Ensuring your residence or business has clean water is a must. Often the best way to provide that solution for your family or for your employees is with hiring a water treatment company.
An experienced water treatment company will help your water supply system avoid rust staining, scale buildup, bad or strange-tasting water, and more.
Finding the right company for your needs depends on variables like the services you’re looking for and the type of residence. We’ve outlined five tips below to prepare you for making this decision and selecting a water treatment company in the tri-state area.
1| Learn as Much as You Can Beforehand
As you’ve often heard, knowledge is power. The first and most important tip for picking a water treatment company is to be educated. While it’s always valuable to be informed about the various systems in your home or business, water can be more challenging at first.
Given that different cities and different states have different ways of treating water, each system can vary greatly.
To help you get prepared for a conversation with a water treatment company, here are a few basic questions to ask yourself:
- What water situations am I looking to solve?
- What do I know about the public water treatment practices in my area?
- For residences and commercial buildings with existing equipment, what equipment or pieces of equipment do you need serviced?
- What is the cost to your home or business while the equipment is not running?
Of course, if you’re using the internet to find your information, we all know it’s not always totally reliable. Do your due diligence; find multiple sources, then call us to talk about it.
2| Understand the Risks Involved
Like any decision, factoring in the risks plays a big part. In choosing a water treatment company, the risks can range from indecision to overpaying for unnecessary services or equipment.
For the first example, you can weigh the benefits of the proposed water treatment service (a new installation, updated equipment, etc.) against the risks. You may decide health risks are worth more immediate action, but water that tastes a little off with no other worrisome signs is not the highest priority.
Once you’ve decided to go with a water treatment company, the risks are centered around the level of service. Service you qualify as good enough may meet your budget and your basic needs without being proactive or forward-thinking. Elite service may exceed all your expectations with a level of service you’re not ready to pay for.
3| Shop Around
The first item you’ll likely compare is the proposed cost. While that may seem straightforward enough, it is just as important to understand what you’re paying for.
Here are other factors to consider as you compare proposals from several water treatment companies:
Frequency of Visits
· How often are they proposing to come, and how is that frequency justified?
· For new installations, do they plan on completing a job in one day
Payment Options
· Are you paying upfront?
· Do they offer financing?
· Will there be some monthly charges?
· Depending on the level of service and the products, you may be able to negotiate a payment schedule that’s better for you.
Termination Clause
· At some point, you may need to change providers or move, so ensure that the water treatment company’s policy is reasonable.
Service Windows
· Especially with the tri-state area’s freezing winters, water issues can occur outside of business hours.
· How responsive can you expect your water treatment provider to be?
· Do they have an emergency service number?
Quality of Product
· Do they use high-quality products and equipment?
· Do they offer equipment rentals?
4| Reviews & References
Reviews are common enough on a water treatment company’s website. Depending on the company or the service they’re using, the reviews available to you may be just a snapshot. Make sure you’re not just checking their website, but also other review platforms; try Google or Home Advisor if they have an account.
Another possibility is to ask your neighbors who they’ve used. Nothing beats a trusted referral.
5| Know What’s Included in Aftercare
Water treatment companies are in the business of working with their clients over an extended period. Even with one simple installation, it’s reasonable to expect maintenance.
With that, how does your proposed water treatment company talk about their aftercare? Will they check in with you, or is it your responsibility to schedule follow-ups? Are these appointments included in your original cost, or are they additional?
Once you have these claims, make sure to hold them accountable. As a note, this is also something you can search for in reviews or with anyone who has referred you. This will reveal as much about a business as any 5-star review on their homepage.