My wife and I are toying with the idea of getting a water softener. We have never had one - house was built in the 1970s. We live in New Braunfels - and are tired of the hard water build up on toilets, fixtures, etc.

We do need to get plumbed for one - so I realize that raises the price.

Question - is it worth it? Should we get one?

Should I let the plumber do the work to plumb it and supply the Fleck one that is popular on Amazon for them to install?

Biggest question is should we get one but interested in any thoughts.

We lived in Manvel from 1999 through 2014 and were on a well. That is tough service, and did a lot of research. I didn't think something from Home Depot would last, so I bought a Kinetico. Never did anything other than add salt.

Moved to Smithson Valley in Jan 2015. The house had a water softener (can't remember the manufacturer) but swapped to Kinetico. because of previous experience. I did add their K5* drinking water system. This does require changing out filters periodically. I get about a year on the drinking water filters.

* Note: I worked for Pentair Valves & Controls in the Houston area on the industrial valve side. As an employee, I got a great price on the Pentair drinking water filter system, so chose to add that when we moved here.

When we did our major remodel a couple of years ago we added one with a filter. Very easy to maintain and I really don't notice much difference but growing up in San Antonio and drinking out of hoses in the yard in the summer, pretty sure I'm accustomed to the crappy water quality.

The War Department however thinks it is completely different. Less wear and tear on appliances, especially dishwasher. I add salt about every 4-5 months. Filter changeout about 8-9 months. We also changed out dishwasher so it sort of made sense to help with making it last longer.

I would get a licensed plumber to properly plumb the house for one. You could either purchase the softener yourself or see what they charge for install + softener. Moore Supply Company stocks them locally - they sell the Charger Water brand.

If you plan on staying in that house for awhile, I'd definitely recommend getting one.

I am in New Braunfels also, and have been shopping around. We have narrowed it down to Hill Country Water Systems and will likely go with them once we clear our garage of boxes.

We have Aqua Masters in SA and service is superb. System was in place when we bought the house so can only speak to service and ststem post install.

Yes, get one!

Yes it is worth it, yes get one. We went with Culligan, they did a turnkey as we were not plumbed for it. Very happy with them, no issues whatsoever.