Our existing water softener is not working, and as it is at least over 15 years old, we figured it was better to invest in a new one than pour money down the drain fixing an old unit which was never very satisfactory anyway.

Having read here that you need to test the water before doing anything else, we had a fellow in this morning. Water hardness is 21 grains per gallon - no surprise as I know it is VERY hard well water. No iron or sulphur, so it is just a Ca/Mg issue. We are a household of 2 adults, very conservative water users.

The fellow was from Eco-water and he recommends an Eco-Water ESD 525. Warrantee - tank for life, cabinet for 10 years, valve body for 3 years. He added that cabinet and valve body in his experience last well beyond the warrantee period, noting that most of his competitors' valve bodies and cabinets also beyond the warrantee period too. The electronics are warranteed for 3 years, but the current special extends that to 10 years for no extra cost.

The local distributor has been in business for 25 years. The neighbour had the same fellow install a unit 12 years ago and they are quite happy with the unit and the installer.

Total installed cost is $1630 Canadian.

This sounds reasonable to me, but does anything raise red flags with you experienced people? Additional questions I should ask?

Thanks in advance for your expertise!

Sally