Products
  • Water softener systems

    Aquatell designs and builds professional-grade water softeners and sells them online for a fraction of what you’d pay elsewhere. We keep it simple: three softeners, each built for a different kind of water, and all three use the proven, USA-made Clack™ WS1EE control valve and carry a 5-year top-to-bottom warranty. Every system is designed with the do-it-yourselfer in mind. Our wide selection of plumbing connectors makes installation even easier. Not into a DIY project? No problem! Hand one of our systems to a local plumber and they’ll know exactly what to do with it. The right choice comes down to where your water comes from and what matters most to you. Questions? Contact us and our certified water specialists will help you choose with confidence.

    1 · Meet the softeners

    Three softeners. Each one built for a job.

    Clack WS1

    Clack WS1

    Proven softening at the best price

    Best for: city water, or well water without significant iron or manganese

    What it does well
    • Lowest price in our lineup
    • Five sizes, 32,000 to 96,000 grains, for small homes up to very large ones
    • Durable 10% cross-linked resin that stands up to chlorinated city water
    • Salt Efficiency Rating (SER): 4,000 grains removed per pound of salt

    Good to know: want to save salt and water, or have iron in your well? Step up to the Citymaster PRO or Wellmaster.

    Citymaster PRO

    Citymaster PRO

    Our most efficient water softener

    Best for: minimizing salt and water consumption for city water

    What it does well
    • Uses about 20% less salt and water than the Clack WS1
    • Premium 10% Cross linked Purolite SST-C6000E resin
    • Vortech/Plated Tank for water savings
    • Max Salt Efficiency (SER): 5,100 grains removed per pound of salt

    Good to know: designed for city water. On a well with iron or manganese, choose the Wellmaster.

    Wellmaster

    Wellmaster

    Built for tough well water

    Best for: wells with very hard water or significant iron or manganese

    What it does well
    • Our recommended softener for most private wells
    • Often solves hardness, iron, and manganese in a single system
    • Vortech/Plated tank for vigorous backwash and resin scrubbing
    • Premium 10% Cross linked Purolite SST-C6000E resin

    Good to know: Custom programming results in high effectiveness but comes at the cost of efficiency (3,333 grains per pound). It’s the right trade off for challenging well water.

    Clack™ WS1EE control valveDownflow regeneration1" bypass + 1" and 3/4" connectors5-year top-to-bottom warranty
    2 · Compare side by side

    Water softener comparison chart

    Feature Clack WS1 Citymaster PRO Wellmaster
    Best forValue, where there is little iron or manganese City water, high hardness Well water applications
    Standout strengthPrice and range of sizes Features for price point, range of sizes Challenging conditions: high hardness, iron, manganese
    Resin10% cross-linked resin Purolite SST-C6000E premium resin Purolite SST-C6000E premium resin
    Tank designStandard tank Vortech/Clack bottom plate tank for water savings Vortech/Clack bottom plate tank for vigorous resin scrubbing
    Salt Efficiency Rating (SER)*grains per lb of salt4,000*5,100*3,333*
    Water per regenerationStandard Lowest Highest
    Iron + Manganese**Up to 0.3 mg/L (ppm)** Up to 5.0 mg/L (ppm)** Up to 10.0 mg/L (ppm)**
    Sizes (grains)32K, 48K, 64K, 80K, 96K 32K, 48K, 64K 32K, 48K, 64K
    How it shipsPre-loaded in 1.0 and 1.5 cu ft sizes Pre-loaded in 1.0 and 1.5 cu ft sizes Pre-loaded in 1.0 and 1.5 cu ft sizes
    Control valveClack™ WS1EE Clack™ WS1EE Clack™ WS1EE
    RegenerationDownflow Downflow Downflow

    *Salt Efficiency Rating (SER): The higher the SER, the less salt it uses for the amount of softening it can accomplish, **Iron + Manganese: Clack WS1 will reduce dissolved only, Citymaster PRO & Wellmaster reduce dissolved and small amounts of oxidized, † Warranty: Product is warranted against manufacturer defects, piston and seal/spacer is excluded.

    What makes them different?

    All three share the same reliable control valve. The differences are inside the tank.

    The resin

    Resin is the bed of tiny beads that captures hardness. The Clack WS1 uses durable 10% cross-linked resin, a proven standard. The Citymaster PRO and Wellmaster use Purolite SST-C6000E, a premium shallow-shell resin. Hardness sits closer to the surface of each bead, so it rinses out more completely with less salt and water, and in the Wellmaster it helps maintain longterm resin health.

    The tank

    The Clack WS1 uses a standard tank. The Citymaster PRO and Wellmaster use a Vortech or Clack bottom plate tank that spreads water evenly across the base of the resin bed. In the Citymaster PRO, this enhances salt and water efficiency. In the Wellmaster, it drives a stronger backwash that lifts and scrubs out trapped iron and manganese.

