[Silversurfer007]

Hi,

I’m looking to have a whole house system put in and would like to know what systems are used and the reliability of the unit and company.

Thank you

[villagetinker]

I have used Sears systems for over 50 years and everyone went beyond the rated 10 year warranty, no idea what I am going to use now, these were all DIY and all were great. The current system is a water softener and whole house filter, going on 10.5 years.

[PJ_Smiley]

installed Nova in 3 homes. In one home removed Pelican and installed Nova.

[dori2002]

Stay away from NOVA. You have been warned.

[BubblesandPat]

Originally Posted by dori2002

Stay away from NOVA. You have been warned.

Nova is what everyone recommended to us... I was wondering if people recommended them because its just who everyone uses... would love to hear more. Feel free to PM..

[jrref]

Water treatment systems in general are overpriced. People move to the Villages and tend to get all crazy about water and fall "hook-line-and-sinker" for the water person's sales pitch. The residential water treatment systems all basically use the same process for filtration and softening but you tend to pay way more for systems like Pelican. I'm not saying that their systems are not good, they are very good but you are paying more and may not be getting any better water.

I have the Nova filter and water softener installed now for almost 3 years and have had zero problems. I test my water and all is good. No matter what company you go with, here is what you need to know. Here in the Villages our domestic water supply is very good. No heavy metals or other dangerous contaminants at levels that we need to worry about. But we do get a lot of sediment and the water treatment folks use a LOT of chlorine in the water and it varies day to day and week to week. That said, you first want a three stage water filter system to remove the sediment and chlorine in the water. Nova and other systems use sediment and carbon block filters to accomplish this. If you are a DIY'r you can get an Express Water filter from Amazon for example but if you are not handy, call a professional like Nova.

Since our water is slightly hard, you may want in addition to get a water softener. Salt systems are mostly used but there are other more exotic systems that you can get that don't use salt. Either way, you can get a water softener in a single unit or in what I call separates where you have separate resin and brine tanks. They both work the same, just different physical setup. So you might say what's the difference? The difference is price, installation, reliability, and responsiveness of the company you use. Nova and Pelican have been installing systems in the Villages for many years. Are there installation and or maintenance problems from time to time, yes, but that's just the way it is. I've heard of people with single unit water softeners having the embedded carbon filter go bad, the resin going bad, all kinds of failures over time. I've heard of people claiming their water filtration system leaked but only to find out their hot water expansion tank went bad and the pressure in the house went way above normal causing the problem. The point is, there are lots of "stories and experiences" but we often don't hear about all the background and just assume. At the end of the day there is no "perfect" system. Everything installed in your home needs to be monitored and maintained from time to time.

What I can tell you from experience is the owner of Nova lives here in the Villages and has done research to customize their system to our water to get the most efficiency out of the system. They are also very responsive in my experience and easy to just call them to do the work and you are done. They can also come out once a year and replace your filters and they are reasonibly priced. For a Villager they provide a good service that's easy to use which is why many in the Villages use them. When they come to do the install they will also check your hot water expansion tank and pressures if you have one to make sure it's working as well. Their system also has easy to read pressure gauges that you can check from time to time to make sure the water pressure in your home is normal.

You can also go to Home Depot, Lowes, online or Amazon and get a system but it needs to be installed by a plumber and you are then responsible to deal with the water softener company and the plumber if something goes wrong.

I tend to perfer a system configured in "separates" like Nova installs vs the single unit that Pelican and other's install because of ease of maintenance. Also, what most don't know is in a single unit, on most systems there is a embedded carbon filter in the softener. Chlorine damages the resin so you want to filter that out first. These manufactureds say the carbon filter will last so there is no need to change it but in reality, I'm not sure that's true and you would need to test your water for chlorine at least once a year to verify this. This is why I like the three stage filtration system ahead of the softener. Every year to 18 months you just change the filter cartridges, (you can do this yourself), and you know you have a fresh new filter media and there is no guessing on what's going on.

Water filtration and softening is not "rocket science" and anyone coming in you home and testing your water and telling you it's really bad here in the Villages is not being truthful. So I hope all this information helps you make a more informed decision on how to proceed with water filtration and softening here in the Villages.

[TedfromGA]

I recommend Nova - reasonable cost, separate components for maintenance, responsive on service needs.

We installed Nova filters & water softener for the whole house 7 years ago when we moved in. The water softener is potassium based vs salt based. The potassium softener is healthier and the discharge is not harmful to landscape/lawn. Unfourtney potassium is more expensive than the salt.

Our water has a hardness of 15 graines which is extreme. The Nova system brings it down to 0 graines. When we moved in 7 years ago (house 10 years old at that time) we noticed all the water fixtures, toilets, and mirrors (splatter from the sinks) had noticeable calcium deposits which we had to scrub off with CLR. That is not an issue now.

Probably the biggest benefit from the Nova system is the water taste - there isn't any!

[metoo21]

We had Nova install their filter and softener system in 2 houses here. The individual parts (3 pre filters, resin tank and salt tank) is the best system IMO - especially for the price. Some people install just the softener and with our water that has sediment, this sediment can clog the resin in the softener tank causing it to prematurely need replacing. And as others have stated, chlorine also damages the resin. The pre filters are easily changed but I let Nova bring and replace them annually.

Don't be fooled. "Potassium" systems are still salt systems. It is potassium chloride. When most people think of salt, they think of table salt which is sodium chloride. There are endless salt compositions but the potassium chloride and sodium chloride are the 2 used to regenerate the resin in softeners. During regeneration, the water is dispensed usually in the landscape, the lawn or down the driveway. Either can damage concrete. Sodium chloride will kill plants. Potassium chloride is actually good for plants.

