[pooh]

I have one, but is it necessary? I don't think so. Had one in CA and decided to go with one here. We use potassium salt and not sodium in it. I only drink the water that is filtered by my fridge, did that before the softner was in, too. Don't care for the taste of the water from the faucet, either before or after the softner and the fridge filter really makes the water taste good to me. It's all a matter of personal preference, but it's not absolutely necessary to have in home water treatment devices installed.