Customer Reviews for Rheem 32,000 Grain Preferred Home Water Softener for Hard Water and Iron Reduction

I had the same problem as many others: NINE months after installation, I had a sudden salt tank leak, flooding my garage floor/carpet. BUT HERE IS THE KICKER: Despite it being Rheem, they are TERRIBLE TERRIBLE warranty support! It is now 10 days and 6 phone calls later, and their warranty team has still not begin handling this claim!!!! DO NOT DO IT!!!!!!

This will be my second call to customer service for a warranty issue. This is the second time the resin tank has failed at the connecting ring on the top of the tank. I have had my plumber check the house inlet pressure and it is within the range required by the manufacturer.

Bought Rheem RHS32 water softener Aug 2022. After 1 year, tank neck spontaneously cracked, causing major water leak and resin bead release. Rheem sent replacement, but recent Home Depot reviews indicate recurring issues of this exact nature. Presents a very real flooding and catastrophic damage risk. Caution: potential design flaw and multiple same-day spammy 5-star reviews. (See review from user "Rheem")

Purchased 10/23/22. Tank neck busted this weekend covered under warranty, but pump in basement couldn't keep up with the amount of water. Furniture ruined. Water was running up to 4 hours possibly so can't wait to see what water bill looks like. Also just put $20 worth of salt it in. They can replace the unit but doesn't help with the extra money it will cost us due to the malfunction of their tank after 10 months! And how do we know it won't happen again!

I bought this product in June, 21 2022. We have leakking problem in August 6, 2023. What is warranty and how to reach support team?

We purchased this in Oct 2022. Tank neck busted while we weren't home and there was so much water flowing that our subpump couldn't keep up and we had water in our basement which ruined some furniture. They are sending another not confident it won't happen again. The water was running for up to 4 hours while we were gone so can't wait see that water bill plus the money we just lost on new salt we purchased this weekend. Disappointed they can't do more to cover the loses.

After a professional installation this softener did not work properly. We had this installed in a brand new shop, with new water lines, pressure tank and well. What appeared to be black specks/sediment was present in our water. The water also has a brown tint to it... water running from the well is clear and good quality. Customer service was friendly, but had no resolve. they sent me several emails requiring more info which I was happy to provide. Very unhappy. I just want a refund.

The machine requires frequent flush outs which amount to 75-100 gallons of water per cycle. Typically twice a month the machine automatically runs the flush. Add to this the 8-10 bags of salt / per year. Also, consider this unit is an open system. no safety in the event it malfunctions or parts break leading to a constant gush of water pouring from the unit. luckily I was home when this happened. Then good luck with customer service, they simply send you a "new unit " only for it to be refurbished or a warehouse reject unit. Twice they sent replacement units, both having clear damage. They hand out replacements like candy and leaving the customer to deal with the old units.

Easy install, fair price considering other units are substantially more (and replacing a unit that was double the price, softness is still achieved).

The Rheem water softener does not work properly. You don't feel softened hands after showering. The cover of the unit was in defective condition when opening the box. The customer services was set in a complicated process, you won't get an immediate attention or action to respond to your request.

Purchased this in September of 2022. So not even a full year. Was called downstairs by my daughter that reported water leaking everywhere. Came across the top of water softener that somehow just exploded from a likely cheaper/inferior part on an integral and critical connection to the upper manifold area. Wife is on the phone now trying to get ahold of someone. Thank God the immediate area was unfinished, but areas of flooring and trim are toast. Not sure we will try this brand ever again.

salt tank lid crack in the back top of tank called Rheem they are making good and very satified with results he assured me the crack will not affect operation of system. Will have to wait and see.

I was looking for a replacement for an Eco-Water unit that was 20 years old. I didn't want to change the plumbing if I didn't have to so I found that this unit was nearly the same dimensions as the Eco-water. I didn't have to make any changes whatsoever even though this unit's case is several inches taller. I have had it in place for several weeks and it does a great job softening the water and has not had to recharge since the initial installation.

First time I've owned a water softener and was surprised how the water seemed to taste better with no "salty" flavor. I did find some loose parts in the box which took me a while to figure where they came from using the on line parts diagram. Installation was pretty easy but be careful of crosstheads when attaching the adaptors to the nylon bypass as it is very easy to do.

I purchased and installed this unit myself. So far everything is working just fine. Installation wasn’t too bad. The only issue I had was threading on the metal threaded end of the shark bite onto the plastic bypass valve. I had to be very careful not to cross thread the plastic valve. The unit has been operational for over a week now. Fingers crossed everything stays the same

Terrible so far! The pvc pipes that came with it cracked over night! Flooded my basement… plumber came out and replaced with new pieces, and it blew again in less then 12 hours! Day 3 of owning and we replaced everything with copper! If that doesn’t work it is going back to Depot!

I replaced a 20 year old 2 piece unit with this Rheem and it is perfect. I'm not a plumber but installation was straight forward using shark bite connectors and PEX pipe. It is heavy but I was able to get it down the basement stairs myself and I'm 76. Tested the water after install and "0" hardness. Tip: you will need 3/4" push-on to 1" FIP connector to thread onto the bypass valve. Couldn't find it locally so I had to order it from HD. All-in-all very pleased.

Works well but the drain line provided is undersized.

