wrote
I have a water softener that's probably 18 or so years old. Its
apparently one
of the early demand units - goes by water usage to recharge rather
than time...
It USED to work fine for three of us, but lately, even though there
are only two
of us living in the house, it doesn't SEEM to be working as well.

I had the controller rebuilt a few years ago when it quit, and things
went along
fine for a while, but it doesn't feel like the water is staying soft
until the
scheduled gallons have been used and the unit recycles.

I recently removed the brine tank and dumped it out. Cleaned out all
the caked
salt in the bottom, and cleaned out all the gunk in the tube and
everything. I
watched it run a cycle and the softener did a fine job of sucking the
brine out
of the tank and into the softener. I presume it was doing the right
stuff in
there...

SO, since I've read in here somewhere that the resin loses some
efficiency over
time, and after 18 or so years it seems we could be down to 60% or so,
I figure
I could replace the softener's innards. EXCEPT, that I'd still have
an 18 year
old controller that appears to be composed of plastic gears and valves
and I
suspect has a limited lifespan. This SEEMS to be somewhere between
$60 and $120
for parts...

OR do I just replace the softener? There are only two of us here and
it seems
like our current softener cycles about once a week at 1200 gallons so
it doesn't
seem like we'd need anything real big. I looked at some of the
softeners at a
local place and they had a 6" that they said was good for 2-3 people,
and an 8"
for 2-5. Our current softener appears to be an 8". Prices appear to
be between
$500 and $1000...

When I looked at the softeners it didn't appear that the controllers
had changed
much - the more reasonably priced even still LOOKED like my current
one - a
couple dials on the front to set recycling interval gallons, amount of
salt, and
time of day. There were also some with "digital" controllers but
what's that
going to buy me given the amount of cycling we do?

Are there REALLY significant differences between the softeners, brands
to go
for, brands to AVOID, or do I just run over to my neighborhood
Menard's or Home
Depot and grab one...

Ideas? Thoughts?

Your control is working just fine, and can be rebuilt very affordably if
it needs it in the future. Or it can be replaced very easily. Depending
on the make, you could do it yourself. The resin is in need of
replacement and you might want a new distributor tube too. I doubt that
after 18 years you have 60% of the original capacity of the new resin;
especially if you have chlorine or iron in your water.

The prices you mention are correct depending on what type resin you buy
and where you buy it. I don't agree with replacing a softener or filter
that is in good shape and capable of doing the job. Many people disagree
with that position and say I'm wrong, then they go buy a unit that
historically won't last more than a few years without problems because
they buy the cheapest they can find. Or they are a dealer not wanting to
rebuild equipment. So the answer to your questions is in what you
believe is best for you.

I believe Fleck Controls makes the best controls. I think you have an
Autotrol valve. Those two makes are the most popular controls on the
market. I carry the complete Fleck line and all the Autotrol line that
is available to an independent dealer and I have parts for both. If your
brine and resin tanks are in good shape and you're handy, I say rebuild.
But I really like selling new units too and you'd really like my prices.


Gary
Quality Water Associates