Eco Water Systems - Water Softener Plus Water Purifier

lucky760

lucky760

New member
Was at Costco over the weekend talking to the Ecowater System people there about their system.

It has a lifetime filter that never needs replacing and acts as both a water softener and a water purifier. The only ongoing maintenance is that you have to pour more salt inside when it runs low.

I have had a heck of a time trying to find more info on this system online. (Either google is failing me or my google-fu is not strong enough.)

The company provides a lifetime warranty and they've been in business for over 80 years. (It's apparently owned by Warren Buffett now.) They seem legitimate and the system seems like it'll be fantastic for our new home, especially because the water is so hard in the area.

The only reviews I've been able to find are for local Ecowater stores for systems that require the tanks to be serviced or replaced on a regular basis, e.g., monthly. And those reviews are mostly all pretty negative.

But still, I don't know anyone's experience with the permanent product. Can any experts in this field educate me a bit? And if anyone with better google-fu can find reviews on these specific type of products, that'd be immensely helpful.
 
lucky said:
Was at Costco over the weekend talking to the Ecowater System people there about their system.

It has a lifetime filter that never needs replacing and acts as both a water softener and a water purifier. The only ongoing maintenance is that you have to pour more salt inside when it runs low.

I have had a heck of a time trying to find more info on this system online. (Either google is failing me or my google-fu is not strong enough.)

The company provides a lifetime warranty and they've been in business for over 80 years. (It's apparently owned by Warren Buffett now.) They seem legitimate and the system seems like it'll be fantastic for our new home, especially because the water is so hard in the area.

The only reviews I've been able to find are for local Ecowater stores for systems that require the tanks to be serviced or replaced on a regular basis, e.g., monthly. And those reviews are mostly all pretty negative.

But still, I don't know anyone's experience with the permanent product. Can any experts in this field educate me a bit? And if anyone with better google-fu can find reviews on these specific type of products, that'd be immensely helpful.
Click to expand...

Color me extremely skeptical of this product/service. Promises/claims like these sound very fishy.

-IR2
 
That's what's crazy. The company's been in business approaching 100 years. If they were up to funny business, wouldn't they no longer be in business, let alone offered by Costco?

Weird.
 
This is the actual product page. Pardon my use of purifier as it may be misleading. It's actually termed a "filter" for drinking water.http://www.ecowater.com/whole-home-systems-filters-soft-drinking-water-c-1_11_12-l-en.html

From there:

ECR3502_and_HERO375.jpg


Soft Water Plus Drinking Water

A whole home water filtration system from EcoWater includes a water softener system or ? if you have city water ? a water refiner system, plus a reverse osmosis water treatment system. The water softener or refiner treats your water by removing mineral deposits, while the RO filters remove at least 95 percent of the dissolved solids in your drinking water.

The EcoWater Whole Home System gives you cleaner, softer water from every faucet in your home, plus delivers safe, great tasting water for drinking or cooking. We offer a full line of products to meet your needs. Different products can be combined to create a customized Whole Home System.

EcoWater?s premier ECR Conditioner or ERR Refiner features the HydroLink? Technology. The HydroLink? features an easy to use, convenient remote which displays:

Valuable water usage information to help manage water consumption.
The system salt level, and number of days before salt is needed.
Gallons of capacity before the next regeneration.
Amount of hardness removed from your water.
Confirmation that the system is working properly.
Notice if the systems need service.
Click to expand...
 
The filter is not lifetime, and neither is the softener resin (at least not your lifetime, hopefully).  I have a RO system (the one from Costco of course!) and the filters on that need to be replaced every 6-12 months depending on the filter.  I also have a separate water softener.  As far as I know, the ion exchange resin will last maybe 10 years, depending on how much water you use.  "Lifetime" might mean the lifetime of the softener!  I know our water use went up after we got it working, as it uses a lot of water when it recharges the resin.  Doesn't help that the previous owner who installed it put it inline before everything, including the sprinklers and outside faucets.  Whatever. 

