No salt, ever
No brine tank, no salt bags to haul, nothing to refill on a schedule.
Salt-free electric water treatment
Navien WEC600 salt-free water treatment
Tankless, salt-free, wall-mounted. No brine tank, no salt bags to haul. It starts with a free check of hardness, chlorine and dissolved solids (TDS) — included with your estimate — to confirm it fits your water, city or well, before you spend anything.
The honest math
Read this before you buy one
The WEC has hard limits on the water going into it. Navien changed them for units sold after 1 February 2026, and its spec sheet lists both. It also says, on its product page, that the WEC “reduces the concentration of hardness minerals but does not necessarily produce soft water” — under 1 grain per gallon. The honest math:
| Your water | Hardness | WEC600 sold after 1 Feb 2026 (max 600 ppm / 35 gpg) | Earlier WEC600 (max 350 ppm / 20.5 gpg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prescott city water | 4.3–7.6 gpg (75–130 ppm) | Fits | Fits |
| Moderate well — like a recent Prescott install | 20 gpg (342 ppm) | Fits | Fits — but only just |
| Hard well | 25 gpg (428 ppm) | Fits | Over the limit |
| Very hard well | 30 gpg (513 ppm) | Fits, closer to the line | Over the limit |
Hardness is only one limit. Navien’s spec sheet takes total dissolved solids (TDS) up to 1,000 ppm, but its product page says the WEC600 is for water under 500 ppm TDS — and the Prescott hillside well in the table above ran 451 ppm. The other limits: iron up to 0.3 ppm, pH 6.5–8.5, pressure 36–74 psi on units sold after February 2026 (36–67 before), and water 37–100°F.
Hardness is given two ways: grains per gallon (gpg) and parts per million (ppm). One grain is about 17 ppm. City figure: the City of Prescott’s water quality report.
Plainly: the WEC600 handles typical Prescott city water comfortably, and it covers a good number of wells too. A Prescott-area home Neil tested came in at 20 grains, inside even the earlier limit with only 8 ppm of headroom; the current version leaves far more, and well hardness shifts with the season. Water over Navien’s limits, or anyone who wants truly soft water, is better served by a conventional softener.
That is exactly why every WEC price starts with the free water check (hardness, chlorine and dissolved minerals) at the on-site visit — hardness and TDS measured at your house, no charge, no obligation. If your numbers are close to the line, you will be told so, before you spend anything. For wells, the $185 lab test is the thorough option.
How it works
What the WEC actually does
Navien calls the WEC the first tankless electric whole-house water treatment system of its kind. Rather than exchanging hardness minerals for sodium the way a salt softener does, it uses electro-membrane capacitive deionization — an electrical two-phase process of adsorption and regeneration that removes hardness and total dissolved solids from the water. In plain terms: electrically charged plates pull the minerals out of the water passing through, then let them go to the drain.
Reduces TDS, not just hardness
A softener leaves total dissolved solids essentially unchanged; Navien says the WEC lowers them.
94% scale reduction
Certified to Z601 by IAPMO, per Navien — whole-house protection for piping, fixtures and appliances, Navien says.
Tankless, wall-mounted
An appliance-sized footprint instead of two tanks taking up the garage.
Filtration built in
10-micron sediment pre-filter and 1-micron carbon block post-filter. Navien lists NSF/ANSI 42, 61-G and 372 certifications.
NaviLink Lite connectivity
Monitor the system and its service intervals from your phone.
Navien recommends 5.3 gallons a minute (GPM) for best efficiency and says both models can work up to 10 GPM. Both run an automatic Clean-In-Place cycle; Navien rates the WEC600’s recovery at 85% or more on earlier units and 63–93% on units sold after February 2026, with the rest going to the drain. The design credentials are real too — a 2023 Red Dot Design Award and a 2024 IDEA Awards featured finalist.
If you have a tankless water heater, scale in its heat exchanger is the thing to worry about — see tankless water heaters.
