A Bad Installation, Not A Bad Water Softenr

I got a call from a customer who said there was a major malfunction with their old Big Box store brand water softener and that they needed a new one.  I arrived at the home and found a new homeowner who had moved in less than a month previous.  Everyone who has been in that position knows that having just moved in to a home makes it a bad time to have to buy a new water softener.  They showed me to the softener and also asked if I knew anything about the flooding basement and I mentioned I could size up a sump pump system if that was what they needed.

Upon examination, I found I could solve the bad water softener and flooding problem with a few pvc waste fittings and some drain tubing.  The major malfunction was that the person who originally installed the softener routed the drain line to a giant plastic sump pit THAT DIDN'T HAVE A SUMP PUMP IN IT!  Where the "installer" thought the water was going to disappear to is hard to imagine, but I can tell you that it wasn't disappearing, it was spilling into and flooding the basement.  I re-routed the drain and fixed both problems.  I put my sticker on the unit and will take over service from now on.

Big Box store brand systems are not that bad, but there are a few shortfalls in owning one.  The first is that you need to have it installed by a plumber.  When you compare this to purchasing a system from a company that specializes in water treatment who usually includes the installation, the difference in convenience is obvious.  The warranty is another issue.  Several manufacturers have my company do their warranty work because they don't have their own repairmen to take care of it.  When you buy a water softener from a company that specializes in water treatment, that company will do any warranty service that is needed.  The last major issue is the fact that 99% of the time, a salesperson selling dishwashers and refrigerators  will not have the same experience sizing and designing a water system for your home as a qualified water consultant.  Water varies greatly from home to home and the four water softener models they offer at the home center could not possibly cover every water problem.  In fact, there are some issues that, when not addressed, can cause more problems for the plumbing when a water softener is installed.  Do you trust your home's plumbing to a home center appliance salesman?

See my website at www.cleanwaterman.com