Are Kenmore water softeners any good?
They are cheaper than Culligan water softeners, that's for sure.
I can get a cheap LG or Samsung appliance, but the low cost is offset by an appliance that costs as much to repair per year as what I supposedly saved from the purchase price.
The water softeners do soften your water effectively, if that's your question.
I heard the Kenmore intelligent water softeners use a third less water to clean or backwash the resin in the softener.
The LCD screen has a backlight that won't turn off.
I don't think it uses so much power that it offsets the savings of not having hard water crust up your pipes or wear out your dishwasher. And their smarter units optimize water flow to reduce salt usage.
I don't think the extra price for the smarter appliances is offset by the reduced salt usage. Their water softeners only last a few years, which is about as long as the resin in their salt-free softeners last, anyway.
You wear them out just running that much water through the pipes anyway.
Some of their water softeners conk out after a few months, but the greater problem is the leaking.
OK, water leaks can be a problem.
One of the biggest complaints is that they don't regenerate automatically. You have to go down and manually push the button to regenerate it.
I can go downstairs and push a button once or twice a week.
You have to manually set the salt level, though it isn't hard to do.
They have combination water filters and water softeners. That's a financial savings.
The Kenmore Elite hybrid water softener has both a filtration system and water softener for $400 to $800. Their water filter is just activated charcoal mixed in with the resin, which doesn't justify the higher price they charge for units that have it.
Kenmore has water filters and softeners for small households as well as large ones. Their smaller water softeners are around a hundred dollars.
Buy a unit too small for your house and you'll wish you'd lived with hard water.
Obviously you don't have the job cleaning the shower in your house.
