5 Scams & Tricks of Water Softener Salesmen to be Careful Of

5 Scams and Tricks of Water Treatment Salesmen to be Careful Of

Sad, but true the water treatment industry is full of scams and tricks that salesmen and service men will use to sell a system to an unsuspecting homeowner.  I thought I might take the time to post a few of them here to save our customers and perhaps anybody else from a raw deal and perhaps a lot of money as well.

1.     The Hard Kitchen Cold Trick.  Utah plumbing code requires that the kitchen cold water supply and the refrigerator is always isolated from the water softener.  What this means is that a homeowner can have a completely working and functioning water softener but their kitchen cold water supply will be hard water.  Some salesmen will test the kitchen cold water supply in front of a homeowner knowing it is hard water and then tell the homeowner that their water softener is not functioning because their water is hard.  If the homeowner falls for the scam and needlessly buys another water softener and has it installed the salesman will then test the hot kitchen water supply in front of the homeowner knowing that it will be soft water to prove that his system is working.


2.     Water Pressure Trick.  Some plumbers and water treatment salesmen love this little trick.  It is very important for every water softener to have a water pressure regulator installed in the plumbing before the water softener.  Some salesmen and plumbers will tell a homeowner that their existing and perfectly working water softener is damaged due to high water pressure when it actually is working just fine.  Use common sense on this one, if the water softener is working and not leaking at all then the it is probably just fine and you just need to get the pressure regulator installed before the high water pressure does destroy the softener.


3.     Low Water Pressure Trick.  Be careful of any service or salesman telling you that your water softener is plugged up and that is the reason why your water pressure is so low.  While it is true that any filter or water softener you install will have an effect on water pressure the effect is usually very minimal.  You may just need your water pressure turned up a little instead of buying a whole new water softener.


4.     Ran Out of Salt Trick.  Did you have a salesman tell you that because you let your water softener run out of salt it ruined it?  If so, you need a new water treatment company!  Letting your water softener run out of salt for a short period of time does not destroy a water softener.  Rather, it’s like putting the back wheels of a truck up on blocks and letting the motor and the tires turn.  It’s not really ruining the car per se, but just wearing the car out without you getting any of the benefits of it.


5.     Salt Free Better Than Salt Trick.  Be very careful of any salesman telling you that any salt free system is just as good or better than a salt or a potassium based water softener.  While salt free systems are good at scale prevention that is pretty much all they are good for.  Salt Free Systems pretty much do nothing for you when it comes to softer skin and hair or getting rid of soap scum or hard water toilet rings.  They also don’t do a whole lot towards getting rid of those unsightly water spots on your glass show wall doors or your dishes.  There is no salt free system that is capable of giving you all the benefits that a salt based system will give you at this time.


If you feel like you’re getting a raw deal or if you have any questions that you would like a straight up answer to regarding your water problems, please feel free to give us a call at the number below.

Kind Regards,

Sam Nielsen | Royal Water Systems

855-763-8637