water softener recommendation?

Submitted by masshole1617 t3_10uimkf in arlingtonva

We live in a new ish house that was built in 2018. Multiple appliances and faucet diverters have become clogged with grey crusty gunk. I just had the dishwasher water valve replaced for over $200, and had to refurbish one of the water heaters last month. I'd like to head off more of these repairs.

Do a lot of people around here use water softeners in their homes? How much do they cost, fully installed? And any good vendors?

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awooff t1_j7c4grw wrote

Fleck brand softners are best bang for buck. Take a sample of your water to a culligan or ecowater store amd have them test for free. Of course they will try to sell you their brand...

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masshole1617 OP t1_j7ce31h wrote

Thanks! They do look good. How does one get a Fleck system installed, through a local vendor? I'm DIY but not for water main related work.

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awooff t1_j7coqkw wrote

Plumber but ask first on any experience as my old plumber was somewhat green. Last id checked years ago an outfit in iowa was priced decent and can choose resin quality and capacity also timed or on demand regeneration. Youd want outside faucets bypassed.

When you take water sample in, ask about capacity needed in grains (amount of resin beads which is what pulls calcium amd iron from water.)

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rlbond86 t1_j7d19xp wrote

That was true before Clack came around, they are just better all around

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totallyuneekname t1_j7diren wrote

fyi I was able to replace a dishwasher inlet valve on the cheap by ordering the part myself, might be worth the effort next time around.

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masshole1617 OP t1_j7dwtx5 wrote

Bosch dishwasher. It's so compact that I couldn't even figure out where to unscrew the first screw. Now that I've watched the repair man do it, I can try by myself next time. Good thing too, because the error message came up again just now on the dishwasher

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totallyuneekname t1_j7ecuko wrote

Oof, yeah I've heard some dishwashers can be a lot harder to repair yourself. Good luck resolving its latest error!

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PM_ME_ICE_PICS t1_j7c34i1 wrote

Wait, sediment or scale? If it's sediment, you can get basic whole-house sediment filters that are a lot simpler than water softeners.

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masshole1617 OP t1_j7c9o03 wrote

I'm not sure if it's sediment or scale. It's grey crusty gunk.

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PM_ME_ICE_PICS t1_j7cceat wrote

Oh, if it's stuck to pipe/valve surfaces (not loose sediment or silt) that's mostly likely scale, which means yes, you've got hard water.

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