Question:
This is a bit like locking the barn after the horse is out, but...

Anybody have any experience with water purification systems? Inparticular, Rainsoft.

Uncharacteristically, my wife and I allowed ourselves to be suckeredinto allowing a salesman into our home (we were called and offered a freetest of our water... as if it wasn't obvious that we'd be given a pitchfor something...).

Anyway, it turned out that my wife thought the system they were sellingwas great, but a strong gut instinct told me not to buy this veryexpensive system (to be paid for over five years). Finally, my wife andthe salesman wore me down, and we bought it.

I like the idea that we're drinking pure water, and especially that my son is,but I don't like how the "clean" water feels in the shower. Ugh! It'sdisgusting! It feels like the soap doesn't come off. My wife loves thehow it feels. She says it's the first time she's ever not had dry itchyskin in the winter.

(Interestingly, better hotels have the same types of systems, and Irecognize that feeling from such places).

Also, I can't help wondering if we got taken... Could we have gotten asimilar system for less? We paid between $4k and $5k for this, and theyincluded five years of soap with the package.

Anybody have any thoughts or experiences w/ this sort of thing? I feel likea schmuck asking this *after* making the purchase. I'm usually a *very*tough sale.

Answer: What you purchased in not a water purification system, but rather a waterSOFTENING system. Rainsoft is a reputable brand, but I think you paid aboutdouble the going rate (my parents had one put in for around $2,500). Softening

refers to the removal of calcium via ion exchange. Sodium (from the salt youthought was soap) is exchanged for the calcium in the water. What you end up

with is water that won't leave water spots or scale and feels slimy, butcontains higher than normal amounts of sodium. I wouldn't drink it, especially

if anyone has high blood pressure. I suggest a reverse osmosis filter fordrinking water ($160 at Price/Costco). I also suggest you contact the companyyour bought it from and demand at least of partial refund on the order of $2Kbased on the fact you were deceived. If that doesn't work, contact the stateAttorney General. Good luck and let me know how it works out.

I understand that older reverse osmosis filters wasted 4 gallons of water forevery 1 gallon used. I seem to remember hearing that the newer models don'twaste as much. I've looked at the one at Home Depot and the packaging didn'tprovide this info. Does anybody know how much water the new ones use for eachgallon produced? Here in CA, wasting water is a legitimate concern.