Because we’re on a well, our water is very hard, so a water softener isn’t optional around here, it’s mandatory. In 2015 we replaced the mid-1980s unit that came with the house, but that replacement kept having issues with parts breaking–leaky junctions and busted impellers.
So in April 2025, we replaced it with a unit from US Water Systems, installed by our usual plumbers, Able. It’s a “smart” unit with an app that lets you view stats on the softener, including daily usage, average usage and peak flow, and a graph of what times of day the water gets used. It also reports when the softener needs to regenerate. So far we’re quite happy with it.