Water Softeners and Air Filtration Systems - GE AvantaPure and so many questions (newbie)

Hi. My wife and I are new home owners and are looking into buying a water softener. I've been researching this site and haven't come across much on the particular model our local installer gave us a quote for. We were quoted $2500 for the installation of the GE AvantaPure. We have a a few questions about the system and water softening...

- Anyone on this board personally use or hear of anyone using the GE AvantaPure system? If so how is the system?

- Is $2500 too much? Keep in mind I know nothing about plumbing and don't want to screw up my new house. So DIY is kind of out...

- What is the difference between a water softener and a water conditioner? The Culligan guy told us to stay away from any water conditioners because they were just glorified Brita filters...but that seems to clash with the info I find on the internet.

- If you go to the AvantaPure website (www.avantapure.com) no where does it say it's a water softener, just a water conditioner. Anyone know what it is?

lastly...

- What other options do we have? Would it be cheaper/easier to have a plumber come in and install a water softener loop and drain...and then I go buy a softener and hook it up? I think I could do that part just not the major plumbing. If so what's a good brand that is cheap and easy?

Thanks,
Andrew

Stay away from the Ge products. The life expectancy is not that great. 2500 is way too much for a ge system. I service and install these systems and have been amazed at the poor design. My company sells a great softener(fleck 7000 1.5 cu ft.) and reverse osmosis package installed for around 1800 depending on installation. Best bet is to get numerous quotes from local licensed companies. Do not allow high pressure salespeople to sell you a system with soap package for $7000. Our local home depots are pushing rainsoft that sells for $6998 installed. This gets you a softener,r/o,carbon filter, and useless air filter.
Fleck or Clack products are a good way to go.
Also stay away from installing yourself unless you are familiar with plumbing and water treatment(settings,testing,sizing)
Do not use water conditioners unless they use salt or pottasium.
Chemical free usually means carbon based, magnetic, or some other unproven method. If you want soft water, buy a water softener. If you don't, buy a carbon filter. There are also systems that do both, or you can install a carbon filter and softener.
Most companies that say their system works without salt are hoping you do not know much about chemistry.
good luck

follow up --
The avantapure has a ge autotrol valve which actually is not that bad. 2500 is still too much for this unless it comes with a drinking water system or is an extremely difficult install.

Technically speaking a water softener is within the group of water conditioners. A water conditioner is any equipment that improves the quality of water as opposed to storage, flow control, directional equipment, testing, monitoring, etc. There remains much ambiguity in terminology and points-of-view.

But for practical purposes water conditioners and water softeners are termed seperately. A water softener is meant to REMOVE hardness ions by an ion exchange process or membrane technology. In other words, add a different media (carbon, tannin resins, filteration media) to a water softener and you create a water conditioner. Some combinations work better than others and some combinations I would never recommend.

The Website you provided is advertising a water softener; they do mention softening once from what I could see. Their RO is nothing exciting. Typical of what you can find in bargain basement dealers. There are better quality units out there for a higher price, but the choice is in the user AFTER they compare technologies and long term costs.

What are your water conditions? City, well?

Andy

We are on city water and our hardness varies between 20-28. I am not sure what our iron content is but I suspect it's not high.

I have been reading reviews and opinions the last couple of days and have decided to go with a Fleck valve. I think the Fleck 7000 with 40,000 grain will fit our needs. We have a small 1200sqft home with 2 1/2 baths and there are only two of us.

Has anyone purchased a softener over the web? We were going to order from watervalue.com but wasn't sure if they are reliable. If anyone has any insight on ordering online please respond. I did find a local company that sells and installs Fleck 7000s but they wanted $3000 to do it....for around $300 they will install it if I supply them with the softener. That sounds like a good deal to me.

Andrew

The avantapure system along with a Reverse Osmosis system is being advertised here Paso Robles for $399.

That doesn't include install does it? I am in Atascadero...we ended up buying a Fleck 7000 from a reputable online. I had a plumber come and run a loop for $270 and after all that I spent less than $900 for all of it. Someone in Paso wanted to install the Fleck 7000 for $3000....crazy markup on these water softeners in our area.

I would be careful following any advice given by the individuals here. They freely admit that their companies sell competing products and use negative sells tactics to downgrade a product. Avantapure is a very reputable brand and the cost will vary from the area that you are in. For example if the system you purchase is just a water softner then $2500 to $3000 is resonable. The cost will increase with either the addition of an Reverse Osmosis system or additional media beds. The more media beds the more filtration and thus more cost.

I think you need to do some more research. I, for one, don't try and push my product. I give advise on how to fix systems and what is a reasonable price. $2500.00 to $3000.00 for a water softener is not a good price. I don't care what or who makes it, it's just plain over priced. I have been in the water treatment industry for over 18 years and know what the cost of the units are. Having a mark up of 8-9 times is a rip off.

Hmm ..1 post by someone saying ignore people here because they try to push their own products? Never seen that. The people that do are normally booted pretty shortly. Maybe this is one of those people that got booted? lol

btw...don't think it will matter on a 2 y/o post.