Question:
I was thinking of getting a water purification system for my wholehouse in central NJ, but don't know much about the practical end ofit.

Someone mentioned Rainsoft as a quality company that makes thesethings and that they have a great warranty. Does anyone here have anyexperience or opinions on this company or their products for thisapplication ?

Opinions vary widely as to the actual need for water purification in ahome from what I have seen. My home is only 3 years old and I'm nottotally convinced of the need. Sure, I have read about the lowerlevels of impurities and the supposed health effects. I am alsoconcerned about the long term effects of the sediments on the plumbingin my house. ...and about the possibility of lower (gas) heatingcosts from purified water. It is hard to judge just how much of thestuff written out there is marketing hype from companies trying tosell a product and how much is real and practical. Are there realbenefits that offset the cost ? (please don't quote me the "peace-ofmind" of knowing your water is clean)

I guess what I'm asking is, just how badly do I need a whole housewater purifier ? And how much should it cost ? By the way, I have citywater and it usually has about 7-8 grains of hardness. At the price ofrisking some ridicule, my family and I have been drinking tap waterwith no noticible effects.

Answer: Is there a reason you need a purification system ? I have a watersoftner but that is because my water is .85 PPM iron. I think if I strainedit I could have iron ore. After i put in the water softener it just abouteliminated the rust stains that were just about anywhere they could be.

In Rochester, MN, there was a Rainsoft dealer that closed down. They had alot of very unhappy customers who couldn't get their $5000 systems serviced.I listened to many of them rant on the phone. When I called Rainsoft toinquire about getting some repair parts, they said they don't sell tonon-Rainsoft dealers.

I'd be more inclined to stick with easily repairable equipment such as theFleck valve, which is sold by many, many independent dealers and parts, ifneeded, are available everywhere. Also these systems are typically thousandsless in cost. Check your yellow pages for an independent dealer.

Stay away from systems sold by people who work on commission because they'reexpensive and no better than what you can get for much less from Sears,Wal-mart, Home Depot, and Lowe's. But you'd first better get your watertested first by an independent lab (one not affiliated with any equipmentdealer) because there may be nothing wrong with it. A test costs anywherefrom $20 for just a lead check up to $300 for a very complete battery ofchecks.

Search the net for water + testing and there should be at least threenational companies. National Water Testing Labs' WaterCheck is one,Spectrum Labs and Suburban Water Testing Labs come to mind also.

I'd have to disagree with you AND agree with you. First, Rainsoft will be muchbetter than the home depot, Sears, etc. But I agree that they are overpriced.There are far better options in the professional water treatment arena that arepriced very reasonable. There is nothing wrong with working on commission(searsclerks are on commision) There IS however something wrong with the way thatmost rainsoft dealer sell. There is a big difference between selling someonesomething, and helping someone buy.