My softener drain is plumbed to a downspout that empties next to the curb so not much gets in the grass. I use sodium chloride. The cost savings over potassium chloride has more than paid for extending the downspout. Sodium chloride is about $9/ 40 lb bag and potassium chloride is about $40/ 40 lb bag. Both do the same job regenerating the resin. Some people are concerned about a possible sodium intake due to their health but it really doesn't add any significant amount of sodium to your drinking water. We use about 4 bags a year.

[PugMom]

Pegasus, Rte 301, Wildwood. great customer service, will even deliver, for a fee

[PugMom]

Originally Posted by jrref

Water treatment systems in general are overpriced. People move to the Villages and tend to get all crazy about water and fall "hook-line-and-sinker" for the water person's sales pitch. The residential water treatment systems all basically use the same process for filtration and softening but you tend to pay way more for systems like Pelican. I'm not saying that their systems are not good, they are very good but you are paying more and may not be getting any better water.

I have the Nova filter and water softener installed now for almost 3 years and have had zero problems. I test my water and all is good. No matter what company you go with, here is what you need to know. Here in the Villages our domestic water supply is very good. No heavy metals or other dangerous contaminants at levels that we need to worry about. But we do get a lot of sediment and the water treatment folks use a LOT of chlorine in the water and it varies day to day and week to week. That said, you first want a three stage water filter system to remove the sediment and chlorine in the water. Nova and other systems use sediment and carbon block filters to accomplish this. If you are a DIY'r you can get an Express Water filter from Amazon for example but if you are not handy, call a professional like Nova.

Since our water is slightly hard, you may want in addition to get a water softener. Salt systems are mostly used but there are other more exotic systems that you can get that don't use salt. Either way, you can get a water softener in a single unit or in what I call separates where you have separate resin and brine tanks. They both work the same, just different physical setup. So you might say what's the difference? The difference is price, installation, reliability, and responsiveness of the company you use. Nova and Pelican have been installing systems in the Villages for many years. Are there installation and or maintenance problems from time to time, yes, but that's just the way it is. I've heard of people with single unit water softeners having the embedded carbon filter go bad, the resin going bad, all kinds of failures over time. I've heard of people claiming their water filtration system leaked but only to find out their hot water expansion tank went bad and the pressure in the house went way above normal causing the problem. The point is, there are lots of "stories and experiences" but we often don't hear about all the background and just assume. At the end of the day there is no "perfect" system. Everything installed in your home needs to be monitored and maintained from time to time.

What I can tell you from experience is the owner of Nova lives here in the Villages and has done research to customize their system to our water to get the most efficiency out of the system. They are also very responsive in my experience and easy to just call them to do the work and you are done. They can also come out once a year and replace your filters and they are reasonibly priced. For a Villager they provide a good service that's easy to use which is why many in the Villages use them. When they come to do the install they will also check your hot water expansion tank and pressures if you have one to make sure it's working as well. Their system also has easy to read pressure gauges that you can check from time to time to make sure the water pressure in your home is normal.

You can also go to Home Depot, Lowes, online or Amazon and get a system but it needs to be installed by a plumber and you are then responsible to deal with the water softener company and the plumber if something goes wrong.

I tend to perfer a system configured in "separates" like Nova installs vs the single unit that Pelican and other's install because of ease of maintenance. Also, what most don't know is in a single unit, on most systems there is a embedded carbon filter in the softener. Chlorine damages the resin so you want to filter that out first. These manufactureds say the carbon filter will last so there is no need to change it but in reality, I'm not sure that's true and you would need to test your water for chlorine at least once a year to verify this. This is why I like the three stage filtration system ahead of the softener. Every year to 18 months you just change the filter cartridges, (you can do this yourself), and you know you have a fresh new filter media and there is no guessing on what's going on.

Water filtration and softening is not "rocket science" and anyone coming in you home and testing your water and telling you it's really bad here in the Villages is not being truthful. So I hope all this information helps you make a more informed decision on how to proceed with water filtration and softening here in the Villages.

they were just so darn pushy, - we got repeated visits from salesmen who automatically assumed we'd buy. that was the main reason i avoided them when ready to shop

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by bob47

With Pelican, I understand you replace the sediment filter maybe yearly and the carbon maybe every 5 years. Do you ever have to replace the resin bed?

It's based on gallons used.
I'm 10 years into mine and I'm not even 1/2 thru.

[tophcfa]

We just drink and cook with gallon jugs of spring water from Publix. For the cost of installing a treatment system, and periodically replacing the filters, it would take practically forever for the cost of the water to become more expensive. Whenever we drive to our Florida home from up north we bring a couple 5 gallon containers of our delicious untreated water from our 300 foot deep well. That well water is about the only thing from up north that I ever miss when we go to the Villages.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by PugMom

Pegasus, Rte 301, Wildwood. great customer service, will even deliver, for a fee

Same here. Our re-sale came with a Pegasus system. We were using KCL, but it upset my wife's and the dog's lower GI system. We switched to NACL. Much cheaper and easier on the gut...

[villagetinker]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

Same here. Our re-sale came with a Pegasus system. We were using KCL, but it upset my wife's and the dog's lower GI system. We switched to NACL. Much cheaper and easier on the gut...

I do not understand the dog and your wife's problems. I periodically check our system, and I have never found salt in the house water, I am guessing that your system is malfunctioning. You can get a simple test kit from the pet store in the fish section.

[Travelhunter123]

Originally Posted by PJ_Smiley

installed Nova in 3 homes. In one home removed Pelican and installed Nova.

I second Nova
Incredible system
Family owned
Live in the villages
I have had it for seven years
The other companies like Pelican send commissioned salesman to your home and attempt to sell way over reasonable retail