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

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.

From$1,207.99

Shop Clack WS1 Softener

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.

From$1,460.99

Shop Citymaster PRO Softener

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.

From$1,460.99

Shop Wellmaster Softener

Clack™ WS1EE control valveDownflow regeneration5-year top-to-bottom warranty1" bypass + 1" and 3/4" connectors200 lb salt brine tank

2 · Compare side by side

Water softener comparison chart

Feature	Clack WS1	Citymaster PRO	Wellmaster
Best for	Value, where there is little iron or manganese	City water, high hardness	Well water applications
Standout strength	Price and range of sizes	Features for price point, range of sizes	Challenging conditions: high hardness, iron, manganese
Resin	10% cross-linked resin	Purolite SST-C6000E premium resin	Purolite SST-C6000E premium resin
Tank design	Standard 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 salt	4,000*	5,100*	3,333*
Water per regeneration	Standard	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 ships	Pre-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 valve	Clack™ WS1EE	Clack™ WS1EE	Clack™ WS1EE
Regeneration	Downflow	Downflow	Downflow
Warranty †	5 years, top to bottom†	5 years, top to bottom†	5 years, top to bottom†

*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.

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.

Water softener systems

Three softeners. Each one built for a job.

Clack WS1

Citymaster PRO

Wellmaster

Water softener comparison chart

What makes them different?

The resin

The tank

Downflow regeneration

Common questions

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