This water softener works as expected and at 32" tall, 18" wide and 24" deep, it does not take up much space making my husband happy to keep his storage space. Our old one quit working so this was easy to install and set up since we already had the hookups there. Reading through the instructions and manual, everything came set up just the way I wanted by default. The Rheem technology learns your water usage and optimizes use saving you money. It has a sliding lid on the top making it very easy to refill the salt when needed. It also comes with a 1 year parts and labor warranty, 3 year warranty on the electronics, 10 year on the tank and with regular use of the Rheem water softener cleaner the 1 year warranty can be extended up to 5 years...an awesome deal! I've included photos of the box since there is very useful information provided there.

I was impressed with the Rheem compact water softener. Actually I worked in the HVAC Industry and know of Rheem AC systems this is a first for a water softener. I already had a whole house water filter system so I had to splice in the water connections. I utilized Sharkbite push in connections and Pex to connect the softener. When considering a water softener location is key. You need electricity and a drain. It fit my location perfectly. Only thing I have to do is splice into the home drain for a permanent solution for the brine overflow drain and valve drain. It was a straight forward install for me but I have installed many water heaters and this was similar. I had not mentioned that I was installing this to see what type of response I received from the house hold. The first comment was did I replace the house filters because the washing machine had to stop to allow suds to subside and showering. The only word of caution the single bypass valve that comes with the unit is plastic and if you’re going to use a metal connection go slowly to prevent cross threading.

The softener last a little over 2 years. I’m not sure what happened but something broke over the holidays and there was resin coming out of the faucets. Pretty sure it’s the bottom distributor. I spent 2 days flushing resin out of the plumbing and water heater! I finally got a plumber out here today and he couldn’t get to the distributor because the clips broke and wouldn’t come off. He said it will be cheaper to get a new one than to have it fixed.

In my review previously I mentioned something about not wanting to return for more plumbing parts. Well as usual I did have to go back and Home Depot one time. I still recommend the two Sharkbite softwater line kits, however, you will need to add two 1" PVC couplers and two red brass 1"x2" nipples to stop leaks. Adding pipe tape or thread seal will finish the job right. This unit is easy to set up and easy to get started. Very satisfied.

I've been doing research for months and finally decided on this unit. I read the pros and cons of the different systems on the market and weighed my options. This is going to be perfect for my small home. As I get older I tired of dry skin, lime scale and everything that comes with hard water. Treating and filtering can help but Ifeel this is the best option. The instructions are clearand go step by step. I have pipe cutters so I'm certain I can install this by myself. I'm not a plumber but I do almost all the projects and improvements at my house. Shoulder surgery will prevent me from doing the installation for another month or two but I'm looking forward to softer water.

The Rheem Preferred compact 18,000 grain water softener in gray color is a great space saving design to save space. I have a regular size water softener that I have replaced twice over the years and I have thought about one of these compact water softeners for my next replacement. I am very happy to have this Rheem compact water softener to replace my old one now. This softener comes with a installation kit and features an alarm and permanent settings memory. I love the way the cover slides open to fill with salt.

I made a long list of plumbing parts to pickup. When I got to home Depot, I filled my cart with all the parts, Sharkbites and all. To avoid that need one more trip, when I was sure I got everything. I walked the ailes one more time. That is when I spotted the new Sharkbite water softner kit one inch softner end and 3/4 sharkbite to connect my plumbing. Everything which was on my list was included in this one item for $20 each x two lines. Plug and play, my water softner was ready. I plugged in my sharkbite and the other end screwed it to my water softner and I was done. No soildering, no pipe wrenches, easy as 123. The Rheem® PREFERRED Compact™ 18,000 grain water softener’s space-saving design is ideal. The built-in Rheem® Learning Technology learns your water usage patterns to optimize salt* and conserve water and energy, saving you money. The Rheem® PREFERRED Compact™ 18,000 grain water softener is a reliable, high-performing softener with essential features that provide the highest-quality soft water to your home. And it’s designed, engineered and manufactured right here in the USA. For peak performance in your high-efficiency Rheem water softener, evaporated salt pellets or solar salt crystals with less than 1% impurities are recommended. Not recommend to use any kind of block salt in the Rheem water softeners.

Just installed this last week . I was previously renting a JS' professional WS and decided to have my own so I bought this Rheem WS . Installation was quite easy if you follow the manual instructions and related YouTube videos. Right now it is working as expected but will provide further review at some time in the near future.

Easy install although house was pre-plumbed. After a couple of weeks our skin Feels great. After 50+ years without soft water in the Phoenix area our skin needed a break. This unit did the job. At first I had it turned up too high not understanding the conversion table. Now have it set for 20. Works great. Your skin will thank you. Good value and free delivery. Thanks HD

My new house was plumbed for a water softener. I cut the Plex waterline with my hacksaw. I pushed on the two Sharkbite connector hoses to the house plumbing Plex lines. Then I ran the regeneration drain tubing to the drain stand pipe. Then I ran the overflow tubing to the floor drain. I pushed the unit into position then dropped in 3 bags of salt pellets. I plugged it in and did the easy programming. And it was done and it is working great with beautiful soft water. It took me about 2 hours, but I could easily do it in one hour if had to do another one...and I'm 79.

Most of the good reviews focus on how easy to install and how nicely its packaged. Let's get real, the water hardness level in the household after running the machine for over 3 months, is still at its hardest which San Jose water is best known. TDS 320 same as before Rheem water softener and ISpring whole house filtration system were installed. Rheem machine the water hardness level has been set at 2, out of 9. Did nothing, waste of money. Dont buy this machine just for the peace of mind.

Installation instructions were very easy to follow. My son and I installed ourselves. Easy setup too. Recommend.