EcoWater Treatment Systems Review: How Do They Stack Up?
Looking for an EcoWater Review? In this article, we’re going to review a few EcoWater water treatment systems, going over price, features, and more.
First, we’ll be looking at a couple of the most popular EcoWater systems:
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EcoPure 6000
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ECR3702 Series
EcoWater as a Brand: Costco Big Business
EcoWater is the water softening brand that’s available at Costco, one of the USA’s biggest grocery retailers.
Lynn G. Lindsay founded EcoWater in 1925 when he patented a residential automatic water softener. The company went on to make some significant improvements to their systems over the next fifty years, including iron filtering and more efficient regeneration.
The Marmon Group, an industrial holding company, bought EcoWater in 1981, and now they’re owned by Berkshire Hathaway, along with a number of other subsidiary companies. The Marmon Group is currently undergoing the process of selling the rest of their companies to Berkshire Hathaway. The process began in 2013 when Berkshire purchased 60% of the Marmon Group.
EcoPure 6000 Review
The EcoPure 6000, according to EcoWater’s website, is “the perfect, low cost solution” to taking care of your hard water needs. As the most accessible and lowest-priced EcoWater system, we’ll start there.
The EcoPure 6000 Series is available in the following grain capacities:
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EP6225 (Twin Tank) 28,700 grain capacity
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EP6130 (Single Tank) 30,200 grain capacity
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EP 6245 (Twin Tank) 45,400 grain capacity
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EP 6260 (Twin Tank) 61,400 grain capacity
So, they have something for just about every size home. It’s unlikely that even the biggest homes (or even commercial facilities) will need something beyond a 61,400 grain capacity. Furthermore, the systems come with a 1 year full warranty and 10 year limited warranty. Beyond that, they have all the basics that you would expect out of a salt-based ion exchange water softening system, including a high efficiency setting and as-needed regeneration.
Most water softeners cost anywhere from $500-$4000, including installation. So, what does this EcoWater system cost?
Unfortunately, it isn’t listed on their website. This is almost always a red flag. Instead, there’s a phone number for you to schedule a consultation with a sales representative. It can be a somewhat jarring experience to invite a high-pressure salesperson into your home without any background knowledge on how much these systems usually cost, and unless you know someone personally who purchased a system from the EcoPure 6000 line, you’re not going to have a great idea.
Our advice, then, would be to research some other possible options and price points. That way, if you’re interested in an EcoWater system, at least you won’t come into negotiations empty handed.
EcoWater ECR3702 Review
The EcoWater ECR3702 has an interesting feature that isn’t common to a lot of other water softeners of its kind: a smart phone app that allows you to monitor water use.
This way, if your water softener is malfunctioning or using too much water, you can receive a notification that alerts you to these issues.
While it’s a neat addition, is it necessary? For most people, probably not.
The ECR3702 is a two-tank system with a host of other features, though. That includes a “multi-wrap fiberglass-reinforced resin tank” as well as “washed quartz underbedding.”
EcoWater Systems: Pros and Cons
EcoWater, as we mentioned before, is the go-to brand featured at Costco. If you look for water softeners at Costco, you’re almost guaranteed to get matched with an EcoWater representative (salesperson) who will come to your home to give you a free in-home consultation. In exchange, if you end up buying an EcoWater system, you can receive a Costco cash card worth up to $500.
At first, that might seem like a great deal. Until, of course, you realize that it’s incredibly difficult to find the exact prices of certain systems in the lineup.
We’ve talked about this before in previous articles. Even though Costco offers a steep discount, if the system is out of your range overall, it doesn’t make sense to go with the higher-end, higher-cost option when there are others on the market. One buyer from Orange County, California was quoted for $5000 on the system. Even after the $500 back, that’s still much more than you’ll pay for a lot of other water softeners.
What Do People Say about EcoWater Systems?
In that thread, you can find a number of opinions, ranging from disgruntled customers to fans of other water softening systems. The biggest complaint seems to be with the salesforce in particular, not necessarily the systems themselves.
For example, Raphaella said:
“Total Ripoff. Be very cautious. No satisfaction guarantee offered.
We just bought EcoWater system through Costco and I am now regretting it deeply. I did not do my research because I trust Costco, but this is a total mistake that will destroy our pipes system in the house. Ecowater uses salt as a media to remove hard minerals from your water, but unfortunately this old technology comes with a number of disadvantages…”
Another reviewer said that the rep “is very pushy and I reported it to the company. She promised a Costco cash card for $1,000 from Costco which is untrue. I contacted Costco and they basically said, if it's not in writing its not true.”
Conclusion: Is EcoWater Worth It?
EcoWater water softening systems offer a number of neat features, including a smart phone app that allows you to monitor your salt and water usage.
The water softeners themselves are probably just fine, but the major drawback for many prospective customers appears to be a pushy salesforce and unclear up-front costs. When you combine the two, you have a recipe for disaster.
You wouldn’t show up to a car lot and trust the salesman with the first price he offers. When it comes to water softeners, it’s likely you have even less background knowledge, making it harder for you to negotiate.
A True Eco-Friendly Water Treatment System:
If you’re interested in researching other options, FilterSmart has a line of salt-free water conditioners and whole-house filters available here. You may live in an area where salt-based ion-exchange softeners (like the ones sold by EcoWater) are actually illegal, so it makes sense to look into some conditioners, as well.
Questions? Concerns? Feel free to get in touch:
Call us: 866.455.9989
Email us: sales@filtersmart.com
