Before You Buy a Water System, Do the Math

Buying a water softener or any water system for your home can be tricky.  With so many choices and so much conflicting information out there, how do you choose?  Use the facts and do the math.

LifeSource -  Low Cost & Low Maintenance
LifeSource Water Systems are tested and certified to last 4 times longer than any other whole-house water system, period.  LifeSource systems are NSF/ANSI tested and certified for a filtration capacity of 1.6 million gallons to 4 million gallons for the largest residential model.  The next best competitive system is only certified for 460,000 gallons or ¼ of the LifeSource capacity.  What this means is, a family of 4 using about 90,000 gallons of indoor water per year can expect the standard LifeSource system to last about 17.5 years.

A longer service life for a water system means that the overall total cost of ownership (TCO) is lower.  For example, if you pay $3400.00 for a point-of-entry (POE) system and it is certified for 1.6 million gallons it will last 17 years. That system would cost about $200 per year or $17.00 per month.  Nothing else comes close, except doing nothing at all.

“Inexpensive Water Filter” Cost and Maintenance
Other filter systems may have a lower price point but also a higher TCO.  Apply the same math for a system you might buy for $800. A $800 POE system that is certified for 300,000 gallons will last only 3.5 years. It would have a cost of $228 dollars per year or $19 per month.  Plus you would have to endure the expense and hassle of replacing this system four times over the next 17 years. If a plumber charged about $400 to install this system, he would need to install it 5 times- that would cost $2000.  So your actual TCO for 17 years is $6000 or $343 per year or $29.00 per month. Not exactly inexpensive.
 

Water Softener Cost & Maintenance
Water softeners have an average service life of 7 years and cost anywhere from $500 to $5000. Regardless of the price; they all do the exact same thing.  Plus you need to buy salt to feed this beast.  And you need to buy or rent a reverse osmosis filter, about $500, to filter the salty water that the softener produces. R.O. system filter cartridges and membranes need to be changed annually; the average cost is about $175 per year or $2975 every 17 years.

Again let’s use simple math. If you buy a water softener, even a cheap one for $800 and replace it 2.5 times over 17 years it will cost about $2000 plus $1000 to install it 2.5 times. Over 17 years your cost will be about $3000.  In addition, you need to buy the salt, about $4.75 per 40lb bag, about 4 bags per month. Potassium chloride pellets cost even more, $14 per bag. Think about this, you will dump 1920 pounds of salt into the waste stream per year or 33,000 pounds of salt over 17 years into the waste stream or maybe into your septic system. Ouch, that is a mountain of salt!

Your monthly salt cost will be about $230 per year or $3900 or $11,425 for potassium chloride over 17 years.

Now Let’s Add This Up

Buying and replacing water softeners over a 17 year period -                   $3000
Buying and using 816 40lb. bags of salt for 17 years                              $3900
Buying a reverse osmosis system and replacing filters for 17 years -       $3475
Total Cost of Ownership for 17 years-                                               $10,375

Wow, that really adds up to a big number, $10,375 for 17 years, or $610 per year or $51 per month.

Bottled Water Cost & Maintenance
The math for bottled water shows how nonsensical buying bottle water is.  Many households with four people spend $50 to $100 per month on bottled water or $600 to $1200 per year.  That means that many households will spend over $10,000 for bottled water over 17 years. Maintaining and moving this massive volume of water bottles in and out of your home ends up being quite a challenge.

This simple math shows a good quality whole house water system is the logical choice when choosing a way to supply your entire home and family with clean, safe delicious water. Just $17 bucks per month… that sounds good.