Hey everyone! We recently had our water softener fail and got a quote from a plumbing company for a new one, which would cost us around $3,000 CAD to install. However, I've done some research and it seems that replacing a softener isn't too complicated if you know your way around some plumbing. My roommate, who's an HVAC tech, and I are thinking of taking on this project ourselves.
The catch is, we're not sure how hard our water is. The plumbing company mentioned we have high levels of iron and calcium in our well water, but we only got that info. We could ask for a water report if that would be useful.
We were quoted for an AWP50EB-FM water softener (spec sheet here: [AWP50EB-FM](https://viqua.com/product/awp50eb-fm/?features)). We also found a different model, the RHS42, on sale at Home Depot (check it out here: [RHS42](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Cvt4YFzz7ZuU9vkOagBDKPOJ3AQZrJYA/view?usp=sharing)). I'd love to know if the RHS42 would work for us, or if we should be considering something else. What other components do we need? Other than disconnecting the old unit and hooking up the new one, do you have any installation tips? Thanks a ton!
2 Answers
Reinstalling a water softener is generally straightforward! You just need to turn off the water supply, disconnect the old softener's water lines, and then hook everything up to the new one. Make sure to run the drain hose to where it needs to go. You shouldn't need to solder anything; it’s more of a plug-and-play situation! There’s tons of great how-to videos on YouTube that can walk you through it. Also, if you're switching to a new model, just check the specs on your old one to make sure you get a similar size. You might look for a capacity of around 40,000 grains, depending on your household's usage.
Also, getting test strips for your water hardness is a good idea. They’re inexpensive (around $5 USD) and will give you a closer estimate of what you’re dealing with.
If you're just replacing the unit, it's often a straightforward job. Just turn off the water, disconnect the old softener, hook up the new one, and run the drain hose. You can even retrofit the new softener to the existing connections easily. The important part is knowing how hard your water is, as that will inform the size of the softener you need.
Like mentioned, a lot of people look down on the store-bought units, but if you read reviews, you’ll find good options. My Rheem model from Home Depot has worked great for years and was much cheaper.
Thanks for the advice! Sounds like we can handle this, and I appreciate the tip about the test strips.