Any Culligan techs here??

charley95

I have a Culligan softener that I acquired a few years back. I'm assuming it's from the mid 90's. Model #WG844 serial # T232343. It regenerates on a timer and seems to use more salt than usual. I have to manually regenerate it and unplug when it finishes regenerating. If I don't unplug it, it will sometimes regenerate non stop. I also noticed that the bypass valve is leaking. Just thought I might check here for some advice just in case there might be a softener tech. on here. I know that the bypass seal is bad and most likely the timer could be bad too. I was told by a Culligan dealer a few years back a rebuild was about $250. Much cheaper than going new.

charley95

After doing some online research I think the whole unit will need to be rebuilt.
I guess I'll have to decide to rebuild or replace. I've yet to find any prices of new Culligans online,guess I'll have to go see the dealer. I know they are not cheap but, I won't buy a big box store unit.

WilliamM2

Why not a big box store unit? I bought a Whirlpool softener at Menards 6 years ago for $335. Easy to install, and I've never had an issue with it. I had a Culligan before, and a unit with the same specs was $2400 installed for replacement.

My Culligan was from around 1990, seemed like we had to spend $100+ fixing something every other year after the warranty ran out. It also used three times as much salt as the Whirlpool, even when new.

charley95

Had a few big box brands in the past, all of them failed within a few years. This is the first issue had with this Culligan since new from the 90's.

scubalab

I have to second WilliamM2's suggestion. We had an existing Culligan unit in the house when we moved in. It was an over-priced, HUGE unit. Culligan is a borderline scam that upsells on everything. We put a compact softener in about 12 years ago and it went bad (our fault - not the unit's, but that's another story). About 5 years ago, we put a Whirlpool softener (from Lowes or HD) and it has worked PERFECTLY. I think it was under $500 for the unit, some Pex tubing, valves and connectors. I installed it myself (very easy) in a couple hours. It works so much better than BOTH the overpriced Culligan unit and the compact unit. We go through about 50 pounds of salt a month. Remember, Culligan is a service business. If you are capable of lifting a 40 pound bag of salt yourself, stay away from them.

WilliamM2

I just looked at my receipt, we did get the Whirlpool at Lowes, not Menards. Uses about 40 pounds every 2 months, maybe less, but there are only two of us here. The Culligan would use a bag every 2 weeks. I think the Culligan man was cranking up the settings, although we didn't buy our salt from them.

Polkie2009

scubalab wrote: »

I have to second WilliamM2's suggestion. We had an existing Culligan unit in the house when we moved in. It was an over-priced, HUGE unit. Culligan is a borderline scam that upsells on everything. We put a compact softener in about 12 years ago and it went bad (our fault - not the unit's, but that's another story). About 5 years ago, we put a Whirlpool softener (from Lowes or HD) and it has worked PERFECTLY. I think it was under $500 for the unit, some Pex tubing, valves and connectors. I installed it myself (very easy) in a couple hours. It works so much better than BOTH the overpriced Culligan unit and the compact unit. We go through about 50 pounds of salt a month. Remember, Culligan is a service business. If you are capable of lifting a 40 pound bag of salt yourself, stay away from them.

Aren't they the ones with the logo " Hey Culligan Man! " , yea, sounds like you better install a barrel next to their unit cause you're going to be bent over it everytime you call "Hey Culligan man".

tonyb

Never had one problem with big box store units. One lasted 20 years and my current one is going on ten. Not one single problem, ever. When they go though, they are throw aways as the cost to repair outweighs buying new.

charley95

tonyb wrote: »

Never had one problem with big box store units. One lasted 20 years and my current one is going on ten. Not one single problem, ever. When they go though, they are throw aways as the cost to repair outweighs buying new.

Guess I'll decide what to do when they come out next friday. This is the first problem since it was purchased in 97. Some people get good units from Lowes… some don't and that is usually me. I would bet a name brand from 10-20 years ago isn't the same today. Just replaced a 28 yr. old MTD brand snowblower with a Honda. No way is that the case with MTD today.

oldmodman

I have never had a water softener.
Do they make the water taste like salt? or is it just using the salt to create a chemical attractant for the "hard" particles?

pitdogg2

oldmodman wrote: »

I have never had a water softener.
Do they make the water taste like salt? or is it just using the salt to create a chemical attractant for the "hard" particles?

It is an ion exchange the salt is to recharge the ion bed.

gdb

Softened water has always tasted salty to me. A RO setup would be a must, if I had to use a water softener.

scubalab

oldmodman wrote: »

I have never had a water softener.
Do they make the water taste like salt? or is it just using the salt to create a chemical attractant for the "hard" particles?

No - I can say that our water does not taste like salt, but I may just be used to it. If anything, it makes the water feel slimy to me. I grew up with city water and it took me a LONG time to get used to the 'soft' water. To me it feels like the soft water does not rinse the soap well, but it actually does. It just takes some getting used to.

