ᐅ Experiences with Water Softening Systems

Hello everyone,
we have a water hardness of 16 and have been considering installing a water softener. We recently received the following offer:
Aquabion AB S-20, maintenance-free for 5 years. Installation cost for cold and hot water connections is 1790 euros including travel. Shut-off valves are not included and will be charged separately based on effort.

We are not familiar with this system. Does anyone have experience with it and can share their opinion? Also, how would you rate the price?

Thanks in advance to everyone.
Best regards,
Peter

Hello Peter,
with 16 dH I would personally avoid installing this system. Here we have 22-24 dH and only installed one for that reason.
Do you drink the tap water? If yes, the system might actually be more of a drawback.
Are you experiencing major water-related issues? For example, damage to fixtures despite regular cleaning?
With this system, you also bring ongoing costs into the house (salt, additional electricity and water for backflushing, maintenance, etc.).
As I said, we would have gladly done without it.

Hello,
I am not familiar with this system, so I quickly searched online. In my opinion, it is a system that doesn’t actually work. It is a tube through which the water is swirled, with metal plates inside? And just like that, the lime scale isn’t removed but only made “harmless” or transformed into a “least harmful form.” Unfortunately, that’s not how it works.

Therefore, if you want to reduce water hardness, you can hardly avoid using a salt-based water softener. As Allthewayup mentioned, operating it involves ongoing costs.

I also have a system installed at home, sized as small as possible for our consumption. It cost 400 euros, and I handle the maintenance and care myself.

Hello Allthewayup, thanks for your reply. No, drinking water is not really the priority. Damage to the fittings is not an issue, but my wife is constantly cleaning and complaining about it. The main request was for water with low lime content for showering and washing hair. And in the toilet, there are always ugly marks on the back wall of the bowl where some water always runs down.

Hello Cronos 86, thanks for researching this system. I didn’t find anything myself, so this system is probably not an option. I’ve now called my plumber, and he plans to come for a consultation tomorrow. I’m curious; BTW, they say it’s the best but also very expensive. May I ask what kind of system you have? €400 is really quite affordable.
Sunny greetings from the Münsterland

He probably has an Aqmos system, which is one of the most affordable units if you install it yourself.

The pipe they tried to sell you likely aims to cause the lime in the water to crystallize, meaning it remains in the water but is less likely to adhere stubbornly to surfaces. Simple wiping should then be sufficient. In any case, the principle is not complete nonsense.