Used water softeners

[Trepidation]

I've been watching classifieds for used softeners, wondering what "magnitude of stupid" am I if I chase this route.

I've been looking for setups with valves that I recognize. I see a lot of the offbrand chest setups that I'm not really interested in, but then I see some clack ws1 models with the 5 button controls and the autotrol setups (these seem to be the most). I see culligan softeners from time to time, but I'd hate to get a used one, call for service and have them tell me to take a hike because they didn't sell it to me.

Will people sell clack parts to joe blow public?

The place this is for is a secondary residence, the water is pretty bad (measured in the amount of pots of coffee before you have to buy a new one (9)). I'd like to have something in before I install a new water heater and install new faucets. Even if I got a few years out it I would probably be satisfied. If I got a few years and could rebuild it, that would be even better.

 

[Old]

Tanks and valves can last a long time. The resin inside the mineral tank will break down with chlorinated water supplies. If the water supply had high iron (typically on well water but not all well water) the resin could become iron fouled.

Clack WS1 parts are readily available from a number of online suppliers. They are also very easy to service.

If you do go with a used system I would go for a clack WS1 then rebuild it with new resin, distributor, piston, and seal/spacer stack.

You will need to find the correct size system for your application. You will need to have your water tested to determine the proper size.

Is all that work worth it to save a few hundred bucks? Idk that's up to you

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Trepidation]

Ended up getting a WS1 for "free". The guy that removed the system wasn't aware that it was going to be sold, so he got a bit... aggressive. I figured a resin swap would be a given, so the first thing I did was empty it. I pretty much had to because the dip tube had already been pulled up out of the bed.

I'll be hunting for parts that are missing, first thing is a wall wart and a new motor... oh yeah and flow sensor was clipped.

One thing I noticed, not sure if the place that rebranded the valve covered over the labels on the board but I don't see any real identifiers. It has the 3 and 2 button pattern, but most of the board replacements are a single row. If I end up needing a board and a new front cover, is there a version that is superior, or do I just look for one that lines up similarly and shrug?