How much do YOU pay for water softener salt?

[BBE]

How much is everyone paying for salt for their water softeners? Do you get the 3-4 dollar bags at home depot and fill them yourself? Or pay the premium for the 10 dollar a bag 99.9% pure stuff.

Has anyone ran into dirty brine tank problems down the road using the cheap softener salt from a hardware store?

 

[mmurra]

We use clean salt from local stores for about $4.50/50lb bag.

 

[cdreed06]

We use Morton's from Sams Club. $3.78/50 lb bag at the store we usually go to. Price fluctuates between stores.

 

[PaulLovesJamie]

Mortons salt from Sams club.

 

[Jeff_L]

Mormons from lowes, they give a vet discount there on everything. I think it ends up being $4.50/bag.

 

[MEP001]

Morton's from Sam's, $3.78/40 lb. bag.

 

[2Biz]

Do you get the 3-4 dollar bags at home depot and fill them yourself? Or pay the premium for the 10 dollar a bag 99.9% pure stuff.

I use Mortons from Sams or where-ever I can find it when I need it. Its not a major expense....I usually get enough to last a year, anywhere from $3.89 to $4.50 for a 40 lb bag.

I'm curious, what do you mean, "Do you get the 3-4 dollar bags at home depot and fill them yourself? Or pay the premium for the 10 dollar a bag 99.9% pure stuff"? I've only seen a few different brands of Softener Pellets. They all come in 40 LB plastic bags.......

 

[soapy]

I buy mine locally from a trucking company by the pallet. It is usually under $3 per bag. It is Morton salt from the Great Salt Lake.

 

[BBE]

I use Mortons from Sams or where-ever I can find it when I need it. Its not a major expense....I usually get enough to last a year, anywhere from $3.89 to $4.50 for a 40 lb bag.

I'm curious, what do you mean, "Do you get the 3-4 dollar bags at home depot and fill them yourself? Or pay the premium for the 10 dollar a bag 99.9% pure stuff"? I've only seen a few different brands of Softener Pellets. They all come in 40 LB plastic bags.......

This stuff is what our local water softening company offers. It's 10 dollars a bag, they toute it as being more pure than store bought salt, and that over a year to 18 months time, the store bought will accumulate residue in the brine tank and cause you to lose volume until it is shoveled out

http://www.cargill.com/salt/products/water/pros-pick/pros-pick-solar-salt/index.jsp

 

[chaz]

I'm at Costco often enough, I just crab a few 50lb bags each time. I looked at delivery a while back and the price was about the same, based on full skid, but then I would have to restack all those bags at once. I've never had a brine issue in 8 years, no way will I pay $10 a bag for salt.

 

[MEP001]

That Solar Salt is NOT more pure than Morton's, and it doesn't have additives that extend the life of the resin.

I recently had to remove the brine tank, and after 11 years there was absolutely no buildup at the bottom. I've serviced units running Solar Salt and have seen a couple inches after just a year.

 

[cantbreak80]

$10 per bag!!!??? They probably have your dosage set to 24 lbs per cubic foot, too! Criminals.

I used the cheapest “Solar Salt” I could find for 10 years. I could see that the salt was dirty and that the brine always looked like the puddle on my driveway. But for $2.50/50lb bag, who cares what the brine looks like?

I never had any brinemaker or softener issues. But, one day when I had nothing better to do I decided to clean out that now cruddy-looking brine tank. The 10 years of silt at the bottom was probably 2” thick!

Then, after downsizing, I no longer owned a truck so the trip to buy a pallet of salt was no longer an option. Now I buy Morton’s from my nearby Sam’s Club for $3.75/40lb bag.

Pros:
1. I’m no longer plum-wore-out after unloading an entire pallet of salt from my truck into the equipment room.
2. I’ve got lots more room in the equipment room so I bought a little refrigerator and put it where the stacks of salt used to be.
3. My little refrigerator holds just the right amount of beer so I don’t have to stop at the liquor store nearly as often.
4. I haven’t even thought about cleaning out the brinemaker for the last 10 years.

Cons:
1. It costs $1.07 more per regeneration than before. What’s that…$200.00 more per year?
2. I think too much about what else to do when I’ve got nothing to do.
3. I drink more cold beer when I’m at the car wash.

 

[vinh]

I buy from lowes and sometime home depot. Everytime I go there I stop by to buy 3 to 4 bags per month. I buy the broken bag and ask for a discount. Usually get it for about $2 a bag. Currently it cause $4.50/bag. A penny save is a penny earn.

 

[MEP001]

Cons:
3. I drink more cold beer when I’m at the car wash.

Sure that's a con?

 

[2Biz]

I drink more cold beer when I’m at the car wash.

I can think of several reasons this isn't a "Con"....

1. Easier to deal with the public after you've had a few!
2. You don't get near as ****ed when you twist off that old main gate valve stem and your wash will be down for hours.
3. Truck bed washers, here let me help you!
4. Mudders, I love cleaning up mud!
5. Oh you caught the hose on your mirror and broke the wand, no problem. I'll just put up the cone and fix it after I have a few more cold ones! Etc....Etc...

 

[cantbreak80]

Sure that's a con?

1. Performing the roadside "heal and toe" is difficult enough...especially with a pocket full of quarters assisting your imbalance.
2. Trying to convince the Deputy that the wads of $20s in your car is NOT drug money...(especially here in cannabis country)
3. Remembering "Righty tighty - Lefty loosey"
4. "HEY!!! Free Washes for Everybody!!!"

 

[2Biz]

OK.OK...I see where that could cause you a lot of trouble. A Con it is!