I was told I probably got the wrong water softener

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BobbytheBus

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A local plumber that I called told me without even knowing what softener I got that I got the wrong one. I accounted for how many bathrooms and people in the household and how hard the water is. The one I got even let's you input the water hardness so it can program how often to regenerate. He told me I might still be able to return the softener. Was he selling me on something or should I had done more research on testing my water before buying a softener and then letting a well expert pick the appropriate softener?
 

Reach4

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Was he selling me on something
Probably, tho most of us tend to not like cabinet-type softeners. They tend to not get repaired, but replaced. Yet they have their advantage, especially if you are space-limited.

You should get a Hach 5-B hardness test to test the hardness before and after the softener.
 

BobbytheBus

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Probably, tho most of us tend to not like cabinet-type softeners. They tend to not get repaired, but replaced. Yet they have their advantage, especially if you are space-limited.

You should get a Hach 5-B hardness test to test the hardness before and after the softener.
Thank you. I am a bit limited with space so maybe this one works best for me.
 

Bannerman

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The plumber is offering advice based on various factors that all must be factored into the selection of a softener. You are asking for advice without offering any info.
  • What is the untreated water hardness amount?
  • City supply or private well?
  • How many residents?
  • How many bathrooms?
  • The number of high flow fixtures such as rainfall or multi-head showers?
  • Size of the main plumbing lines where the softener would be located?
  • What softener did you already buy? (photo)
 

LLigetfa

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A local plumber that I called told me without even knowing what softener I got that I got the wrong one.
How could he without knowing what you bought say such a thing? He is either arrogant/rude thinking that he knows better than you, greedy for wanting to profit from the sale, or both.
 

BobbytheBus

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The plumber is offering advice based on various factors that all must be factored into the selection of a softener. You are asking for advice without offering any info.
  • What is the untreated water hardness amount?
  • City supply or private well?
  • How many residents?
  • How many bathrooms?
  • The number of high flow fixtures such as rainfall or multi-head showers?
  • Size of the main plumbing lines where the softener would be located?
  • What softener did you already buy? (photo)
When I called I wasn't even asking him for advice on the softener. It just happened to come up in our conversation. I wanted to do all the plumbing for the softener until I realized I needed a professional to help me vent the drain line I needed to add so that was all I was asking for help. He sounded so sure about the softener being wrong that I was feeling upset that I bought the softener.
 

BobbytheBus

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How could he without knowing what you bought say such a thing? He is either arrogant/rude thinking that he knows better than you, greedy for wanting to profit from the sale, or both.
Weird thing is he sounded like a nice guy but I'm pretty easy going and was just listening mostly. I was giving him the benefit of the doubt but now that I'm thinking about it he probably was trying to sell me since he kept mentioning I could still probably return the softener.
 

ditttohead

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Simply put, if you got it at a big box store, it is probably a disposable unit built by the lowest bidder... keep it, run it for a few years, as soon as it fails, put it in a landfill. If you read through the history of posts on this site, you will find that many of the Fleck and Clack based units are 20+ years old and our advice is often to "replace the resin, you will get another 10-20 years out of it". With the big box store stuff, after the warranty, landfill it.
 

Reach4

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Simply put, if you got it at a big box store, it is probably a disposable unit built by the lowest bidder... keep it, run it for a few years, as soon as it fails, put it in a landfill.
That model works for TVs today. It does not work for cars.

Softeners would be somewhere in between, but closer to cars, I would think.

I remember when people would sew a button back on a shirt, rather than replace the shirt. Once upon a time, I am told people would darn a sock, and I have seen a darning egg. I never saw anyone darn a sock.
 

ditttohead

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That model works for TVs today. It does not work for cars.

Softeners would be somewhere in between, but closer to cars, I would think.

I remember when people would sew a button back on a shirt, rather than replace the shirt. Once upon a time, I am told people would darn a sock, and I have seen a darning egg. I never saw anyone darn a sock.
I am a wee bit to busy to "Darn a Sock"... if your sock is this worn through, it is time for a new one. This sock looks like my dads t-shirts, you know the ones that he has worn for 18 years and you can see his chest hair through...
darn.jpg
 

BobbytheBus

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Simply put, if you got it at a big box store, it is probably a disposable unit built by the lowest bidder... keep it, run it for a few years, as soon as it fails, put it in a landfill. If you read through the history of posts on this site, you will find that many of the Fleck and Clack based units are 20+ years old and our advice is often to "replace the resin, you will get another 10-20 years out of it". With the big box store stuff, after the warranty, landfill it.
Thank you for confirming the guy was correct. So how do I buy a Fleck? Do I go through a distributor?
 
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