KCl at my local Costco is $13.79 If your softener is properly sized and setup for efficient operation salt-KCl usage can be lower than you'd expect.

Conceived damage to the environment could be mitigated to a large degree and render the concern moot if softeners were correctly sized and set up for efficient operation. To achieve that two things would need to happen... Softener sellers would have to know what they're doing and many do not. Yes, I'm beating up on sellers in it just for the bucks and who are not competent water treatment professionals. DIYers would have to know what they know and know what they don't know. Sorry to beat up on DIYers but you can't just change settings without knowing what the settings do. Well you can, and then you come to forums like this one to find out how to fix what you messed up.

@don_1_2006 I know the previous threads were rather long, but what I posted was new info, independent university research on the topic, which is the sort of stuff folks participating in the old threads longed for. Thought it might be a good contribution to this forum. An update on my attempts to get real proof about these softener alternatives: EasyWater, like many of the "wrap incoming water supply with a wire" types of water conditioners, claims that their technology is used by large commercial customers. Among their lists of customers and testimonials, they summarized some case studies. One of them was the city of Chandler, AZ. In it they claim the Fire Dept had such great results that they now spec EasyWater for newly built city facilities. I emailed Chandler's assistant city manager. He rounded up the city's facilities manager and together they called me. Not sure if they're just great people there, or whether they thought I was someone other than a consumer, but they were kind and answered my questions. Indeed, they did test EasyWater's tech on their recirculating pump, which they'd been replacing far too often. They opened up the pump, or some pipes attached to it (I forget which), and for the first time -- having been disappointed by other solutions they tried -- they found the EasyWater operating as advertised. So they purchased from EasyWater. They do still use them today and had nothing but positive comments for it. That was good to finally get some real proof and candid feedback from a customer. But since EasyWater's system that fits my home is about $1100, I think I'm going to try one of the cheaper competitors first to see if it works on my scale. If it doesn't, then I'll bite the bullet and try out the EasyWater.

Your Sears softener may simply be out of salt or the resin may be fouled or depleted or it may have a problem. You could invest in a service call but most likely you'd be throwing away $100 bucks on a service call that could go toward getting you a more reliable softener. For not much more than the price of another Sears (disposable) softener you can get an industry standard softener with a Fleck control valve that will give you a decade or two (or more) of reliable service with a minimum of maintenance. There are more Fleck control valves in the field than all other brands of control valves COMBINED. Fleck control valves have a proven field service record for 30-40 years and are price competitive. There always seems to be some one every where who sells and services Fleck valves. Why settle for less? Get a water test from an independent lab. An independent lab has no agenda and won't be trying to sell you water treatment equipment. Go to http://www.epa.gov/safewater/labs/index.html to locate a certified lab near you. This is a MUST DO because without it everything is a guess. A quickie water test from Sears or a water softener company won't be as accurate (and possibly not as competent) as from a certified independent lab. If you're on a water system the water utility can supply you with the specs of the water AS IT LEAVES their facility but that is not necessarily representative of the water conditions at your water meter. Hit the Yellow Pages and call at least three local water treatment pros. Make sure you call at least one of the big dogs like Kinetico or Culligan for comparison and at least a couple independent pros. DON'T TELL THEM YOU HAD YOUR WATER TESTED. Give each an opportunity to offer suggestions and provide you with a quote to meet your water treatment needs. IGNORE ANY THAT DON'T TEST YOUR WATER THEMSELVES as they can't speak intelligently to water treatment without knowing what needs to be treated. Ask lots of questions. Warranty, parts & labor or just parts, how long and on exactly what? Install, permits required, licensed plumber? Routine maintenance and costs? Do they stock parts? Response time for emergency (water leak) calls? If they don't explain things to your satisfaction that is a good indicator of how you'll be treated after the sale. After they've gone use your water test to compare with theirs. Are all your treatment needs being addressed? Ask your neighbors if they have any water treatment experience. They might tell you who's good or who to avoid. Come back here and post the specific recommendations and hardware components with the costs and we'll give you our opinions.