I've finally had enough of our hard water. Actually, I've had enough of my better half complaining about the lack of soapy suds and loss of body in her hair. This is especially true after a hotel stay..."See! This is how a shower should be!" I digress.
I've decided to buy an Aquasure water softener from Home Depot (through AAFES for a nice discount, free delivery, and tax-free). Since I have never done an installation like this, I decided to get a quote from a local plumbing company I've used before for emergency repair of an outdoor spigot.
The dude came by and explained that it was pretty easy. My main water line (3/4" PEX) enters the garage near the opening. He said it's mainly a matter of tapping into that line and looping it to the machine and back into the line. Not bad. I've already installed a new power outlet near that location, so it looks pretty straightforward.
I specifically asked about the drain and how that's accomplished. He told me the most common method is to run a drain line up the wall, across the attic, and back down into the washing machine drain box. Since that run is about 10 feet up, about 20 feet over, and then about 8 feet down, I asked if the pump has enough power to push the drainage across that distance, and he said "Sure...it pushes at about 20-25 PSI, and the main concern is pumping it up the wall. After that, gravity takes over." Fair enough.
Since I floored most of my attic a few years ago, I told him I'd prefer to run the drain line myself. I'd have to move a bunch of crap, pull up some of the floor, and then run the line. He said that would actually save a bunch of money and recommended I use 1/2" PEX-B for that line. Great. I actually did this job yesterday as we had a 65-degree day in South Texas.
My problem - or so I think - is the quote. The company came up with $1250.00 ($925.00 labor, $300.00 materials, and about $25.00 in tax). I know labor rates are nuts these days, but this seems quite extreme to me.
I would normally, without hesitation, do the whole job myself. Buying the proper connectors (probably Sharkbite) and a few feet of extra PEX seems like a bargain in comparison.
The only issue I foresee is completing the drain line into the washer's water box. Do the box (and spigots) have to be removed to fish the line down from the attic? Or do I just bore a 3/4" hole in the top of that box and try to run a fish line up into the attic? I really don't know how they'd handle this step.
My other option is to grab a few more quotes from local plumbers. I could see paying about 500 bones for this labor, but not a grand.
Am I all wet (pardon the pun)? Opinions are helpful here, thanks!
Here are pics of my water line entering the garage (the white PEX is the drain line I ran yesterday) and the water box in the laundry room.
I've decided to buy an Aquasure water softener from Home Depot (through AAFES for a nice discount, free delivery, and tax-free). Since I have never done an installation like this, I decided to get a quote from a local plumbing company I've used before for emergency repair of an outdoor spigot.
The dude came by and explained that it was pretty easy. My main water line (3/4" PEX) enters the garage near the opening. He said it's mainly a matter of tapping into that line and looping it to the machine and back into the line. Not bad. I've already installed a new power outlet near that location, so it looks pretty straightforward.
I specifically asked about the drain and how that's accomplished. He told me the most common method is to run a drain line up the wall, across the attic, and back down into the washing machine drain box. Since that run is about 10 feet up, about 20 feet over, and then about 8 feet down, I asked if the pump has enough power to push the drainage across that distance, and he said "Sure...it pushes at about 20-25 PSI, and the main concern is pumping it up the wall. After that, gravity takes over." Fair enough.
Since I floored most of my attic a few years ago, I told him I'd prefer to run the drain line myself. I'd have to move a bunch of crap, pull up some of the floor, and then run the line. He said that would actually save a bunch of money and recommended I use 1/2" PEX-B for that line. Great. I actually did this job yesterday as we had a 65-degree day in South Texas.
My problem - or so I think - is the quote. The company came up with $1250.00 ($925.00 labor, $300.00 materials, and about $25.00 in tax). I know labor rates are nuts these days, but this seems quite extreme to me.
I would normally, without hesitation, do the whole job myself. Buying the proper connectors (probably Sharkbite) and a few feet of extra PEX seems like a bargain in comparison.
The only issue I foresee is completing the drain line into the washer's water box. Do the box (and spigots) have to be removed to fish the line down from the attic? Or do I just bore a 3/4" hole in the top of that box and try to run a fish line up into the attic? I really don't know how they'd handle this step.
My other option is to grab a few more quotes from local plumbers. I could see paying about 500 bones for this labor, but not a grand.
Am I all wet (pardon the pun)? Opinions are helpful here, thanks!
Here are pics of my water line entering the garage (the white PEX is the drain line I ran yesterday) and the water box in the laundry room.
I must fix it some day !!