How to compare water treatment companies, including us.
Eight questions to ask every company before anyone comes to your house, what a straight answer sounds like, and our own answers right beside them.
- Q1Roughly what will this cost, before you come out?If a company won't give even a ballpark until you've sat through a visit, the visit is the sales pitch.Our answer
Our packages and what's in each are on this site. Text us and we'll give you a realistic range. The price you pick on the site is the price, confirmed in writing before we start.
- Q2How long is the appointment?A water test takes minutes. Two hours means a presentation.Our answer
About twenty minutes, and it's a look at your plumbing, not a presentation. We check where your water comes in, whether there's a softener loop and a drain nearby, and whether any re-piping needs a licensed plumber, then put the price in writing. Private wells get a short water test on the same visit, and you read the numbers yourself.
- Q3What size system do I need, and why?Softener size should come from your measured hardness and how much water your household uses, not from what's in the truck.Our answer
We size from your utility's published numbers (or your well test) and your household, and write the capacity and the reasoning on your quote.
- Q4What exactly is in it?"Our proprietary system" can hide ordinary parts at a premium. Brands and certifications let you compare.Our answer
Every component is named on your written quote: control valve, tank, resin, carbon, filters, with their NSF or WQA certifications where they have them.
- Q5What does the warranty cover, part by part, and labor?"Lifetime warranty" can mean the tank only, with labor and the valve excluded.Our answer
Your written quote spells out the warranty part by part, including what's covered for labor, before you buy.
- Q6What will it cost after year one?Salt, filters and service calls add up. A cheap system with pricey proprietary filters isn't cheap.Our answer
Your quote lists the yearly upkeep: salt, filter changes and their cost. We use standard parts, so you're never locked in to us.
- Q7Chlorine or chloramine: will your carbon handle it?Most of Manatee and Sarasota County uses chloramine, which ordinary carbon removes slowly.Our answer
Our whole-home systems use catalytic carbon, made for chloramine. Read why.
- Q8On a well: will you check iron and sulfur, and recommend a lab test for bacteria?Wells need a different system, and field tests can't detect bacteria.Our answer
Yes. We measure iron, sulfur, hardness, pH and dissolved solids on site and point you to a state-certified lab for bacteria and nitrate.
Sales tactics to watch for.
From any company, including one you like.
- The "free" in-home water testFlorida's Attorney General tells consumers to avoid "free" home water tests, because they're often a way into your kitchen to sell. Its advice is to get your utility's latest test results and compare them to state and federal standards yourself. That's exactly why we start from your utility's published report instead of a sales visit. Read the Attorney General's advice
- The "sign tonight" priceReal prices don't expire at midnight. In Florida, a sale made at your home can be cancelled until midnight of the third business day after you sign, by written notice to the seller.
- The color-changing water demoFlorida's Attorney General warns about salespeople who add drops or tablets to your tap water so it changes color or forms particles, then call it polluted. Those reactions show ordinary minerals like calcium. A related device, the water electrolyzer, turns water brown by corroding its own metal electrodes. Neither is a safety test.
- "Only $97 a month"A monthly payment isn't a price. Ask for the total, the term and the interest rate (APR), in writing.
- "Lifetime warranty" with no detailsAsk what's covered: tank, valve, electronics, media, labor, and for how long each. Get it in writing before you sign.
- Scare statisticsIf someone links your tap water to cancer without showing your own test results and a source, ask for both.
- Gifts for sitting through a presentationA free vacation or gift card is paid for somewhere, usually in the price.
Questions.
Can I cancel a water softener contract I signed at home in Florida?
In most cases, yes. Florida's home solicitation sale law gives buyers until midnight of the third business day after signing to cancel a sale made at home. Cancel in writing, in person or by mail to the address on the contract, and keep a copy. Check the statute for the details that apply to you.
Is a water electrolyzer demo a real water test?
No. The color comes from the device's own electrodes corroding. It reacts to dissolved minerals, not to anything harmful. A real test measures specific things like hardness, chlorine, iron and dissolved solids.
Should I get more than one quote?
Yes, and a written quote with named parts and a warranty broken down by part makes comparing easy. Ours is built to be compared.
The prices are on the site. The rest is one call and a quick look at your plumbing.
Look up your water, pick a system, and we install it in a day. We'll tell you what your water needs and what's optional, and add whatever else you want at a flat price.