Ionics IQ water softener/filter question
Hello, We are due for our yearly filtration maintenance on our Ionics IQ system. To our regret, we were caught by the fine print after purchasing the system that it was going to require yearly maintenance which costs hundreds of dollars (and rises considerably each year). Not to mention the system itself is still being paid for. Since my husband is now retired from work with disability we have a very tight budget and need to eliminate this charge (which is $260 this year). My question is, will the water softener still work if we do not replace the filter and just add salt? Also, if we leave the old filter in the system and don't replace it, will it pollute the water by backwashing the contaminants the old filter held in the tap water? If so should we have the system disconnected? Thanks for any help/information that anyone can provide. It is much appreciated. Cheri Cheri, I am having a hard time understanding why a company, and how a company can require a yearly maintenance service. What is the 'filter' you are talikg about? A cartridge type or tank type? What exactly do they do for thew $260 besides driving there? This is very strange for me because we have never done that. I can understand for a UV light or public water system, but not for a normal residential water softner. What happens if you refues. Do you still have the original document? Can you quote what it says? I mean, what would happen if you got rid of it, or the house sold? Didn't the salesman explain this to you? Sorry. Andy Christensen, CWS-II What I think you are referring to Cheri, is they come out to replace the carbon in the unit. They have a habit of getting unspected people to give them money each year for a service that is not needed. Yes the carbon may have to be changed, but every year is too often. No, the contaminates will not get into your drinking water. You just tell them thanks, but no thanks and save your money. Are you on city water? Thank you for both responses. I initially felt that leaving the old filter would not affect the water, but they definitely make you feel like you may be allowing contaminants in. But now I realize it is just the hook, line and sinker they throw. I read your replies this morning and jumped right on calling the company to cancel the service scheduled for today. I had to go out this morning and I left my dear husband to do that job. When I got home I was seeing red when he told me that they charged him/us a $50 cancellation fee. Smoke started coming out of my ears when he told me he paid the cancellation via credit card over the phone! I suppose it was our fault for cancelling only a few hours before the service...but $50!?!?!? I called them up to talk to them personally to ask them how they justified their costs. Even doctors only ask for half that for cancellation. I am considering sending in a report to The State of Florida's consumer bureau.Not only are they misrepresenting their product by not revealing hidden costs for yearly maintenance service (they say is required for warranty on the system) but, they price gouge this yearly maintenance service at their discretion. The first year it cost us just under a hundred dollars and has considerable risen each year (like I said, it is now $260). They could easily raise that cost to any amount they wished and to put the consumer on the hook for and if the consumer can no longer pay the amount they charge then their warranty becomes worthless. Not very honorable to say the least. I did check BBB out on them and not surprisingly they will not renew their membership (due to the number of reports). All I pray for now is that people looking to buy a water system run across threads like this that alert them before they are deceived. Thanks again for your time and advice, Cheri Cheri, what part of Fla are you from? Deltona. .............................................................................. I used to work for an Ionics dealer here in Fla. One of the reasons I quite is because they were taking advanage of my customers. That's very honorable and I am certain you will reap blessings for for wanting to what is right. Thank you all for your comments about this. I just had a representative here at my home today and I was considering one of these systems for my home. I declined to purchase today because I wanted to research this a little more. After finding them on the BBB website (with an F rating) and this, I'm glad I declined. There prices are outragious. Then they nickel and dime you with service calls that are not needed. I quite selling for they and opened my own business. Ionics is now now Puronics, i got a quote from them for IQ 1030B for $2300, and they told the carbon needs to be changed once in 3 to 4 years. I don't know if the yearly maintenance is depend on the dealer, You can call and find about those directly to the manufacture. I am still evaluating them, my only concern now is about the EPA guideline on their carbon. I live in Deltona as well and can not believe that I have to pay 225.00 to have my unit serviced. There has to be a better way. I was curious if any of the posters have another option instead of Puronics? We were given an ionics water system. It has an iron filter tank, 2 tanks with timers, 1 short fat tank (salt?), and a little white container (chlorine?). No paperwork of any kind to explain the set up, etc. It's about 2 years old. We have well water, we understand about the iron filter tank. We would like to connect this system but cannot afford a service call/installation. Where can I find a diagram, etc for this system? Thanks.............Anne The little white container is a chlorinator. It is installed before a retention tank. You did not mention one so it should go between the check valve and the pressure tank. After the pressure tank, the iron filter is next followed by the softener. What part of Fl? Citrus County............................ You can install the chlorinator without a retention tank if the pressure is big enough. Why you think you need a chlorinator? They are used to kill bacteria, oxidze high iron or get rid of sulfer smell. If all you have is iron, depending on the amount, a softener will remove the iron. Do you have water test results? Originally Posted by mamamia74 Hello, We are due for our yearly filtration maintenance on our Ionics IQ system. To our regret, we were caught by the fine print after purchasing the system that it was going to require yearly maintenance which costs hundreds of dollars (and rises considerably each year). Not to mention the system itself is still being paid for. My question is, will the water softener still work if we do not replace the filter and just add salt? Cheri A few months late here to this conversation but the first thing that came to my mind when you said 'yearly filtration maintenance' is a drinking water system. Did you have Ionics also install a Reverse Osmosis system for drinking water? If so, then YES, those should have their filters replaced yearly. They may also conduct a quick look at the softener in the fee, but again, my first thought would be an RO system not a yearly change out of the softeners carbon. Chris Thank you for starting this thread Cheri. My wife and I are also late to reply but so passionate about this info. It's great to know we're not alone. We purchased our Ionics whole house filter/softener in 2005 for almost $5,000! I looked back through all my paperwork for model info and it's so vague I can't even tell. It sounds exactly like Cheri's though. I can tell you we've been lied to and overcharged by the seller (Great Southern Services) since purchase. We were told with only two of us in the house we wouldn't need service every year, it would only cost $99, and if we ever moved they would move it for free. All lies. Our cheapest bill was the first year @ $177. Then we moved @ $553. The latest service fee (2009) @ $264. Put me on a stick and call me a sucker! To top it off they laugh in our face by charging more for the trip and labor than anything else and note at the top of the invoice that it only took them 30min. To answer the person who asked what they do for $264; the invoice says -Hygiene Media Change $105, -Rezup resin bed treatment $39.95, and my favorite -trip and labor $119. My question to anyone who can provide detailed answers is...How can I do this myself; Hygiene Media Change, and Rezup resin bed treatment? Again, please be specific. I'm looking for specific product names, stores, websites, etc. For some reason our water started getting a strange and strong metalic odor recently and I think something needs serviced. I really don't want to give up on my $5K investment because I like the water quality, but am unwilling to be taken advantage of any longer. all u have 2do is call puronics corporate in cali. and ask 4 any other authorized dealer regarding service and warranty up keep other than gswt. and let all the work needed go 2 more honest ppl. any fiberglass system can be worked on by literally anybody and at a fraction of the cost. there fleck systems not ionic\puronic. only the IQ SERIES head units need ionic parts. if u bought a f\g unitfrom them you got super jacked! and 3\4 arent even bacteriostatic. if u think u needwork done... just do a 4 bag salt delivery and since they're there 2 sell u salt already thats when u get any other work done, u will deture the expensive service fee! play gswt like the g.m. plays you. dont let then do any work unless you are there 2 watch, the g.m. likes 2 have a cple of his drugie minion's swap parts out so u pay 4 non warrented wear and tear parts soonerthan wld otherwise be needed. if u can stay firm on 79.oo only 4 service call cost and 99 only on the hygiene not 105. + only 5o blue bgs + of puronic hygieneovt of hundreds and hundreds from known 1st feb 2010 tru known 1\2 into may 2010 arenteven real puronics bacteriostatichygiene... theyhave been rebagin the old empty bags with basic stuff and re sealing themwith a food sealer in theback room. they have been partially reported 2 corporate for it. most trucks carry used units reshined and when ur not looking they'll install a used1 on you. puronic\ ionic products are in fact bacteriostatic and are in fact GREAT... but just not from great southern water treatment\ services llc. I got tired of paying them too. So I searched around and found HD supply and spent near $80.00 and did it myself with some help by my wife. It was kind of hard since my 1st time but no regret. They also tolled me i am good for 5 years. Love it. No more getting ripped off. Good luck, Siavash Saivash; HD Suppy is one type of a distributor(anyone can actually use). I'm curious on what you bought for $80.00 from them though. CARBON for your ionic/puronic system??? good for 5yr's??? You didn't specify what you did. Do you have the IQ series or a F/G model? I assume a Defender Series which is a Fleck System of course with a Bacteriostatic Top Filter... Let me know. We acquired an Ionics Terminator Model IQ1240B Water Conditioner system that was installed March 2005 by previous owner of the business. Puronics (current owner of Ionics) when contacted informed that: Warranty not transferable to us from previous owner. The amounts of waste-water to clean up the steel mineral tank and salt needed in the polypropylene brine tank both depend on the frequency of cleaning the system (looks like the installers had set the frequency once daily, but for normal house-hold type water usage, once a week to once in 10 days clean up should be adequate). The system has 3 media: the hygiene (carbon filter) medium requires change once in 3-5 years depending on usage (Puronics charge including labor $260); the resin medium (S-759) and the silica gravel medium do not need to be replaced. The salt needed for this system is available at Costco and Homedepot (the two places we are aware of). Call a local quality water system (pluming, water heater, etc.) maintenance/repair service to find out how much they will charge for hygiene change. That's what we plan to do. Hey everybody, I'm just wondering if anyone know set # of people in Ionics Water filtration. I read the instruction in the top cover of tank filtration but it was un clear set it up. Mine dont even have the # of people printed in it. Thanks I would like to service our whole-house Ionic IQ series water filtration system myself: as I too do not want to pay the outrageous fees any longer. However: I cannot find any detailed instructions anywhere! Did you have any luck and/or have specific information to share? Thanks. A book that would work would be the Fleck 2510 http://www.pentairwatertreatment.com...al%2040097.pdf The problem is that your piston and seal-spacers are larger than the 2510 but smaller than the 2850 from Fleck... you will need to at least get those parts from them, but the work you can do your self.
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