Even though clack is a relatively unknown name in the water filtration and softening industry, they have a large catalog of water softener models that competes with some of the established brands.
In this article, we’ll evaluate clack water softeners to help you choose the best one for your needs.
- Type: Ion Exchange
- Grain Capacity: 32,000 – 80,000 grains
- Flow Rate: 11 – 20 GPM
- Warranty: Lifetime
- Type: Template Assisted Crystallization
- Grain Capacity: N/A
- Flow Rate: 15 GPM
- Warranty: Lifetime
Who Makes Clack Water Softeners?
Clack water softeners are made by a company called Clack Soft Water. The company was founded back in 1944 by Bill Clack and his father, Willis Clack, and it started out as a water softener exchange business. Today they produce and sell control valves, resin tanks, brine tanks, and all the other water softener components.
There are also water softener units sold under the same brand name. While Clack Soft Water is responsible for producing the parts for the units, the water softeners as a whole are sold by a company called Aqualux. This company itself isn’t mentioned on the official Clack site, but several online marketplaces sell these units under the company’s brand, so we can assume that they have a license to produce and sell them.
Clack Water Softener Systems
Clack water softeners come in two series – the Simplex series and the Duplex series. The Simplex series contains smaller models that have less grain capacity but cost less than the Duplex series.
The Simplex series models also take up significantly less space since they only have one resin and one brine tank. The more compact size and the cheaper price tag make them much more suitable for smaller households.
The models in the Duplex series, on the other hand, have two resin tanks which give the devices a bigger resin count, which results in more water being able to be softened at any one time.
However, the biggest advantage of the two tanks is that you won’t even notice when the regeneration process is in effect. When one tank is regenerating, the other can still be filtering the water.
This makes these devices an excellent choice for multi-family households or apartment buildings where everyone has different water needs, and it’s inconvenient to have the water-softening unit unavailable during the regeneration process.
There are several different models in both series, and those models also come in different sizes, with different flow rates and resin capacities.
Clack Softener Systems Comparison Table
| Model | Dimensions | Flow Rate (GPM) | Salt Used per Regeneration | Resin Quantity (Gallons) | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WS1 CI Simplex | 8″ x 35″ – 14″ x 65″ | 3.5-35 | 7-44 lbs | 5-33 | $633 – $1,258 |
| WS1.25 Simplex | 13″ x 54″ – 18″ x 65″ | 13-25 | 26-70 lbs | 20-53 | $977 – $1,697 |
| WS1.5 Simplex | 18″ x 65″ – 21″ x 60″ | 35-44 | 70-88 lbs | 53-66 | $2,562 – $2,851 |
| WS2 Simplex | 24″ x 69″ – 36″ x 72″ | 62-114 | 123-247 lbs | 92-185 | $4,557 – $6,003 |
| WS3 Simplex | 42″ x 78″ – 48″ x 78″ | 176-246 | 353-441 lbs | 264-330 | $10,487 – $11,613 |
| WS1TT Duplex | 8″ x 17″ – 18″ x 65″ | 1.7- 28 | 3-71lbs | 2.6-53 | $1,036 – $3,072 |
| WS1.25 Duplex | 14″ x 65″ – 21″ x 60″ | 22-34 | 44-75lbs | 33-66 | $2,774 – $4,232 |
| WS1.5 Duplex | 21″ x 60″ – 24″ x 69″ | 44-62 | 88-123 lbs | 66-92 | $6,133 – $7,056 |
| WS2 Duplex | 24″ x 69″ – 36″ x 72″ | 62-114 | 123-247 lbs | 92-185 | $10,755 – $14,186 |
| WS3 Duplex | 42″ x 78″ – 55″ x 104″ | 176-246 | 353-635 lbs | 264-475 | $26,436 – $43,762 |
Clack Water Softener Prices
Clack Simplex Series: $633 – $11,613
Clack Duplex Series: $1,036 – $43,762
If you’re not yet familiar with water softener pricing, we should tell you that there is sometimes a huge price difference between models in the same series. That being said, it varies depending on the brand.
The main reason for the large price gap between clack water softener models is due to the specifications and resin capacity of each model. The most cost-effective models are around $1,000, but they have a significantly lower flow rate and resin quantity than the higher-end models.
Additionally, while the price of the larger models seems astronomical, that’s mainly because they’re intended for apartment complexes or large buildings where all the tenants can chip in to buy them.
This is also exemplified by the second tank that the larger Duplex models come with. While single-tank models have a bit of downtime while the regeneration process is happening, double-tank models can run the process in one tank while still softening the water in the other. This means that you can use your faucet at any time of day or night, which is of huge help if you’re living in an apartment building and sharing a single water softener with your neighbors.
The smaller units, on the other hand, are a lot more suitable for households that have between 4 and 8 people. They’re less pricey than the double-tank models, but they can still provide you with a more than decent water softener flow rate.
Clack Water Softener Alternatives
Here are 2 high-quality clack water softener alternatives you can get instead:
- Type: Ion Exchange
- Grain Capacity: 32,000 – 80,000 grains
- Flow Rate: 11 – 20 GPM
- Warranty: Lifetime
- Type: Template Assisted Crystallization
- Grain Capacity: N/A
- Flow Rate: 15 GPM
- Warranty: Lifetime
Pros & Cons of Clack Systems
As with any other softener, Clack models have their advantages and disadvantages, and we’ll go over most of them to give you a better idea of what to expect from these devices.
- Metered Regeneration: Systems that use a meter to determine when to run their regeneration cycle are much more water efficient than systems that use a timer. Timed regeneration systems run at the same time of day, every day, regardless of how much water was actually used. Metered systems only start the regeneration process once a certain amount of water gets used, saving a lot of water and a lot of salt from the tanks from getting used up needlessly.
- A great selection of different models: As you might have noticed from the chart just above, Clack has a lot of models to choose from, which makes their range quite versatile. Certain areas will have harder water than others and require a larger resin count to properly soften the water. Certain houses will have less space than others, and you’ll need to find a system that can fit into your living space. Regardless of your exact needs, you can probably find a system that’s just right for you among these water softener models.
- No features: In all honesty, water softeners aren’t exactly high-tech, but you can still get a few nice-to-haves with certain series from other brands. These features include things like brine tank alarms that tell you when the salt levels are low, surge protection circuitry that guards the internal computer against voltage damage, and so on. Considering that even some of the single resin Clack tank units cost close to 6k, you’d at least expect one feature that distinguishes these models from other brands.
Are Clack Water Softeners Worth the Money?
The smaller models that are aimed towards standard households of anything between 4 and 8 people have a good flow rate and decent resin capacity, and the prices range from cheap to affordable, so they’re worth it.
The double-tank models are worth the price if you buy them together with other people to share them with the entire apartment building. Otherwise, they’re way too expensive and way too powerful to be used in a standard household.
However, we’d stay away from the cheap Duplex and the expensive Simplex models. The cheap Duplex models don’t have the flow rate to provide adequate coverage for an apartment building, and they’re too big for a standard household.
The expensive Simplex models don’t have the second tank that makes them a good choice for apartment buildings, and they’re way too expensive and too powerful to be a good choice for households.
The only way that a Clack water softener can be worth the money is if you get a decent Duplex model that can handle the needs of your apartment building or if you get a cost-effective Simplex model that has just enough of a flow rate for your home needs.
