Getting New H2O Softener / What to look for???

[Hard H2O]

Am going to be updating the water softener this weekend and just curious what to look for and what the real differences are on the standard units out there... (i.e what's necessary / what's not, etc...) - Probably getting at Lowe's (not that that matters, but someone may have info on a model they carry)

....For standard home use....

Thanks!

P.S. These can be installed "Do-It-Yourself" style, correct (relatively handy skills here)

[leone184]

They can be installed very easily, but programming them can be difficult (like mine for instance). I have seen some newer models with a digital display, and they might be easier but who knows. My best advice to you is to make sure you actually need one. They are not cheap, and waste a lot of water during the purge cycle. You can check to see if you truly have hard water, and they probably sell the tests at Lowe's. Where I'm from we actually have pretty good water quality so I don't know why the previous owner installed one. All the hoo-ha about softer skin and using less soap and detergent is just a bunch of hot air. (at least in my case)