Here’s our Waterboss Water Softener review: a basic, cheap ion exchange water softener that has a mix of both good and bad reviews on Amazon. It’s a decent product, but there are some issues with it according to (some) reviewers.
What is the Waterboss Water Softener? How does it work? Should you buy one for your home?
In this article, we’re going to look at both the Waterboss 900 and Waterboss 700 and evaluate them based on a few different factors:
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Efficacy.
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Price.
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What everyone else is saying (compiling positive and negative reviews from various sources, wherever the unit is most popular.).
Waterboss 900 Review
Pros
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Designed with large families in mind. Little to no flow restriction because you’re running multiple faucets and/or taps at once.
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The Waterboss 900 reduces ferrous iron, filter dirt, and sediment up to 10 parts per million.
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A decently effective, reasonably priced unit at just $500-700..
Cons
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The Waterboss 900 will likely waste anywhere from 800-1200lbs of salt in the calendar year, as well as ~5k gallons of water.
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Mix of positive and negative reviews.
The Waterboss 900 Series is designed with large families in mind. This model can soften up to 90 grains per gallon according to the website, which is very likely more than you’ll ever need.
The Waterboss 900 is, however, an ion exchange water softener. That means that, during the regeneration process, it will use 27 gallons of water and 6lbs of salt in order to regenerate the resin so that it will still attract magnesium and calcium. In order to keep the resin as fresh as possible, it’s a good idea for the model to regenerate at least once every couple days. That means, during the calendar year, you’ll have to buy roughly 1,095lbs of salt.
What’s Everyone Saying about the Waterboss 900?
The Waterboss 900 has a little under 400 reviews on Home Depot, with a mix of very negative and very positive reviews. Here’s the positive, from reviewers Charlie and HappyWithRefrigerator, respectively:
So, when Waterboss works, it works. The problem is that there are an overwhelming number of negative reviews, as well. The most helpful review features a video where the Waterboss 900, upon finishing its first regeneration, leaks the resin into the owner’s (Reclinermjs’) toilet, faucet, shower, and water heater:
Here’s his Waterboss water softener review: “This product either works or it doesn’t. This one didn’t.... It was a nightmare.”
Other negative reviews show a consistent theme: heavy leaks, occasional floods, and overall dysfunctional units.
If you decide to buy the Waterboss 900, then, in order to avoid any serious issues, keep a close eye on it after installation (and the first regeneration) to know that you aren’t experiencing any abnormalities. Problems can always arise from a shoddy installation, and not the unit itself. Better to be safe than sorry.
Waterboss 700 Water Softener Review
The Waterboss 700 is a smaller whole house water softening unit.
It largely has all of the same features as the Waterboss 900:
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Iron filtering
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Made in the USA
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Reduces ferrous iron and sediment up to 10 parts per million.
The biggest difference is that the Model 700 can only filter hard water up to 70 grains per gallon, which is a little bit less than the Waterboss 900.
Pros
However, that’s likely more than you will ever need. Most people don’t have hard water problems in excess of 50 grains per gallon. After a certain point, it becomes more than a nagging issue -- and it’s probably something everyone in the community experiences.
So, whether you go with the Waterboss 700 or the Waterboss 900, you’ll be in pretty good hands. As we’ve mentioned before, the systems are sufficient when it comes to ion exchange water softening. Waterboss boasts that the Waterboss 700 is the go-to solution for 95% of hard water problems.
It’s a 22,000-grain capacity system that costs a little bit less than the Waterboss 900.
Cons
However, the Waterboss 700 also uses a good amount of salt and wastewater during the regeneration process, which increases your maintenance costs considerably.
It’s not as much as the Waterboss 900, so between the two, it’s best to go for the one that’s less wasteful.
The Waterboss 700 uses only 16 gallons of water and 2.5lbs of salt per regeneration. Additionally, each regeneration only takes about 20 minutes, which means you probably won’t even notice it.
If your Waterboss 700 runs a regeneration cycle once every two days, that’s only 300-400lbs of salt and 3,000 gallons of water.
What’s Everyone Saying about the Waterboss 700?
The Waterboss 700 has much better reviews than the Waterboss 900 on Home Depot’s website. It only has 30 1-star reviews, and over 140 5-star reviews.
Naturally, there isn’t the same pattern of poor reviews. Of the most helpful reviews, most of them are five stars, and roughly 81% of people recommend the product.
With that said, there are still a handful of negative reviews, usually related to improper assembly of a particular unit or some serious installation problems that result in flooding. Since ion exchange systems need a discharge valve, an electrical source, and more maintenance than template assisted crystallization softeners, expect some issues with installation. Things that are more complicated to install invariably result in more installation problems.
Waterboss Price and Costs
Waterboss prices range from $350 for the 20,000 grains up to $500 for the larger units. You can find these systems at most big box hardware stores as well as online sometime and with free shipping. There are also some authorized dealers but they will have higher pricing to accommodate installation costs. From there, you would also be looking at monthly salt expenses ranging from 10-20 dollars a month depending on the hardness and water usage.
Conclusion: Waterboss Water Softener Review
Both the Waterboss 700 and 900 are decent ion exchange systems with a pretty good track record. For the majority of hard water problems in your house, go with the 700. Even Waterboss recommends it for 95% of hard water issues -- the 900 is probably just overkill, and it has a lot more negative reviews than the 700.
If you want an alternative to either of them, though, with less maintenance and less waste, and use no salt check out the Filtersmart and our eco-friendly salt-free systems.
