Not exactly - The control valve has been configured for your exact system size and type. The bypass and/or connectors are shipped in the same box as the valve.

The inner distributor is shipped inside the tank and we include a resin/media funnel for you to fill the tank with. The brine tank is completely assembled.

We have learned alot from selling water softeners on the internet since 2007, and one of those things is that tanks are far more likely to break in shipping when full of resin. What a mess! One other thing we have found is that most people prefer to carry a relatively compact 50 lb box of media to the install location within their home than a 75-100 lb oblong cylinder full of media.

We ship most orders from our Dayton, OH warehouse within 1-2 business days after receipt of the order.

Most orders are shipped UPS Ground, and transit time varies based on how far you are from Dayton.

You can see our shipping information and map here >>SHIPPING INFORMATION

Check out our Water Softener Sizing Calculator! You will need to know your water hardness, iron levels (if any) and the number of persons or potential persons in your household.

If you don't know your hardness or iron levels, please feel free to send us a sample. Just be sure to include your contact info so we can reach out once we have tested your water. We will perform a no cost test for hardness, iron, pH and Total Dissolved Solids (TDS).

Send samples to:

Affordablewater.us ATTN Testing, 3211 Dryden Rd, Dayton, OH 45439

Yes! Email us the following: 

(1) Your water hardness and your iron level and pH if well water. 

(2) Water usage per day (maximum). If home or business, how many persons?

(3) Total count of all water using fixtures for a commercial application or number of bathrooms if a home.

The softening resins that we offer are either a high capacity 8% cross-linked type or a 10% cross-liked type (a stronger bead strength) both made in Canada by Aldex with 83% US manufactured products.

Both have been tested and certified by the Water Quality Assn. We do not offer fine mesh resin because (1) it does not last as long and (2) you cannot achieve the same flow rates through this product.

Yes, the tanks, tubing and medias are produced in the US by American companies. Our resin is made in Canada with 83% of the raw materials made in the US.

We buy the components and assemble and ship our systems from our warehouse in Dayton, Ohio.

Pentair has recently decided to outsource the manufacturing of many of their most popular valves, including the Fleck 5600SXT and 5800SXT to Mexico. We will not knowingly buy any major components (Valves/Tanks/Media) made in China.

The warranties of all components are spelled out on each product page. Field service is handled by the buyer.

We use only industry standard medias that are certified by NSF for use in drinking water and we call them by their manufactured names.

Some competitors make up their own brand names so that you cannot compare apples to apples. These companies attempt to disguise their products in an effort to have you believe that they are somehow better than what the industry offers and they are the identical media either in name or performance to what we sell.

We HIGHLY RECOMMEND purchasing a bypass with your softener or filter.

A bypass allows you to have the ability to turn off water supply to the softener without interrupting water supply to your home. The bypasses we sell will connect directly onto the back of the control valve.

You may not need to order a bypass if you already have a "house bypass" that is in good working order and not connected to an old system.

Our available piping connectors are shown on a drop down box on each product link.

You will need to know what size your plumbing is. Lay a ruler or tape measure across the pipe. 3/4" copper or CPVC pipe is 7/8" in diameter. 3/4" PVC would measure 1 & 1/8". 1" copper and CPVC would measure 1 & 1/8" in diameter and PVC would measure 1 & 3/8".

We include a media funnel and a printed instruction sheet.

If you ordered a filter or a commercial water softener then the gravel goes in first and the media second.

We buy resin in one cubic foot bags so if you order a 1.25, 1.5 or 2.5 cu. ft. unit then the partial cubic foot quantities come in a clear bag that you can see through and not the original manufacturer bag.  We supply you the EXACT amount of media you need for your system, so it all goes into the tank.

On twin units, we package the resin so that you do not have to separate it.

We provide gravel as an under layer for filters and commercial water softener but not for residential water softeners as it is not needed.

Note - we have not used gravel in residential softeners since 1965 so we have plenty of experience with this, and are very confident in it's effectiveness.

Don't sweat it - we are here for you! First, refer to the supplied manual, which can also be found online. If you get stuck, give us a call at 877-848-2532, or email us your questions to service@affordablewater.us. 

We put the order in on the website the same way that you do.

You can only use your card three times per day and if the transaction fails then you will have to try again tomorrow.

The three big reasons that your card does not complete a purchase is (1) there were spelling errors when entering the order, (2) your credit card provider flagged the purchase and you will need to contact them or (3) you used a different shipping address then your billing address and that address was not recognized (the message will say AV mismatch).

In any of these events, you might consider using a different card.

Rest assured your card is being processed through a secure payment network (Shopify Payments) and not by us directly. We do not store any credit card information.