wrote in message
ups.com...
We are in the market for a new water softener. We tried repairing our
old one but it got too expensive so we are going to buy a new one. So
far the only two brands we've seen are Whirlpool at Lowe's and GE's at
Home Depot. Does anyone know anything about these? The price seems
dictated by how many gallons it will treat...but we don't know anyone
who has used these brands of water softeners. Thanks. We would like
one that will last at least five years.


You should read the thread at --

http://forum.doityourself.com/showthread.php?t=174318

My GE unit failed as indicated after two years. I got it fixed as indicated
in posted item #12 and have my fingers crossed that additional wear might
bring a repeat of the problem. Two previous units, not GE, averaged twenty
years each with some minor DIY repair.

Most of the softeners sold at retail stores branded GE, Sears, Wal-Mart, etc
use the same control valve. Similar problems have been reported for the
Sears units.

Before the fix, I searched for presumably more reliable units and found --

http://www.qualitywatertreatment.com..._softeners.htm

which has Fleck 5600 units for about $500. I have no experience with this
firm, but purchase using a credit card should be pretty safe.

SJF