A common question we are asked is, “What the difference between “Box Store” water treatment equipment vs. going directly to an Independent Water Treatment Dealer like Aquatek Water Conditioning?” 

It really is a great question, because we, like many of you, also want to make sure we are getting the best value for our purchases (and providing our customers with the same). At the end of the day, there isn’t anything wrong with purchasing water treatment equipment from a “Box Store.” However, there are differences in how you set up, maintain, and how well your equipment may work for your specific water situation.    

Aquatek Water Conditioning is an Independent Water Treatment Dealer. This means that we are not tied to a national brand, or a franchise. We are family owned and operated since 1952! We build our equipment at our shop located in downtown Wauseon, OH. Our equipment is sized and programed according to each customer’s water situation. Our mission is to partner with our customers by providing them with the best water treatment solution for their wants and needs. We believe that this ultimately leads them to peace of mind, and quality of life with their water.  

You may be asking, “What does this have to do with a “Box Store” purchase?

From our perspective, here are a few things to consider when weighing the option of purchasing from a “Box Store” or Independent Water Treatment Dealer.   

When purchasing water treatment equipment from a “Box Store” you are literally doing that–You are purchasing it to install yourself–or working with one of the store’s sub-contractors for installation, who may not be an expert in the water treatment field.  Again, there is nothing wrong with doing this, as it may fit your budget and needs.  

What is different about purchasing equipment from an Independent Water Treatment Dealer?

First and foremost, all water is not treated equally. No one’s water is the same and there is no such thing as “one-size fits all” in the world of water treatment.  Your water quality and volume could be the opposite of  the water a mile away. Therefore, the type of water treatment equipment that is installed could vary from home to home, based on a variety of factors.  How does the water test? How many people live in the home? Are you using the water in the barn for animals? What quantity of water and/or water pressure is accessible to the home?    

At Aquatek, we offer a no cost, no obligation meeting to test your water and discuss your ultimate goal for your water. Our quote will include equipment, built in our shop, that is sized and programmed for your water and family needs. It will also reflect if you are purchasing or renting the equipment. Our equipment and/or installation is going to cost more than what you would typically get at a “Box Store,” as it is built to your specific water situation and installed by trained water treatment professionals. We also guarantee our installations. If you are not getting what you want out of our water treatment equipment, we will uninstall it for you. In many instances, we will haul away old equipment, and for water softeners, we’ll even fill the salt tank for you!   

Learn about Common Water Issues we treat throughout Northwest Ohio and Southeastern Michigan

Service, Repair and Maintenance

Another major difference between “Box Store” purchases and Independent Water Treatment Dealers is the answer to, “What happens when my equipment breaks down?”   

For us at Aquatek, it’s easy, you simply call us and we get you on our schedule for maintenance and repair. We service what we sell. Our store is located in downtown Wauseon, Ohio, and we work with customers throughout the Northwest Ohio and Southeastern Michigan area. If your equipment is under warranty, we will handle this for you, no need to ship your unit off or wait a long time for your repair.   

For “Box Store” purchases, this may vary depending on a variety of factors. And although we are able to work on many different makes and models of water treatment equipment, we do not carry parts for “Box Store” equipment and are unable to service them.   

We also promote preventative maintenance on all our equipment. Regular maintenance helps to prolong the life of the equipment and helps to ward off any major issues that could lead to no water, leaks, staining of clothing and appliances, etc. This is something that we educate our customers on so that they can do it themselves, or our technicians are able to come out to the home to provide this service.  One thing we can guarantee you, is that your water is important, and we want you to avoid the frustration of having unpleasant water issues as much as possible!    

Here is what to expect from us:

When you call our store, you’ll talk to a friendly, local person who will take your information. We’ll schedule a time for one of our experienced representatives to come to your property (home, barn or business) to test your water for iron, hardness, TDS (total dissolved solids), pH, and if needed, sulfur. They will assess your situation, discuss your wants and needs, and provide you with a strategy for your water. No obligation, no cost!   

The quote will be based off your water results, existing plumbing and wants and needs. The prices in the quote will include installation, and in many instances, hauling old units away. Once you decide you would like to move forward, we will build your equipment in our shop, and schedule a time for installation of by one of our trained installation technicians.  

Following the installation, our staff will place a phone call to make sure that the equipment is working and that there are no follow up questions. If it appears that something isn’t working properly after installation, we encourage our customers to call us immediately. We will come out and inspect the unit and readjust settings at no charge to the customer.    

From there, we hope to continue to be partners with our customers! We have a store located at 7300 State Route 108 in Wauseon where we provide a variety of products that support our water treatment systems such as filters, parts, salt, alum, chlorine, and hydrogen peroxide. We also offer a delivery service for these products, as well as Bottled Water Delivery and water coolers.  

At the end of the day, the decision is yours to make. There is no right or wrong, just what is best for you and your situation.

For us, water is our passion, and our goal is to give you peace of mind and quality of life through our customer service and water treatment expertise. We help our customers “Take Control of Their Water!”