Wish List

Reply to: Carrie Beth. I purchased my RO & Softener setup from Pure Water Products in Denton, TX and was very happy with their before and after the sale service. They were recommended by a poster here I ran across. If you call them they can walk you through the various options and custom build an RO unit that fits your needs. It would be helpful to have a water analysis for them. I used the published report from my water company although I'm sure an individual current analysis would be even better.

Q

Reply to: Copied/pasted from my June 28th post here. Also recommend using the search function. There are quite a few previous posts about Kinetico. Perhaps what I've copied here will answer your questions about the tank. You will have to replace the carbon in the 4060s lower tanks eventually. How soon will depend on your chlorine level. The reps you are talking to can tell you how soon. Mine opined 4-5 years with a cost around $250.-300 as I recall. Some people say the charcoal modules are silly because the softener resin takes maybe 10 years before the chlorine messes it up to the point replacement is needed. That is, in fact, about how long it took at both of my locations. The 4060s at one location installed in June is my first experience with the charcoal modules so what I'm telling you about replacement is hearsay. Will have to talk again in 4-5 years. Seemed like a good idea so I did it. Excellent performance so far. As far as drinking water is concerned, your K5 has it's own charcoal filtration so chlorine wouldn't be a problem there in any event. Don't know how "de-chlorinator" might work. I thought de-chlorinators were charcoal stacks....pretty much like the 4060s. Perhaps my lack of specific expertise is showing. I've had two K5W's installed at two different locations replacing older Kinetico units that gave perfect service for 18 years. "K5W RO system is a complete redesign compared with my old unit. The water-on-water tank is a significant improvement over air-bladder tanks. Holds 2.7 gallons and re-fills with no back-pressure in under an hour. The spigot provided is also a vast improvement that uses a 1/4-turn ball-valve instead of the el-cheapo lever-valve most of them use. Flows 1.2 gallons per minute using household line-pressure which I estimate is about 3x what the old air-bladder tank put out even when full....and without any fall-off in flow-rate from full to empty. Really worthwhile improvement. Much more convenient and useful. Highly recommended. The filters are self-contained 1/2-turn screw-on design as opposed to the older housing/cartridge design. They are the same price as the old ones. There is also provision for adding three other filters of various kinds for those (not me) who desire customized filtration or added minerals for taste. Everything is better designed and simpler to service. Has an indicator to show when you're getting close to filter-change time so you can be ready with new filters before it shuts itself off. (Auto shut-off after 500 gal.)"

Q

Reply to: Like you, I'm pretty dumbfounded by the choices above all the way around. Presumably if one is investing heavily in an ion exchange softener and a RO unit, then there was something (like hardness and a specific chemical not removed by carbon) that needed to be treated. If those things weren't present then the original investment was wasted. If they are present, then the water may not smell or taste bad now, but the issue hasn't been addressed. I'm not impressed by this Kinetico dealer - particularly if things weren't connected properly. I'm not really bashing Kinetico, I don't know enough about them. However, I think if Kinetico is going to charge premium prices then they need to keep strong quality control on their dealers.

Q

Reply to: Thanks again for the feedback from AIW and Jake. The water softener never seemed to work right. The dealer/installer had difficulty getting the water at the tap into the "soft" range. It never uses much salt, which I know is a plus for Kinetico, but makes me wonder if it is not working correctly. Water flow issues may be a factor. This last week, after KInetico refused to honor their so-called 10 year warranty, I put a lot of time into looking at the water softener set up and I am not sure why the dealer did not just hook it up to the same inlet and outflow of the older model that this replaced. This same water softener had a leaky Kinetico bypass valve and now a leaky pre-filter connection. I do not know if there are any o-rings or replaceable parts on the water softener connectors. The reliability of the Kinetico water softener I now have, is not great. I am very disheartened with Kinetico. Keep in mind I bought my first Kinetico system around 1998, both K5 and water softener at my prior home, at a cost of about $4500. I liked it and relied on Consumer Reports so I bought a second system (the one that broke), both K5 and Kinetico water softener for a cost of $5000, installed July 2012. I always installed the K5 replacement filters myself, including in the K5 I bought in 1998 and the one that installed new in July 2012. It is a little gimmicky of Kinetico to offer only a 5 year warranty on the K5, but if you buy a water softener installed at the same time, the say they increase the warranty for both to 10 years. That is a great sales tactic to increase water softener sales. One that I fell for twice. Getting back to my current situation, the filter housing of the K5 I had installed in July 2012 cracked this late June 2017, which caused the flood in my home. Kinetico blames cracked K5 filter bracket on the filter installation. I installed the filter 6 months before the K5 cracked. Since the dealer did not install the filter (requires a home visit at $150 plus the expensive replacement filters), Kinetico denies any and all responsibility. If you look at my history of Kinetico purchases over the last 20 years, I would think I am a good Kinetico customer and worthy of some support so I do not go online and let everyone know the bad side of Kinetico. After going through this with Kinetico, I will never recommend Kinetico brand to anyone. My Toyota has proprietary components, but I can buy them direct from the dealer and if I have the skills and tools, install the parts myself. How hard is it to remove and install a twist on water filter cartridge? AIW, have you heard of a K5 filter bracket breaking? Can the filter installation really cause a bracket to crack, 6 months after the installation date? This does not make sense to me and Kinetico refuses to provide their evaluation of my broken K5. Thanks again for the help.

