I can imagine some blocked lines internally but suggest not exploring further unless you really get off on this stuff. I'd recommend calling Culligan and have them change out the media and check out the rest. 15 years is long time for any media and the rest is likely related. If you're game for the mess (and it is messy) by all means DYI. For a hundred or two I'd let a pro do it all and get on with my own life.

Living on a well is different and more complicated than living on a water system. You have to make the water SAFE and then decide whether to make the water NICE. NICE water gives you longer service life for plumbing, appliances, and fixtures and can save you money in soap and detergent use and your clothes will last longer. You need to get a comprehensive water test from an independent certified lab. Labs usually know what to test for in well water in their areas but at a minimum... hardness, iron (ferrous and ferric), manganese, pH, TDS, nitrates, bacteria, sodium, copper, arsenic. With those test results we can intelligently discuss what is in your water, in what amounts, and how best to treat it.

>> first ... salt is used to clean the filtering membrane ... and thru the flushing series.. you should NOT be drinking any salt ... it took me a long time to wrap my head around that part ... lol ... if that were not true.. everyone who owns a salt system.. would have high blood pressure. .. and trust me.. once you go rural.. a heck of a lot of peeps have this type of system .... Good point. I hesitated to even mention it just because I thought it was a silly concern, but there it was in the back of my mind... visualizing drinking salt water. >> second ... think about how much it cost you to replace the shower head .. vs what you are thinking about spending to avoid that cost ... e.g. with kids.. i have 20 to 30 dollar plastic shower heads ... and when they start to get clogged.. i replace them ... i can buy and screw on a lot of shower heads.. for the cost of a filtration system ... Funny you mention this exact example. My favorite shower head (vs about 5 others I've tried and returned) is: Delta Vintage 4-in 2.5-GPM (9.5-LPM) Brushed Nickel 5-Spray Hand Shower Lowes Item #: 272101 : Model #: 75525SN http://www.deltafaucet.com/bath/details/75525sn.html $49.98 USD from Lowes http://www.lowes.com/pd_272101-72981-75525SN_0_?productId=3421066&Ntt=delta+shower+5+speed&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Ddelta%2Bshower%2B5%2Bspeed&facetInfo= In downstairs hall bathroom, both the sink and shower had significantly diminished pressure. 1 week ago my plumber fixed it (removed the built-up deposits from both) and removed the water saver from the shower head at my request. I enjoyed the good water pressure for all of 5 seconds before the shower head neck cracked and water started going everywhere. Decided to just replace the entire thing myself. It then occurred to me that replacing it would have been cheaper than trying to fix it. >> even if you have a very expensive shower head ... it still seems to be over kill to spend hundreds or thousands on a filter system ... >> i dont know your circumstances .... but just trying to clarify your thought process ... You drive the key question - what am I trying to accomplish? Relative to claimed benefits from water softeners in general: - I don't feel a compelling need to make the water "feel" differently or "softer". It feels fine as-is. - I don't really care about using less soap when I wash. Maybe I doubt that I'd change my habits... In priority order, what I DO care about is: - Not having to re-plumb the house due to deposit buildups in the pipes. I believe my plumbing is all PVC, no copper. I'm not sure how much of a problem this is or could be in a 15 yr old house. - Taking good care of the dedicated icemaker. Good tasting ice is my guilty pleasure. We use lots of it. I've had 3 icemakers at this house. The first 2 failed much sooner than I expected. Not sure why. dead: $1319 for U-Line Echelon CLR2060b Clear Ice Maker (CLR2060) in 2003 dead: $1479 for U-Line BI-2115B-00 2000 Series 15 Crescent Ice Maker in 2007 current: $3663 for Hoshizaki nugget-style C-101-BAH-DS including a filter and installation in 2013 We all *love* the Sonic-type ice from the Hoshizaki (and I do the non-trivial maintenance religiously.) I'd like to keep this icemaker happy and healthy for as long as possible. Given that, is the cost and hassle worth it?

Hi, Water softening is commodity process. It works the same regardless of who's label is on it. That said, there is a difference in hardware quality. The two most critical parts of the water softener are the resin and the control valve. The control valve has mechanical parts and will be the thing that will give you the most difficulty if it's low quality. Many, probably most, companies have gone to lower-cost imported resins. That means that the primary differentiation is going to be the control valve. The two most reliable control valves are the Clack valves and the Fleck valves. Clack is not sold online. Fleck based water softeners are. So, if your choice is between a Clack based unit and a Watts based unit - I'd go with the Clack. I've been a big fan of the Fleck based softeners being sold on Amazon. For ~$600 a complete unit is shipped to your door. Of course, that doesn't include testing the water, sizing the unit, installing it, or initial setup.