need Water Softener for new house

[akkord]

Think that twin star was mid/high 3s, don't remember it being 4k+

 

[momopi]

Soo.. In my old house, our water softener consisted of 1 large resin unit + 1 brine tank (I did not have a whole house carbon unit). Most of the units I see sold by Diamond Pure and others on Yelp are set up the same way (+1 additional unit if doing a whole house filter).

But, there are many units available on Lowes/Home Depot/Amazon that have the water softener in 1 unit total (resin and brine tank combined). I've got relatives that have such a unit and it has been working fine for over 25 years. Here are similar units by GE and Whirlpool:https://www.amazon.com/GE-GXSH40V-Grain-Water-Softener/dp/B00D5YRZLU/https://www.amazon.com/Whirlpool-WHES40E-Softener-Built-Technology-NSF-Certified/dp/B07R3G7LTD/https://www.lowes.com/pd/Whirlpool-48000-Grain-Water-Softener/3345284

In my new home, garage space is extremely tight and I have to sacrifice cabinet space to fit a softener in.
Does anyone have one of these units where the softener and brine tank are in 1 piece? How has that been working?

Any cons to these devices? I've gone down a rabbit hole researching people talking about Fleck valves vs Clack valves, etc and wanted to see what the TI hivemind has to say.

I used to have a Whirlpool WHES40E or earlier model that looks exactly alike.  Had it installed outside and worked fine for almost a decade until the BBQ grill cover I put on top fell apart, then the control panel (plastic) turned brittle from sun exposure and broke.  I think this model consumed too much salt pellets.

We replaced it with an AO Smith 4500 model from Lowes last month.  The unit looks impressive but the top & slide door to salt tank is not well made.  If you're not careful opening it the door may fall off the plastic rails, but it's easy to stick back in.  It has fancy touch screen controls protected by another smaller sliding cover to the side.  For outdoor installation I wouldn't trust it to endure the elements -- I bought a nice heavy duty smoker cover for it.  It seems to consume less salt and can be set to run as needed.

To easy way to install the unit is to purchase "sharkbite" push to connect line in the correct size (both ends!):
https://www.lowes.com/pd/SharkBite-...ess-Steel-Water-Softener-Connector/1000522547https://www.lowes.com/pd/SharkBite-...ess-Steel-Water-Softener-Connector/1000522543

Cost of water softner @ Lowes is $600, find a coupon or ask around for one.  The unit is heavy and you will need 2 people to move it around.  While you're at Lowes buy 200 lbs of salt pellets to fill up the unit post-installation.

 

[akula1488]

My old water softener is kind of DIY. Bought the softner system from Ohio Water Softener Company and hired a plumber to do just the plumbing as we assembled the system poured in resins etc. Total cost $1.2k. it was all copper pipe and it must have cost a fortune now.

 

[zovall]

I used to have a Whirlpool WHES40E or earlier model that looks exactly alike.  Had it installed outside and worked fine for almost a decade until the BBQ grill cover I put on top fell apart, then the control panel (plastic) turned brittle from sun exposure and broke.  I think this model consumed too much salt pellets.

Thanks Momo! It seems that none of the water softener companies recommend those (and they sell their own custom units instead) but I'm glad to hear that it worked fine for so long - even outside! I would need a plumber to install all the lines for it as well in my home.

 

[momopi]

I used to have a Whirlpool WHES40E or earlier model that looks exactly alike.  Had it installed outside and worked fine for almost a decade until the BBQ grill cover I put on top fell apart, then the control panel (plastic) turned brittle from sun exposure and broke.  I think this model consumed too much salt pellets.

Thanks Momo! It seems that none of the water softener companies recommend those (and they sell their own custom units instead) but I'm glad to hear that it worked fine for so long - even outside! I would need a plumber to install all the lines for it as well in my home.

Professional water softener installation companies will want to upsell you and charge $2,000-$3,000.  You can buy a cheaper unit for $500-600 plus parts (copper pipes, line connectors, etc.) and hire a plumber to install it for you.

I have no doubt that the Whirlpool model could have worked for 20 years if installed indoors.  I had it installed outside and it worked for almost a decade.  The control panel was left exposed to the elements (after the BBQ grill cover fell apart) and deteriorated over past 2-3 years.  My only complaint is that the Whirlpool model can only run daily at specified time and not as needed.  The newer AO Smith model can monitor water usage and run as needed, reducing salt use.