There is surprisingly little info on water softeners on Google. With most
water sources being on the hard side, I would expect a great deal of info on
ways to soften water. There is a very large number of websites which pitch
obvious frauds at high prices, such as magnetic water softeners and "ion"
softeners. Never seen anything like it.

Anyway, I would like to install a real "salt-type" water softener to combat
our hard water. Home Depot only sells a GE miniature water softener for $
449, Lowes sells a Whirlpool for $ 427. That's all in the local area (San
Diego).

The only other reputable looking brand that I could find on the web is the
Fleck 5600 series of water softeners. However, there is no factory website
for this brand.

My plumber offered to replace my old, broken down softener with a Fleck for
$ 2,050, which seems excessive, considering that the unit costs only about $
400. (Very little plumbing adjustment required.) Another rip-off.

Are fewer people using/installing water softeners? Maybe I can draw on the
experience on other people in this Group?

Thanks for any input.

--
Walter
www.rationality.net
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