The things people actually ask before they let us in

Yes, and there is no version of it that becomes chargeable. We come out, run five tests at your kitchen sink, explain the numbers, look at where your water comes into the house, and if equipment makes sense we leave you a written price. You can take all of that and buy nothing.

About twenty minutes. The page on the visit breaks it down step by step with rough timings, because the most common thing people are nervous about is getting stuck in a four hour sit down. That does not happen here.

No. You will not be sat down at your own table until you have agreed to something, and nobody steps into the hallway to call a manager for a better number. Every quote we write is good for a year, so there is no reason to pressure anyone and no advantage to deciding today.

Hardness, iron, chlorine, pH and total dissolved solids. All five are run on your counter, in front of you, on a cold sample drawn from your kitchen tap. Nothing is mailed to a lab.

About 7 grains per gallon at the tap, by the city's own published numbers. That is the figure we compare your own reading against so you can see whether your house is typical for the area or an outlier.

Softeners typically land between $2,800 and $5,500 installed. Drinking water systems start at $1,400 installed. Those are honest ranges for Central Ohio homes, not teaser numbers. Your exact price comes out of your test and goes to you in writing before we leave.

Yes. A typical setup works out to about $77 a month at 0% financing. If you want to see monthly figures they go on the same sheet as the installed price. If you do not want to talk about financing, we will not bring it up twice.

A Kinetico softener has no cord, no timer and no circuit board. It runs on the force of the water moving through it. Practically speaking that means nothing to program, nothing to reset after a storm, and one fewer component that can fail.

A single tank system has to take itself out of service to regenerate, which is why so many are set to run at two in the morning. A twin tank system keeps one tank in service while the other regenerates, so there is no window where the house is running untreated water. It matters most in houses that use water at odd hours.

A timer regenerates on a schedule whether you used water or not. A metered system counts the gallons that actually went through it. A week away does not burn a cycle you did not need, and a house full of guests gets one when it needs one rather than when the calendar says so.

It depends on your hardness number and how much water your house uses, so we will not guess at it here. Because the system regenerates on volume rather than on a clock, it only uses salt after you have actually used water. We will go through what to expect for your house when we go through your results.

They solve different problems. Hardness, spotting, scale and stiff laundry are the softener's job. Taste and odor in a glass at the kitchen sink are the drinking water station's job. Plenty of homes have both complaints and get both, and plenty start with one. Your results make that call easier than a sales conversation does.

Then the test is doing more work, because well water varies house to house in a way city water does not. Iron, sulfur odor and pH all come into it. If something needs handling ahead of the softener we specify it as part of the same job and price it as one number.

Kinetico builds it in Newbury, Ohio. We are the authorized, independent dealer here, which means the manufacturer stands behind the machine and we stand behind everything that happens at your house.

Yes, and it is the same two people. Some of the systems we look after have been running since we opened in 2009. If something is not right after an installation, the Make-It-Right Guarantee means you call us and we come back and put it right.

Columbus and Central Ohio, including Dublin, Westerville, Grove City, Hilliard, Gahanna, Powell, Worthington, Upper Arlington and Reynoldsburg. If your town is not on that list, call and ask rather than assuming. The answer is usually yes.

They are used to schedule and follow up on your visit and nothing else. No mailing lists, no sharing, no reselling. If you decide not to go ahead, one follow up is the most you will hear from us.