Q

Reply to: For Culligan money I'd want a Kinetico with WOW but that's REALLY big bucks and proprietary filters too.. Avoid the el cheapo Nelsen stuff. built with the cheapest parts they can get. The most bang for the buck from people who really understand ROs and will custom configure an RO for your exact needs using top quality components. Great parts availability and outstanding service. http://www.purewaterproducts.com/reverse-osmosis/

Q

Reply to: Here is a source for the big blue housing and filters that go in them. I have no connection with this site other than being a customer. They have good pricing and customer service. I'm sorry you had problems with your Kinetico stuff. AliceInWonderland generally believes they have good quality hardware - and I have no reason not to respect that opinion. I think most of us believe that the cost is excessive and that the proprietary equipment holds you captive going forward. The local dealer makes a lot of difference and if you only have one dealer you are stuck. I'm not crazy about a warranty that will only provide parts to a dealer who will then charge a high labor fee to install. From the customer's perspective, that doesn't really provide a satisfactory warranty experience. Good on AIW spotting that there may be a problem with your water flow. I can't tell exactly what the flow is supposed to be either, but it looks like it's not right.

Q

Reply to: The apples to apples comparison is the Kinetico S350 versus the Fleck 9100SXT (1.5 cu ft each tank) twin. They both have the same volume of resin so when regenerated with the same salt dose they will both will have EXACTLY the same hardness removal capacity. Parts for Fleck control valves are readily available and there's always someone almost everywhere that services and repairs Fleck control valves. There are more Fleck control valves in the field than ALL the other water softeners sold COMBINED. You can download the complete service manuals for Fleck control valves for free. If you have a good Kinetico dealer than you simply have to justify the price. Lots of people buy Kinetico and are very happy. If you have a good local independent water treatment pro who actually knows how to set up a softener for efficient operation and has a good reputation then the Fleck is a good choice and will be every bit as efficient and reliable as the Kinetico. If your dealer doesn't know what he/she doesn't know and lives in the past then you'll be in the same boat as a lot of other homeowners and not get the efficiency and performance you expected.. The real difference at the faucet is the quality of the dealer and how well they service you after the sale. Either choice will get you 10+ years of reliable service then you can have the softeners re-bedded and rebuilt and go another 10+ years. This post was edited by justalurker on Thu, Aug 1, 13 at 22:51

Q

Reply to: Culligan vs Kinetico: Both are proprietary. If you were leaning toward Culligan, I would tell you to just go find an industry standard softener with a Fleck or Clack controller and save $ while getting a better softener. However, if it is between the two - Kinetico, hands down. Their equipment is better and they actually provide some water treatment training for their folks, not just sales training. The tiny amount of minerals K5 adds back to the water will do little to protect your faucet. You can, however, safely run softened water through any faucet.

Q

Reply to: No doubt about it, Kinetico products are pricey because Kinetico products are proprietary. That means that you are married to your local dealer for warranty, service and repairs and parts. some Kinetico dealers refuse to sell end users parts and tech info is not readily available. If you have a good local Kinetico dealer then that's less of a problem, but if you have a dealer who thinks that customers exist for their convenience then... well, you know. Kinetico corporate doesn't seem to want to get involved and support their customers when the local dealer treats them badly and since sales areas are protected the consumer is SOL. On the other hand, Kinetico products work well and they have built up a loyal customer base. On the subject of the K5, it has a feature that sets it apart from other ROs. Rather than use a bladder tank for water storage that is charged with air it uses a tank that is WOW or Water On Water proprietary technology which is a water charged tank. The K5 delivers RO water out it's faucet at higher pressure than any other RO. Kinetico also offers a variety of different filter elements for the K5 that are not generally offered for other ROs. As far as leaks... all ROs use replaceable cartridges and connections that can leak. Low quality ROs with the cheapest components are more prone to leak than ROs using the highest quality components. RO leaks generally are the result of the person doing the installation and routine service and not the fault of the RO. There have been reports of pacific rim filter canisters just cracking so I'd want an RO using made in USA components under my sink and that's what I have. Is the Kinetico K5 worth $2k? Only the person writing the check can make that determination. I'd like to have one just because of the WOW design but our local dealer is a price gouger so I won't buy one. JMO... YMMV This post was edited by justalurker on Wed, Jul 31, 13 at 11:15

Q

Reply to: I am also undergoing kitchen renovation . I have had a double sink for years and really couldn't stand it! I just purchased an American Standard sink that has two removable bins and a sliding cutting board for under $200.00 at Home Depot and I love it! The smaller bin can be used as a strainer for rinsing dishes or a colander for veggies and pasta. The inserts lift out so you get the both of both world, single or double. When you use the sink alone, it is big enough for your largest platters and pots. It also came with a soap dispenser

Q

Reply to: I like this sink , why do you want low in the middle? This sink is just the right size for pots and nice small one with garburator for prep work

Q