Which model
The WEC600 — the model for this area
Navien makes two WEC models. Only one is worth installing in Yavapai County. The smaller WEC400 caps out at 150 ppm hardness (about 8.8 grains) and 300 ppm TDS. Prescott city water at 4.3–7.6 grains fits inside that, but it leaves nothing spare for a well, a seasonal swing or a move — and Yavapai County wells commonly run 22 to 32+ grains in Neil’s field testing. CreekWell offers the WEC600 here for the headroom, and Neil will tell you plainly if your water is beyond even that.
| What matters | WEC600 | WEC400 |
|---|---|---|
| Hardness limit | 600 ppm — 35 grains (units sold after 1 Feb 2026; 350 ppm, about 20.5 grains, before) | 150 ppm — about 8.8 grains |
| TDS limit | 1,000 ppm on the spec sheet; the product page says under 500 | 300 ppm |
| Flow | 5.3 GPM recommended; up to 10 | 5.3 GPM recommended; up to 10 |
| Prescott city water, 4.3–7.6 grains | Fits comfortably | Fits, with nothing spare |
| A well at 20 grains | Fits (only just, on units sold before February 2026) | Too hard |
| Installed by CreekWell | Yes, once CreekWell’s contractor licenses are issued | No |
Navien WEC600
- Hardness up to 600 ppm — 35 grains on units sold after 1 February 2026 (350 ppm, about 20.5 grains, before)
- TDS up to 1,000 ppm on Navien’s spec sheet; its product page says under 500 ppm
- It reduces hardness; Navien says it does not necessarily make soft water
- 5.3 GPM recommended for best efficiency; Navien says it can work up to 10 GPM
- Salt-free, tankless, wall-mounted
- Navien’s warranty: parts 3 years, 5 when registered within 60 days, labor as Navien’s warranty states (Neil registers it at the install, free), plus CreekWell’s two-year workmanship warranty on the install
Price: one flat installed price, put in writing after your water check once CreekWell’s contractor licenses are issued. There is no honest number to print before the check confirms the WEC600 fits your water; whole-house work is not offered until the licenses are issued. The price is the same anywhere in Yavapai County — Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt, Mayer, Paulden, Sedona, Cottonwood, the Verde Valley and the outer county.
Not bookable yet. This work comes to $1,000 or more, so it waits for CreekWell’s contractor licenses.
Why not yet?
Until its Arizona contractor licenses are issued, CreekWell takes only jobs that come to under $1,000 in all and need no permit and no gas. The price is published so you can plan and compare; it is not an offer, a quote or a bid. What the licenses change
Hardness and TDS are the numbers that decide it. Prescott city water sits well inside both limits. Plenty of area wells do too — but some do not, and some sit close enough to the line that seasonal variation matters. Fifteen minutes with a hardness and TDS meter during your free estimate settles it.
Install day
What the install involves
The WEC installs at the point of entry and needs three things in that location:
- Water in and out — straightforward if you already have a softener loop.
- 120V power — this is an electric system, not a passive tank. It needs an outlet at the unit.
- A drain connection — the system recovers up to 85% of the water and sends the balance, plus its automatic Clean-In-Place cycles, to drain.
Navien says it must be installed indoors on a flat surface, protected from weather, by a qualified installer. Neil has taken Navien’s product training (training, not certification). Where an existing loop already has power and a drain nearby, it is a clean single-visit install. Where power or drain has to be run, that is priced separately, in writing once the licenses are issued, and approved by you before anything starts — the flat rate never quietly grows.
Unit registration and NaviLink Lite setup are handled during the install, along with a walkthrough of the service intervals so you know what is coming and when.
Questions
Questions people ask Neil
Can you come out right now?
Yes, for repairs and emergencies under $1,000.
Call or text 928-228-5770, Monday to Saturday, 7am to 7pm; a priority call gets a same-day visit when Neil is free. Whole-house systems wait for the contractor licenses (what the licenses change).
Will the Navien WEC600 work on my water?
Often yes — but it has to be checked, not assumed.