    Downflow regeneration

    Every softener we sell regenerates in the downflow direction, with brine moving from the top of the tank to the bottom. It’s the proven, dependable design we trust for long-term performance. There is renewed interest in upflow regenerating systems and we have experimented heavily with them. In our experience they traded softener effectiveness for water savings - a trade we’re not comfortable offering our customers.

    3 - Add Whole Home Carbon Filtration

    Make your softener last 25% Longer.

    Adding carbon filtration ahead of a softener dramatically extends the water softener resin lifespan, especially when chloramine is the municipal water disinfectant. It also makes your water much more enjoyable for bathing and showering while also improving drinking water taste and quality.

    UPFLOW CATALYTIC CARBON FILTER Pairs well with your softener

    UPFLOW CATALYTIC CARBON FILTER

    Performance at a great price point.

    What it does well
    • Effectively reduces chlorine, chloramine, tastes and odors, and many other dissolved contaminants
    • The cheapest way to deploy whole home carbon filtration
    • 1.0 to 3.0 cubic foot range for all sized homes
    • Premium catalytic granular activated carbon
    • Non-backwashing means no water waste

    Good to know: Going larger on sizing for carbon systems means better treatment, and less frequent carbon media change-outs.

    WHOLE HOUSE CATALYTIC CARBON FILTER Pairs well with your softener

    WHOLE HOUSE CATALYTIC CARBON FILTER

    Aquatell’s most effective system.

    What it does well
    • The most effective reduction of chlorine, chloramine, tastes and odors, and many other dissolved contaminants
    • Clack WS1TC backwashing filter valve
    • 1.0 to 3.0 cubic foot range for all sized homes
    • Premium catalytic granular activated carbon

    Good to know: The downflow treatment direction compacts the media, which makes these systems more effective at filtering than their upflow counterparts.

    Which One?Whole house backwashing gives the best filtration. Upflow costs less, uses no water and has fewer parts to maintain.
    Sizing:Choose at least 1.5 cubic feet, ideally 2.0 where chloramine is present. If your softener is larger than 2.0 cubic feet, match its size.
    4 - Compare side by side

    Carbon Filtration comparison chart

    Feature UPFLOW CATALYTIC CARBON FILTER WHOLE HOUSE CATALYTIC CARBON FILTER
    HighlightPerformance at a great price point Aquatell's most effective system
    Contaminants reduced*Chlorine, Chloramine, tastes & odours Chlorine, Chloramine, tastes & odours
    Carbon Type12x40 Catalytic GAC 12x40 Catalytic GAC
    Carbon lifespan**3-5 Years 4-6 Years
    Tank designStandard tank Standard tank
    Water consumption†None 67-144 gallons per backwash per system size
    Treatment flow directionUpflow Downflow
    Sizes (Cubic feet)1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0
    How it shipsPre-loaded in 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 cu ft sizes Pre-loaded in 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 cu ft sizes
    Control valveNone (Clack in-out head) Clack™ WS1TC
    Bypass includedYes Yes
    Plumbing Connectors3/4" and 1" male threaded 3/4" and 1" male threaded
    Warranty ††5 years, top to bottom 5 years, top to bottom

    *Contaminants reduced: Effectiveness of contaminant reduction is subject to water conditions, treatment flow rate, media age, and contaminate concentration. Typical concentrations are 0.2 to 2 ppm for chlorine, and 1.5 to 3 ppm for chloramine, **Carbon lifespan: Assumes typical water consumption for a family of 4 on municipally supplied water at typical chlorine and/or chloramine concentrations, †Water consumption: Varies by system size. By default, Aquatell backwashing systems backwash every 5 days, †† Warranty: Systems are warranted against manufacturer defects for a period of 5 years. In the case of backwashing systems, the piston and seal/spacer assembly are exempt.

    Common questions

    I'm on well water. Do I need the Wellmaster?

    Not necessarily. We strongly recommend the Wellmaster when there is visible evidence of iron or manganese staining (orange for iron, grey/black for manganese) or where tested levels of iron+manganese exceed 0.5 mg/L. If you're on well water and neither of these conditions is true, you don't need to use the Wellmaster.

    Which softener is cheapest to own?

    On city water, the Citymaster PRO costs a little more up front but uses the least salt and water every time it regenerates, which saves money year after year. It offers the lower total cost of ownership.

    What size do I need?

    The size of softener you need depends mostly on how hard your water is, and how much flow your home can demand at any given point in time. Our Water Softener Selector recommends the right size by asking just a few important questions.

    Can I install it myself?

    Yes you can. Aquatell is built for supporting DIYers and pro's alike. If you can plumb, you can install a softener.

    Will installing it myself void the warranty?

    No, it won't. Our 5 year top-to-bottom warranty applies whether you do the installation yourself or hire a pro to do it.

    Reid Thornley, WQA Master Water Specialist, CWQA Board of Directors, 25 years water treatment experience

    Site authorship & editorial oversight

    Business Founder · CWQA Board of Directors · 25 Years of Hands-On Water Treatment Experience

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