buying quality products for replacement issues, and after most likely having multiple issues with the low end sears softener, will be upgrading. I've got one inch plumbing, a house with a wife, 2 growing girls, a pool that fills off of the softener, a dishwasher that runs @ every 3 days, a clothes washer, toilets, showers, sinks, and an icemaker in the fridge to supply! What would be your recommendation for brand, size and ballpark price? And are there any drawbacks to running potassium instead of salt? thanks for all your replies. Chris