It takes a little while to get used to soft water.  My wife had never experienced it and she felt slimy, 'cause you don't ever feel like you've washed off all the soap.  They say you save money by using less soap, but I don't know.  How much do you spend on soap in a month anyway?  We're probably paying an extra $5-10 more for water now.  The salt is cheap and lasts a while.  I think I put in 40 lbs every 4 months or so. 

Don't forget you'll need to have an outlet nearby and also plumb a hose into your drain line somewhere for the periodic flushing.  I do like that we don't get as much hard calcium buildup around the fixtures anymore.  A lot of people think a water softener removes ions from the water, but actually it does the opposite.  It puts in 2 sodium ions for each calcium ion it pulls out.  Sodium just has different properties.

 
Thanks @daedalus for that info.

So the sales people at Costco are just telling bald-faced lies. I've talked to different people on different occasions and every one tells me the filter never needs to be replaced. The latest lady I spoke with explained it's made out of "coconut carbon" or some such thing. Hmm...

I definitely can't stand the slimy soap-never-rinses-off feeling. I waste so much water trying to get it off. Not sure if it's worth having that to avoid calcium depositing into everything water in our new home.
 
I'm always willing to learn new things.  Could be the resin does last forever.  If not, I know I priced the resin in my Kennmore unit @ just over $100.  Not a large sum if spread over a number of years.  As far as the RO filter, the link you posted indicates the filters need to be replaced periodically, and they do look a lot like the pop-out filters in my RO unit.
 
FWIW, here's the IRWD take:

"While IRWD does not recommend the use of water filtration or conditioning systems, we realize that some customers do not care for the "hard" (high mineral content) water which many areas of Southern California receive from the Colorado River. If you opt for a water softener for your home, there are a few things to be aware of.

IRWD discourages self-regenerating water softeners - the kind that require rock salt, potassium or other material to be added periodically by the owner. The reason is simple: IRWD recycles its wastewater and the salty brine discharged by self-regenerating water softeners is not removed during the reclamation process. The more self-regenerating water softeners used in our service area, the saltier our recycled water becomes. Recycled water is used to irrigate parks, school yards and golf courses, among other things, and the plants cannot tolerate the high salt content.

There is an environmentally friendly option. If you desire soft water in your home, we encourage you to subscribe to a water softener service that picks up and exchanges the cylinder so the salt does not go down the drain. You'll find several water softening services listed in the Yellow Pages. We do not make recommendations on softening services.

Additionally, hooking up a water softener only to the hot water lines will save the customer money."
 
I was going through the product information that I was provided when I made my appointment with them the other day and it cleared up my confusion a bit.

The lady at the kiosk told me it is a water softener as well as water filter, which is what threw me. The only manner in which it filters water is using its "coconut carbon" filter which removed "chlorine taste and odor." In other words, it doesn't have a reverse osmosis filter, nor does it really help with making the water more drinkable.

That explains it.
 
Consumer Reports tested Eco Water's ERO-375 last year and gave it pretty good ratings (#3 overall score) and is one of their "Recommended" RO systems (but not their "Best Buy" rating), but noted that it "requires professional service to replace filters".  Their "Best Buys" for RO were: Whirlpool WHER25 (sold at Lowe's), and Kenmore Elite 38556.

 
Lucky, did you ever get an EcoWater system installed? My husband is convinced that since it's through Costco, that it has to be a good product. I was quoted $5k, then a $500 Costco cash card, for their "refiner". I've also been looking at a Fleck valve through an independent dealer. More to the tune of $2k.

R/O was separate. EcoWater was $750, one through the independent was more like $450. I've learned that this is the part that purifies the drinking water. The other system is for removing hard water, and the coconut carbon is for reducing chlorine and making the resin last longer.

Seems that with EcoWater you are at the mercy of the company when it comes to repairs/service, and their parts are only serviceable through them. The DIY sites all tout ordering online and finding a plumber to install.


 
I grew up in a house that had a water softener.  All we needed to do for maintenance was to refill the silo with salt pellets. 

