[quote=kcal09]Thank you! How about installation and maintenance? Can it be done without an installer?[/quote]

I had a plumber put mine in. I don’t remember how much he charged me, but it was less than a hundred bucks. 50 or 75, I think. I have his number, if you want to pm me. He’s a bit cranky, but he does good work and cheap.

He had to use a torch and stuff like that. I don’t know plumbing, and he was cheap, so I had him do it. There also needs to be a place for the discharge water to go. I think most water softeners would be a similar installation, but I don’t really know.

As far as maintenance, there really is none. If you buy the clean salt, anyway. It “refreshes” (or something like that) automatically.