Blankenthoughts

I have well water at my home so I don't have to worry about what the city might be adding to my water. I do have high iron content, so I have an iron filter in addition to the water softner. 200 lbs of softner salt only lasts me a month. Its about $6-$7 per bag of salt at Kroger or Walmart, and each bag is 40 lbs.

Sucker...

About two months back we interviewed several water conditioning companies (Rainsoft, Hague, Kinetico, and Culligan). *All* of these companies can offer you a soap package and lots of other free stuff, but after interviewing them all it seemed like the ones that were really pushing the soap package were also the ones charging the most money while trying to make it seem like they were giving you the soap for "free". I and my neighbor ended up going with the Kinetico system because their technology seemed to make the most sense to us as it is fundamentally different from all the others out there. Also I know several people who have had Kinetico systems for many years and love them. So, obviously I don't know how much you paid, and likely you'll probably be fine with the system you've got, but for my money I'd go with Kinetico all the way.

I'm glad to know they are a real company. I got a call from them last night (which I didn't ask how they got my number) but she said they would only be in my area 2 days next week from 6:30-9:30 PM! That sounded fishy to me so I said no to the free water analysis. If they call again I will still so no if that is the only time they can come.

Our family has had such a unit for seven years now. Never had a problem. We love it. Removes all that chlorine, limestone, etc. Great for showers, baths. No crusty build up in appliances. We live in Pittsburgh.

I did some research...

Ionics is the only filtration system that services your whole house (so you shower in the same quality of water you drink.. that's awesome!) that inhibits the growth of bacteria. Rain Soft can't say that, or any other company for that matter. That's because Ionics (or Puronics, as the residential line is actually called) has silver in their carbon filter. Silver is one of the best known elements that kill bacteria.

Also, other water "softeners" do not actually remove the impurities, but use salt to hide them or neutralize them. The ionics system does not introduce salt into your water (it uses a bypass valve to rinse your resin with salt water to recharge it, but the salt water never makes it into you water lines). So if you have a heart condition, you will really want to think seriously about any system that "treats" your water with salt. It significantly increases the sodium content in your drinking water. In other words, beware of any company that offers a "Reverse Osmosis" filter for your kitchen sink to filter your drinking water. Ionics water is drinkable from any tap in the house.

Also, if you have a well, you more than likely have bacteria in your water. While chlorine is bad for you in the water, it does serve a purpose. It kills the bacteria. The Ionics system for private wells actually chlorinates your water, lets it "marinate" in it for about 20 minutes, and then dechlorinates it before pumping it into your house.

Honestly guys, I hope all the research I did helps you. I'd definitly feel safer with Ionics. To those who say Ionics is an "unheard of" company... that's because until 20 years ago, Ionics only produced commercial systems (for Pepsi, Coke, NASA, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, etc...). They have only recently moved into the residential market.

I have one I have even moved it 2 times into 2 homes because it moves with you. You only buy one. I used to have a kinetico but the water always tasted bad because there unit was made out of plastic which is made from gasoline. The only people that pick a plastic unit are looking at cost only not quality. I believe these people do not care about there family, nothing is more important then clean water. Yes they are a little bit more expensive but in the long run very well worth it. Cheap is never good. We love it.

We have a General Ionic water softener and RO system and totally love them. We've had ours for 10 years and have never had a problem. Fabulous product!!

we have an ionics water system in our house wew had a serviceman come out to repair it he came out twice we paid him now our water is black we can actually see dirt in the water its horrible we have tried numerous times to contact the serviceman since he will not return our calls this system is horrible

I have had one of the General Ionics systems for over ten years now. Works just fine with no problems. I use around 80 lbs of salt every 3-4 months depending on our water use. What else can I say? The water is soft..

We had a general Ionics systen in Ohio and loved it. We had Culligan put in our new home in MO it's ok but wish we had a GI system again.
retired teacher in MO

l Ionics instal their system in my house. I also got the service agreement. They didn't show up to service and add salt to my system. They charged me for it though. Then , when I had a prblem, about 6 months after install, they were no where to be found.I stopped paying for the service calls ,that they were not doing any way, and they put a mark on my credit report. I still have a broken system that was supposed to be guarenteed for at least 5 years and didn't last one. Tank leaks and water never was right. I have had it bypassed ever since. Have tried to contact the company at least 25 times with no results. They are a complete rip off in my opinion. Bill Kyne, Seminole Fl.

Jeff, Our General Ionics system is now 20 YEARS old and still functions as good as the day it was installed! We've moved it twice to different locations (the trick is to vacuum out all the water from the tank & make damned sure you don't tip that stainless steel filtration container over at any point during the move... other than that it's a piece of cake & anyone who has even basic plumbing knowledge can reinstall)
We've saved a FORTUNE in laundry soaps, shampoos etc.. I usually use 3/4 teaspoon of Cascade in each of the soap bins in my dishwasher, and about two to three teaspoons of laundry detergent in my front loader washer.

We especially save on buying bottled water.Most of our friends & family stop by w/their gallon jugs & their bags of empty bottles to refill them from our system.
We NEVER have to change the refrigerator filter (Sears charges 49.95 per filter... what a rip off!) Nor do we have to purchase things like InstaPur or Brita water filters which are very expensive for the refills.

One of the reasons our system function so well is we've used ONLY the salt provided by General Ionics. Our system runs perfectly & uses approximately 1 bag of salt a month-which isn't too much. We need to have the bacteriostatic filter changed approximately every year and a half & other than that the system is worry-free. I believe we had one minor repair about a year ago when a part on the valve needed to be replaced.

