Renee
Kinetico has provided us with frothy, salt water
We bought a home with a 5-year old Kinetico water softener. The water in the house would come out frothy and SUPER salty. We had Kinetico come and service it. They said that the issue was that we needed to replace the PRV out by the street, which would cost $1,000. We had a non-Kinetico plumber come out to change out the PRV and see if he could help solve the softener issue. The first thing he pointed out was that the Kinetico filter hadn't been changed in what looked like years - yet the Kinetico service peeps had been there "servicing" the system just a few days earlier. He noted that he wouldn't touch a Kinetico system, but he showed us how to change the filter and charged $200 to replace the PRV. (One fifth the price of Kinetico.) That PRV and filter change made no difference in the salt water issue, so we had Kinetico come out again. (Another $250 even though it was under warranty.) They came out again and replaced some small components in the system head, BUT also said that they recommend that we replace the system with one of their newer models because our warranty was about to expire AND the salt would probably return. The new system would be ~$7,500 if we bought it before our warranty expired. It would be more expensive if we waited a month (after the expiration date). Three weeks later the salty water returned - extreme frothy, salty water. When taking a shower, it is as if we are bathing with ocean water. I generally wash my face afterward with bottled water to get the salt off my lips. Obviously, we can't drink the water like that. So if you crave salt water and want a softener that will last less than 5 years and want to pay $250 per service call (when under warranty) Kinetico is the choice for you. It has been disappointing. We are replacing the system with a less expensive and hopefully more reliable system.