Both companies are recommending softeners that are way undersized. They will waste salt and water and regenerate more often than is optimal. With your water conditions and the number of people you'll need to remove about 7680 gpg hardness per day. That's about 53,000 gpg every 7 days. The 1.5 cu ft softeners, recommended by your two companies, can't achieve that K. Best their softeners can do is 45,000 and that's using the maximum salt dose of 15 lbs/cu ft of resin for a total salt dose of 23 pounds each regeneration and you'd be regenerating twice a week. That is a salt INEFFICIENCY at Grains of Capacity PER lb of salt = 1957 A correctly sized and properly set up softener regenerating once a week would use 14 pounds of salt regenerating once a week for a salt efficiency at Grains of Capacity PER lb of salt = 3800 As far as control valves, the Fleck 5600 has proven to be one of the most reliable valves in the field and AFAIK there are no problems with the turbine. Both the 5600 and 2510 are 3/4" valves so it's be nice to know what size plumbing serves your house. The 5600 is limited to use on 12" tanks and under so if you get a correctly sized softener you can't use a 5600. A 2510SXT would be an excellent choice and so would a 7000SXT. As far as corrosion, The Clack and the Fleck 5600, 2510, and 7000 are all made of exactly the same material... Noryl and have similar designs as far as motors and circuitry so if one is prone to corrosion then they will all be susceptible to corrosion... but I've yet to see one of any of them corroded unless there was a water leak that sprayed them. Clack has withdrawn their control valves from internet sale so the only place to get them is from an assembler like Hellenbrand and then you are forced to get parts from them as Clack OEMs specific designs for them or a legitimate local B&M water treatment dealer. The Clack is a good valve but there always seems to be someone everywhere that services Fleck and sells parts and you can buy Fleck parts all over the internet.

Unfortunately Simonton does not have a dealer in New Mexico, and neither do Gorell, Okna or Soft-Lite. Have requests to see about Amerimax, Milgard and Anlin. Thanks for those tips. As an aside, after reading more on this site, it seems I will want the standard LoE coating not the 366 because I want the solar gain in winter, brrr. These particular windows face southeast and northeast. Santa Fe has few really hot days, and this house in particular stays pretty cool with no A/C.

I'm getting closer to making a decision, but have a couple of questions. 1. For Okna, how much of a performance difference does it make to get the deluxe version. That runs about $80 more per window. 2. Casement vs. Slider - We were considering sliders for cost reasons, but concerned about how well they can seal. I know casement is the better of the two, and I am concerned about drafts developing over time with sliders. Considering the quality of Okna 800, would sliders be worth considering with approx. $450 cost savings per window? 3. Price - For reference, one 800DX lite replacement casement w/ contour grids, brown exterior, white interior (60'x52') installed is $1524. I don't know if you can comment on if this price is reasonable or not, but I thought I would check.

Shannon - Since you mentioned that Legend is popular in your area, can I venture a guess that you on the East Coast? Many have found that Windsor Legend windows are an excellent choice for coastal areas as well as traditional homes and historical renovations. In an attempt to balance this forum conversation, let me tell you a little bit more about Windsor Windows & Doors. Contrary to the comments from others here, there are many architects, builders and professionals throughout the country who like and repeatedly recommend our products. Windsor windows and doors have been installed in some of the most magnificent homes throughout North America, including the Bighorn Ski Chalet at Revelstoke, British Columbia (Windsor Pinnacle wood/clad), which was named the Best Ski Chalet in the World in 2014. Windsor started as a small, custom window company in Des Moines, Iowa in 1946, and has been a part of Woodgrain Millwork -- a family-owned company and one of the largest millwork operations today -- since 1987. Our relationship with Woodgrain is one of the reasons we are able to offer one of the best values in the industry. Through the years Windsor has continually evaluated and improved our products. We strive to be easy to do business with through open, honest communication with our customers, accountability for our actions, and by conducting business in a respectable manner. Our mission is to deliver exceptional value through the relentless improvement of our people, processes, and products. For more information, I invite you to check out our Houzz Ideabooks and Projects that feature work from builders, architects, and designers across North America. If you have any questions, I encourage you to contact your nearest Windsor distributor by using the Dealer Locator on our website.