Navien’s spec sheet takes hardness up to 600 ppm (35 grains) on units sold after 1 February 2026, and 350 ppm (about 20.5 grains) before; TDS up to 1,000 ppm, though its product page says the WEC600 is for water under 500 ppm TDS. Prescott city water runs 4.3–7.6 grains, comfortably inside that. A good number of area wells fit as well — a recent Prescott install tested at 20 grains, inside even the earlier limit with only 8 ppm to spare, and well hardness moves with the season. Navien says the WEC reduces hardness but does not necessarily make soft water; if you want soft water, or your water is over its limits, a conventional softener is the right answer. That is why it starts with the free water check (hardness, chlorine and dissolved minerals) with your estimate — measured at your house before you spend anything.
How is the WEC different from a regular water softener?
A softener uses salt to swap hardness for sodium; the WEC reduces hardness electrically, with no salt, but Navien says it does not necessarily make soft water.
A conventional softener uses ion exchange and salt, and needs a brine tank and periodic salt refills. The WEC uses electro-membrane capacitive deionization — an electrical process that pulls hardness minerals and total dissolved solids out of the water — so there is no salt, no brine tank and nothing to haul. It is tankless and wall-mounted, roughly an appliance footprint rather than two tanks in the garage. It also reduces TDS, which a softener does not do at all: a softener swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium and leaves total dissolved solids essentially unchanged.
What does the WEC need for installation?
Three things at the point of entry: water in and out, a 120V electrical outlet, and a drain connection.
The drain matters because the system sends part of the water down the drain — Navien rates recovery at 85% or more on earlier units and 63–93% on units sold after February 2026 — plus periodic Clean-In-Place cycles. It must be installed indoors, on a flat surface, out of the weather, by a qualified installer. If your existing softener loop already has power and a drain nearby, the install is straightforward. If power or drain has to be run, that is priced separately, in writing once the licenses are issued, and approved before work starts.
What maintenance does it need?
Far less handling than salt, but it is not maintenance-free.
Navien’s app gives a filter-replacement notice every 6 months, or sooner depending on your water and use. The system runs the CIP cycle automatically, but it uses a citric acid solution that is consumable and sold separately — budget for it the way you would budget for salt, just less often and without the lifting. The 10-micron sediment pre-filter and 1-micron carbon block post-filter are replaceable on the same general schedule.
Is the Navien WEC worth it compared to a standard softener?
It depends what you are actually buying.
If never handling a salt bag again, reclaiming the garage space, cutting TDS as well as hardness, and app connectivity are worth a real premium to you, then yes. If your goal is simply to stop scale at the lowest cost, a conventional softener does that for substantially less money. Both are legitimate choices. What is not legitimate is selling you a WEC for water it cannot treat, which is why the test comes first.
What certifications and warranty does it carry?
Navien lists certifications to UL 979, NSF/ANSI 42, NSF/ANSI 61-G and 372, and IAPMO Z601, which IAPMO R&T tested at a 94% scale reduction.
It won a Red Dot Design Award in 2023 and was an IDEA Awards featured finalist in 2024. Navien’s limited warranty is 1 year labor and 3 years parts, extending to 5 years parts when the unit is registered — registration is free and adds two years of parts coverage, so it is handled during the install rather than left to you. CreekWell’s two-year workmanship warranty covers the install itself.
Who installs the Navien WEC near me in Prescott?
Neil Staiger, CreekWell’s owner, who has taken Navien’s product training.
Once CreekWell’s contractor licenses are issued, it will install Navien WEC600 systems across Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt, Sedona and Cottonwood. Every WEC price starts with the free water check (hardness, chlorine and dissolved minerals) at the on-site visit, to confirm hardness and TDS fall inside the unit’s limits, because installing one outside spec means it will not perform. If your water is too hard for the WEC, you will be told that and pointed at a conventional softener instead.
The list
Join the list for when the licenses are issued
Whole-house systems and other work of $1,000 or more wait until CreekWell’s contractor licenses are issued. Both license applications are with the Arizona Registrar of Contractors. Once the licenses are issued, Neil calls the list in the order it came in. Joining needs no deposit. Repairs under $1,000 that need no permit can be booked now.