Any DIY water softener suggested brands?

[Ramsker]

I'm going to finally look into a water softener. Probably should have done it years ago, but we're going to look at replacing our 10 year old water heater proactively and makes sense to do the water softener with that. Probably won't DIY the water heater (given the changes and complexities with the newer models), but pretty sure I can handle the water softener. Been doing some initial research. For our family of 4 it seems the minimum recommended size is 40,000 grain. Had a friend recommend the Fleck 5600SXT and looking it up seems to have good reviews. The big box stores seem to push Whirlpool and GE. Ratings are ok on those--I'm always a little suspicious of big box stuff though and the warranties aren't close to the Fleck. Any recommendations from the crowd here to consider?

(note: on the water heater, was probably going to look at AO Smith or Bradford White but if you have suggestions there I'd also welcome them. We have a 50 gal GE SmartWater right now which isn't leaking but figure it's probably worth replacing proactively with the Highlands Ranch hard water and 10 years on it)

[Wulf202]

I wouldn't replace the water heater for fun trouble shoot it first. Buying a spare isn't a terrible idea though. When its running does it crackle like the water is boiling? Im assuming its gas.

There really isnt much complex about a standard water heater. Two pipes a flue and the gas. Thats % 75 of the complexity of the water softener.

Also. You should find where the sprinklers are fed and be sure to install after that. Also leave the hose spigots hard water and or add a seerate soft water spigot. If for example you're washing the car its nice to use soft water but watering the roses is a waste and possibly damaging

[Ramsker]

I wouldn't replace the water heater for fun trouble shoot it first. Buying a spare isn't a terrible idea though. When its running does it crackle like the water is boiling? Im assuming its gas.

There really isnt much complex about a standard water heater. Two pipes a flue and the gas. Thats % 75 of the complexity of the water softener.

Also. You should find where the sprinklers are fed and be sure to install after that. Also leave the hose spigots hard water and or add a seerate soft water spigot. If for example you're washing the car its nice to use soft water but watering the roses is a waste and possibly damaging

Water heater is gas. There's nothing really wrong with it at this stage, but it's been operating for 10 years with the hard water and I'm kind of figuring the typical life expectancy isn't too many more years. Have seen a few people we know with units right around 10 - 12 years flood their basements in the last year. Our basement is finished and just got new carpet, so I'm more playing the odds there and being proactive. I "could" wait on that, but seems the smart thing to do.

I need to take a closer look, but I don't know that I'm going to have a good spot to try and hook a softener in after the sprinkler line. With the finished abasement (done before we bought it) I'm not sure there's a viable place to tie it after it that will work based on where the lines run in the ceiling. There's a utility room where the water heater & furnace are and a small utility closet right where the main line comes in. So those are probably the only places for it. I'll scope out the furnace/heater room closer and that might allow a hook in that can go after the sprinklers. Might miss some of the water branches to the house but probably still hit the main ones.

[SideShow Bob]

I don't Know Squat about water softeners, but as far as water heaters, mine was going on its 11 th year when it took a dump last late winter the day after we got back from a week out of town.
If this would have happened the day we left, we would have came home to an indoor swimming pool / ice skating rink when the water rose enough to extinguish the furnace.
At least install one of those collection pans under your water heater and pipe it to the floor drain in the basement.

[Graves]

I'm also looking into one and the fleck (5600sxt) also came up. I'm just wondering why pricing for the same unit varies by hundreds of dollars from retailer to retailer.

[Ramsker]

I'm also looking into one and the fleck (5600sxt) also came up. I'm just wondering why pricing for the same unit varies by hundreds of dollars from retailer to retailer.

Not sure. I think I saw mention on Amazon that some come with a stainless bypass valve instead of plastic . . . maybe that's part of it? Ans then probably just some variance in markup?

[Irving]

I've been in enough flooded basements that the cost of replacing a still working hot water heater every ten years will NEVER exceed the cost of one flooded basement.

[Ramsker]

I've been in enough flooded basements that the cost of replacing a still working hot water heater every ten years will NEVER exceed the cost of one flooded basement.

That's where I'm at. Money's not a huge concern . . . so I'm thinking the peace of mind of just swapping it out is worth it along with the potential avoidance of a disaster. My wife's sister just went through that. Found out her water heater was leaking and flooding the basement the night before she left for vacation. She walked into the basement and took a few steps on squishy carpet. Looked at her teenage son--who lives in the basement--and said "OMG, the carpet is really wet!". He said "yeah . . . it's been like that for a few days." SMH. That's a whole different story.

Not sure why this didn't occur to me before--sometimes I'm a little slow. We have the wood subfloor in the basement. Looking at where the connection is made for the sprinkler line through an acces panel in the ceiling, it looks like a line could come off the main water line and then just get run under the subfloor and back up in the furnace/heater room and tie into the sprinkler line to put it on it's own, separate line before a softener. Probably above my plumbing ability, but I bet it's easily done by someone who knows what they are doing (probably with Pex). I'll have to get my thoughts together on that one.

[Wulf202]

Dunecrazy is a plumber

[Irving]

I'd rather have water pipes running under the floor than in the ceiling any day of the week.