My wife and I and our 4 children (20 - 11 y.o.) just bought and moved into a 1975 semi-detached house that doesn't have a water softener (it used to have one, the pipe fittings are there from what looks like a previous one). Our water is quite hard and we can't use our dishwasher without white film appearing on the dishes (we've been told this will eventually etch our ceramic dishes and then there's just the hassle of wiping off of the dishes and the build-up effect on the pipes and taps). Water hardness in this area is 28 - 30. We were told we will need 60K grain unit.
Our plumber installs Novatek Residential Water Softeners ( http://www.watergroup.com/water_softeners.htm ). This is a Canadian company. We know next to NOTHING about water softeners and are wondering what you Canadians/Ontarioans know about water softeners available in this area.
On the website there are the comparisons between the two softeners they make.
QUESTIONS:
What should we be looking for in a good softener?
Does anyone have experience with any of the Novatek models?
Thanks,
Dave
Looking at the Novatek website, they tell you essentially nothing about their products that one could use to make a quality judgement about the equipment.
The heart of any softener is the valve head. Basically, everyone uses the same softening resin, so there is no difference there. The best valve heads are made by Fleck or Clack, and the best on the market, IMO, is the Clack WS-1 valve head. Many of the off-brand softeners (like Novatek?) use less reliable and harder to repair designs than the Clack (speaking from experience!). I have installed several Clack softeners for myself and friends (no, I don't sell softeners) that were bought on the internet with excellent results. If you google 'Clack WS-1' you will find several companies that will ship systems to you at reasonable prices, usually much less than what the local sales people want. Some assembly is required (it's pretty easy), or you can have your plumber do the assembly and install. If you want to contact me directly, I'd be happy to tell you the one firm I have bought from and am very pleased with.
I'm interested!
Many internet and mail order softener sellers in the US don't ship to Canada but these people do...
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They offer quality, industry standard products and they know their stuff plus they are really nice to deal with.
Call them up and inquire about the cost for shipping to Canada. Ask for CK Moore, nice guy.
Gary with his biz in PA DOES NOT ship to Canada and neither does CK Moore. But, yes, Gary seems like a great supplier! I'm continuing to pursue his quote.
daveinkitchener,
A word to the wise, things are not always as they seem.
I would expect that you should be able to find a water treament company in Canada that offers the same product selection and reasonable prices as Ohio Pure Water Co. offers in the US.
I expect that warranty and support would be much easier if you purchase from a Canadian dealer.
Here's a Canadian company that appears to be similar to US internet sellers...
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Let's chat it up!
daveinkitchener,
Hi Dave. Sorry that links have been deleted from this forum. There are rules that prohibit soliciting or proselytizing. There have been members who, knowing that they are not supposed to steer others towards certain business interests, wind up being banned from the forum. We are basically supposed to give generic information and preferences (without being rude or attacking others’ perspectives).
Canada has scores of dealerships and professionals that would be happy to help you. Hope you do yourself right and get quality equipment at a respectful price.
Andy Christensen, CWS
Tags: novatek, water, softeners, ontario, canada, about water, about water softeners, Canadian company, Clack WS-1, expect that, have been, reasonable prices, ship Canada