I always loved when friends or relatives stayed over and came out of the shower talking about how weird they felt as the soap didn't seem to ever get off of them.
 
cba6777 said:
Lucky, did you ever get an EcoWater system installed? My husband is convinced that since it's through Costco, that it has to be a good product. I was quoted $5k, then a $500 Costco cash card, for their "refiner". I've also been looking at a Fleck valve through an independent dealer. More to the tune of $2k.

R/O was separate. EcoWater was $750, one through the independent was more like $450. I've learned that this is the part that purifies the drinking water. The other system is for removing hard water, and the coconut carbon is for reducing chlorine and making the resin last longer.

Seems that with EcoWater you are at the mercy of the company when it comes to repairs/service, and their parts are only serviceable through them. The DIY sites all tout ordering online and finding a plumber to install.
Click to expand...

After buying and upgrading our home we are very cash poor (or more like destitute), so we looked for a service we could go month-to-month with. We actually just had Rayne water install a water softener the other day and I'm very glad we didn't opt to buy the machine. Yes, after a few years of renting it's the same dollar amount as buying a new unit, however these units seem to have mechanical problems commonly and with the rental, we will not have to pay for any repairs.

They also did the plumbing installation for free. And since our house water is used in our yard's irrigation system, we didn't want to use salt, so we're using potassium instead. Not only is it a nutrient to help nourish our landscaping, but it really leaves your skin feeling just soft and NOT SLIMY like the salt-based softener at our previous residence. I find myself remarking every day how soft my skin feels. It's like my entire body is soaking in Palmolive every time I step out of the shower.

The only problem with potassium versus sodium is it's about 3 times more expensive, equating to about $18.50 per bag per month on top of our $50 rental bill. But we're happy with it.

TLDR:

Don't buy it. Rent one.  ;)
 
To buy the system we are renting the cost would be $1800, which is a massive difference from Eco Water and from Kinetico.

We didn't inquire about any warranty or maintenance or anything else, honestly. We did about a week or two of (slowly) researching all our options before just having their guy check out our house for 5 minutes and making an installation appointment.

I highly recommend phoning and asking all your questions. They're quite friendly and they seem attentive (at least thus far).

Let us know if you learn the answers to all your questions!
 
Tyler Durden said:
Definitely... it will be a next year thing though, since i have to wire and install 3 more ceiling fans, buy and install the outdoor fountain and install patio heaters / gas lamps ahead of it.

Good thing i don't have any expensive hobbies  :'(
Click to expand...

Wow. How many ceiling fans total? I have 6 and have install 4 thus far (and I needed an electrician to fix the builder's faulty switch-box wiring for one).

What kind of patio heaters are you using? We just got one for our tiny yard and it's the sort of pyramid-shaped one with the glass tube in the center. It's stunning looking but doesn't put out a ton of heat.

The last big addition we plan to add is cabinets in the garage. Maybe someday!
 
I spoke with a contractor last week about getting ceiling fans wired in, and he said the best thing to do is hire a handy man. The rate for an electrician is about $110/hr but a handyman is qualified and charges nearly half that rate.

I am having four ceiling fans wired next week.  A handyman was out today going over it with me.  PM me if you'd like his info. He has been a handyman in the Irvine area for over 30 years.
 
Thanks, Lucky, for the update. I was considering calling Rayne. Never considered leasing the equipment though.
 
cba6777 said:
Thanks, Lucky, for the update. I was considering calling Rayne. Never considered leasing the equipment though.
Click to expand...

Just to be clear about how easy and good a deal it was for us (and sorry if I'm repeating myself at all), we aren't leasing, just renting. We didn't have to pay anything up front, including no deposit nor installation fee. They came out and told us what equipment would be right for us, we called to make an appointment, they came out and took ~1.5-2 hours setting up the plumbing and equipment, et voila, we have soft water.

It was really quite a quick and easy experience.

A Kinetico salesman came out and that was a real headache. He wanted to just go on and on with his sales pitch for an hour. Then at the end he finally told me they don't do any renting, just sales, and if they were to install we'd have to pay an installation fee. Pssh.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top