It's very nice to have an Ionics system when they put out one of those warnings about "boil your water". I had the water checked by a laboratory after one of those 'warnings' & our water was absolutely fine-totally unaffected by whatever it was that was polluting the city water. My neighbors were delighted to come over & get water for cooking and drinking for those three days.

My sister [who has well water sky high in iron) went & bought one of those "other" systems (this was about six years ago) & she paid about $3500 for it. Her system broke down after about the fifth year & it has never worked right since. After putting in 500 bucks in repairs she is now negotiating for an Ionics system because she's seen how good our system works.
It is definitely one of the wisest purchases we've ever made.

We wouldn't trade it for anything.

Hope you enjoy your system... Maralee

This is GREAT !!!...I am a General Ionics employee {Akron ares} and have been for 23 yrs.I did however noticed alot of different things.FYI...Ionics Inc.a Nation-wide,NYSE and BBB Co.. as well,had been around for over 60yrs with both commercial and residental units. In Dec. of 2004 GE aquired the Co. So now they're "ALL" independently owned and operated companies.[So the Co Names,offers,prices and service departments are all different.].... I am a "firm" believer that the technology of a GI system is very unique,there is a diference between a water softener and a conditioner. I've had one for 15yrs and "love it"..If you're interested .. go to www.giwater.com for more information on the Co,history and benifits of the systems...Lauren.."It's nice to be important..but,even more important to be nice"..

When we purchased our Ionics Water Conditioner 5 years ago, we had the same doubts about the sale in spite of the fact that we were extremely pleased with the results of the install. We also got the "free" testing and the "free" soap, but clearly these costs are built into the price you pay. However, I can confirm from having spoken to many companies that Ionics sells a great tank and extremely reliable valves. Beyond that, there are only a few companies that manufacture the control components (e.g., Fleck) that control these units, so the differences in price more often than not are related to the quality of the tank and the primary fittings.

We took the Ionics IQ1030B with us when we moved from the city (municipal water) to the country (well water). It took a while to find someone willing to reinstall the unit, and several unscrupulous dealers tried to convince us the conditioner we had was "no good" and tried to sell us the same device under a different name, not to mention a higher capacity than we needed and add ons like pH filtering that we didn't even need. In the end, we had to re-bed the unit (new ion-enhanced resin beads, a more resilient substitute for traditional zeolite softeners). We also added a 3 micron pre-filter to keep sediment out of the head unit (to prolong component life by preventing friction buildup) and a post-conditioning carbon filter (for organic contaminants). I also installed a UV filter after all these other components to address microorganisms present in non-municipal (chlorine-free) water sources (wells, ponds, etc.).

Bottom line is top-grade household water better than anything I could buy bottled. However, it took a lot of work to find a reputable company to deal with in this business, as there are a LOT of slick willies who will baffle you with terminology and fake test results.

Recommendation: Have your water tested independently so you know what you need before you start shopping for a water conditioning/filtration system. If possible, also know how much water you use in a given week/month so you know how much capacity is needed. Then choose the system that meets your needs and your budget. And a company you trust will be there to service your needs moving forward. Good luck!

We bought our General Ionics system around 12 yrs ago in Indiana. It was wonderful! We brought it with us to Arkansas and was terribly upset to hear that they did not have any service personel near us to reinstall the unit at our new house. A very qualified plummer followed directions from the company, but I would like for the unit to be serived by a person who knows the General Ionics system. Be careful in purchasing you unit if you are one who moves frequently and plan to take it with you. I'm very diagruntled that we were assured when we bought the unit that we would have NO PROBLRMS in having it properly serviced, no matter where we lived. Famous last words!!!

We bought our General Ionics reverse osmosis system in 1993 and have moved it 4 times since from the midwest to finally New York City. My stepfather is an aerospace engineer with mutiple patents on NASA equipment among others and we bought it on a tip from him. I can assure you that it's not a fad or a fake. It's been a great investment and we will continue to service it yearly and have it for another 15+ years.

My water turns black to brown every couple of months. I have to leave it running for hours to clear that up. If I had to purchase all over again, I would pass on the offer. I do not recommend the ionics water purification system. If you get a call from them ignore it. It cost way too much money. They did not tell me water would run from the thing at a preset time each day for nearly 30 minutes. O well you leave and learn. I feel I should have known better.

We bought ours in Sept of 1995. We have had some problems and we can't find anyone in our area to get it serviced. We were happy with it for several years, but feel like we own boat anchor now. I think all the free soap was questionable. We ended up giving a bunch of ours away. We like the soap products we are used to using.

These people are completely fake. If they have silver in their tanks maybe you should ask your denist why they remove it from your mouth. Silver is a cancer causing metal. These people sell a typical 1 Cuft softener and call it a a treatment system. They throw in some cheap soap and make it sound like a steal. Save your money and use a local respected company who you can get references on and service from. If someone doesn't have a business location near your home with reliable service people they are usually just chasing your wallet. Trying to sell equipment by lying and fear tatics is not good business. We are proud to show our licenses and bond. Be smart if you don't know us check us out. Use your BBB, check references locally, not paid testimonials.

Make sure you check your high end stainless steel tank on a regular basis.Just noticed our tank is RUSTING at bottom. We purchased this expensive system not even four years ago. I will let you know how Ionics handles this warranty issue, since the company we purchased from is no longer around.