Additionally, our salt usage is likely a LOT more than most average. Our water is very hard and has a lot of iron in it. Combine that with our usage (we have 3.5 bathrooms, an 80 gallon hot water heater, and two daughters...) and it regenerates quite frequently (I believe every other night).

Honestly, I would highly recommend a unit from a big box store... just do your research and find one that gets good reviews and/or has a good warranty. Again, these things are disposable as the price to replace is not much more than a repair bill. Take care of it though, and it should last at least 5-10 years.

jeremymarcinko

We have a Hague unit with RO for drinking water. It was $4200 installed in 2002. Never had an issue with it, although the filter changing on the RO system is a pia.

Stew

I bought one of these a couple of years ago and it works great:

http://www.ohiopurewater.com/shop/customer/home.php?cat=178

No affiliation. This is one of several places on the web where you can get a professional quality softener for a reasonable price.

charley95

Stew wrote: »

I bought one of these a couple of years ago and it works great:

http://www.ohiopurewater.com/shop/customer/home.php?cat=178

No affiliation. This is one of several places on the web where you can get a professional quality softener for a reasonable price.

What model did you get? Their prices and parts looks reasonable. Did they ship the resin with the unit you bought to fill resin tank? One thing I don't like about Culligan is that they are just like Lennox,you have to use their techs. and pay their expensive labor and parts.

Stew

I bought the 64,000 grain model for a household of 6. They shipped resin in bags with the softener. I like the fleck 5600 because its a simple mechanical meter. There are other good control valves depending on your preference. Whatever you go with, get metered vs timer if you care about salt usage.

charley95

Stew wrote: »

I bought the 64,000 grain model for a household of 6. They shipped resin in bags with the softener. I like the fleck 5600 because its a simple mechanical meter. There are other good control valves depending on your preference. Whatever you go with, get metered vs timer if you care about salt usage.

There is only 2 of us so I'm thinking maybe a 40,000 would do the trick. We do use a lot of water though. Did you install yourself?

Stew

P.S. You can adjust salt dose and gallons between regeneration to optimize salt usage. We go through about two 40 lb bags a month. It would be around 3 bags a month with factory settings.

charley95

charley95 wrote: »

Stew wrote: »

I bought the 64,000 grain model for a household of 6. They shipped resin in bags with the softener. I like the fleck 5600 because its a simple mechanical meter. There are other good control valves depending on your preference. Whatever you go with, get metered vs timer if you care about salt usage.

There is only 2 of us so I'm thinking maybe a 40,000 would do the trick. We do use a lot of water though. Did you install yourself?

Also, what made you choose this company over anyone else selling softeners? It appears they have good tech. support and parts availability.

Stew

They had what I wanted at a reasonable price. I was happy with their service but I'm sure there are other good companies out there. Look at the sizing info on their website and search the web. Lots of good info out there.

Stew

Unless you have exceptionally hard water, the smallest one (24,000 grain) should be adequate. I'd start by finding out your water hardness. If you're on city water, call water dept. If on well water, find place to analyze water sample. Also, iron can be a big deal if on well water.

tonyb

2 40lb bags a month ? You drinking ocean water ? Man, one 40lb bag lasts me almost 2 months. Guess it all depends on the quality of the water your starting with.

charley95

Stew wrote: »

P.S. You can adjust salt dose and gallons between regeneration to optimize salt usage. We go through about two 40 lb bags a month. It would be around 3 bags a month with factory settings.

Wow,you use a lot of salt. Does yours regenerate on demand?

Stew

It does regenerate on demand. Our water is really hard and we have 6 people.

Stew

tonyb wrote: »

You drinking ocean water ?

lol. Ocean water would probably be easier to treat than the liquid rock we get for water here.

charley95

I think I might order one from them. The Culligan proved to be a good unit for 18 yrs.
I'm convinced I don't want to give Culligan any of my $$ for a repair that might not work. The gal at Culligan was also a b***h which means to me they don't need my business. I like to support local business when I can but, too many here in Peoria,Il. act as if they are doing you a favor.

Stew

I think you'll be pleased with one of these. I just noticed your question on installation. Yes, I installed. Pretty easy. They provided step by step instructions.

Upstatemax

One of the best things I did at my house was to dump the old Culligan units that was in my home and replace it with a new Whirlpool unit.

I use 75% less salt and I have better water quality...

There are 4 people in our house (2 small children) and we use a lot of water. A lot of laundry, dishes, baths and showers...

Ours is a 40,000 grain unit and it works very well. It is set on a timer based off of water hardness and my preferences. Plus it monitors water usage and will regenerate more if needed.

Installed myself and it was VERY easy.

charley95

Stew wrote: »

I think you'll be pleased with one of these. I just noticed your question on installation. Yes, I installed. Pretty easy. They provided step by step instructions.

I ordered the Fleck 5600 40,000 grain unit today. They seemed very helpful and thanked me for the business. Can't wait to tell the Culligan man when he calls next week for my service appointment.

pitdogg2

charley95 wrote: »

I like to support local business when I can but, too many here in Peoria,Il. act as if they are doing you a favor.

Understatement of the year right there.