Water Softeners and Air Filtration Systems - McCowin Enterprises - Commercial Softeners

I'm looking to purchase a new water softener to replace the Rayne system I am currently renting. I had initially wanted to purchase one from McCowin but their prices were too high. After a year of renting from Rayne, I thought the money could go to a good, long-lasting system with a lifetime warranty. McCowin states their high-end, commercial grade softeners contain long-lasting, high-quality resin that not only softens but also cleans (as a by-product) the water of chlorine and some chemicals. Does anyone know of this company? Can anyone comment on "commercial-grade" softeners and resin types for "lifetime" softeners? Anything would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
(this is my first "post" in any forum)

First of all, let's dispell an term right away, "Lifetime warranty" is either a pipe dream or a misrepresentation. It is an elusive term even when printed in brochures and warranty documents. I won't go into detail or past experiences because you are looking at a commercial application and I have never heard of any company offering that.

The closest thing you can achieve a 'lifetime' anything is to pay for a regular maintenance program. That requires that the company installing it, is feasibly within reach and available to do so...at your expense. Your rental agreement should be similar to that.

Removing hardness minerals AND chlorine (as part of its design) are not advisable in a single unit application for commercial grade systems. They need to be looked at as separate pieces of equipment as maintenance requirements and function are different.

Your best avenue is to chose a very high quality system that is designed to avoid typical problems of lower quality units and still provide excellent service, water quality and keeps maintenance cost to a minimum.

You let me know if someone offers you anything with a lifetime on commercial units. I would be very interested at looking at that further.

Andy Christensen CWS

I agree with Andy.

If you look at the McCowin web site, half the pages are filled with testimonials which sets off major alarm bells for me.
Nowhere do you see any details on what control valve(s) they use.
There are only a handfull of major control valves that are used by independant softener companies.
These small softener companies are really only component assemblers, buying parts from major companies who then try to set themselves apart from the pack by advertising gimmicks.

Do your softener research based on the make and model of the controller.
If you are prepared to spend a little more money for what could be considered a commercial model, try to find one in the capacity that you will need that will give you a read-out of how much water in gallons is consumed.
It won't soften the water any better but will give you something to play with. :D

I appreciate everyone's response to my post.

From what I'm gathering, most brand name softeners treat hard water similarly yet effectively, and the valves are what distinguishes/differentiates the efficiency and longevity of each product. McCowin claims their smaller, better resin is what makes their product work better and last longer. They also claim that refilling the potassium or salt pellets would only be required once a year. If their claims are unlikely (and with a price tag of over $3000), would a Kenmore or Culligan brand suffice the household needs of five in a 1,800 sq. ft. condo? Quality usually results in longevity and reliability is something I'd prefer not to second-guess. I really don't want to end up with an inferior product that needs frequent repairs, is high maintenance or will need replacing after a few years. Can anyone provide me with a couple of good recommendations? Thanks!

The resins you have been referred to may be fine mesh resins, which any softener can use. A number of resin mfg'ers offer these resins. There are some definite advantages with fine mesh, but some pieces of hardware must be change to accommodate them.

How a softener can need salt/potassium only once a year is quite nearly irresponsible to say. I would be very interested to see how that is accomplished.

Look at twin tank systems for efficiency and ease of operation. With these, there is no need to estimate square footage (which I always thought was strange and arbitrary). Unlimited supply and service.

Andy Christensen CWS

It appears that another member posted something on a different thread (in this forum) that sounded quite similar to McCowin's unrealistic claims. In the other post the member mentioned both the lifetime warranty and the high-quality resins, except their reference was to ECOWATER SYSTEMS. Someone's reply stated that ECOWATER has a proprietary design. Is there anyone who can elaborate on this further?

In another thread I read that ECOWATER rebadges their products for Sears, Home Depot, etc, or vice versa. Is there someone who can clarify on this further?

Also, is the Rayne system I'm renting comparable to Kinetico or Culligan and worth keeping and buying instead?

I apologize if I'm pushing too hard to get more info on this, but so far the data I've gathered on this forum has been exceptionally informative, however, I'd like more clarification on the above before I resolve to go with Kinetico.

Thanks!

rubnjr,

Proprietary simply means that the products are produced by a company (or a subcontracting company) are provided for the consumer but contain parts that are not interchangable with other like products. This results in quality control on one hand and difficulty in getting replacements on the other. There are other aspects to this approach.

Ecowater bids with the Whirlpool Corp., the market their water softeners for the lowest price and have them label Kenmore, Sears, or Whirlpool depending on where they are marketed. They are not what professional water experts recommend as their quality is on the bottom rung of water treatment equipment. They are targeted for those who know little about water treatment or care less. Price is their most attractive apect..'a landlord's resolution'.

I am not familar with the Rayne equipment that you have. Their parts are not proprietary as the FlecK valve is used in many of their applications. They mix carbon with resins in an attempt to handle the chlorine and softeneing dilemma in one fell-swoop motion. There is some debate on this and how effective it is. I prefer to keep the resins and carbon in seperate tanks for a number of reasons including effectiveness, future maintenace costs, and overall reliability.

The problem with renting a system for a long period of time and then buying it, is that you are buying a used piece of equipment with a limited warranty and unknown service problems. If your water is important to you, get quality equipment.

Andy Christensen, CWS