CreekWell Plumbing & Water Treatment LLC · 928-228-5770 · creekwellplumbing.com
Scale control with no salt, no electricity and no waste water — and the calcium and magnesium stay in your drinking water, because it does not soften. Installed from $2,225 — a reference price, not bookable until CreekWell’s contractor licenses are issued. It is the right answer for some Prescott homes, not all of them, and this page says which.
The CreekWell salt-free conditioner — the Aqua Cat Series Snow Leopard — is a tank of scale-control media on a non-electric Clack in/out head. The supplier’s salt-free systems use Filtersorb SP3; the media in your tank is written on your estimate. SP3’s German maker, Watch-Water, calls the process nucleation-assisted crystallization, a similar idea to the TAC (template-assisted crystallization) media other brands sell. Instead of stripping minerals out of your water, it converts the calcium and magnesium into microscopic crystals meant to pass through your plumbing without sticking (there is no scale-reduction certification for it) — no ion exchange, no salt, no waste water. It does not soften: the University of Nebraska calls these descaling devices, not hardness removers.
No salt tank and no drain line: one tank in most homes, two on the Dual-Tank build. On chlorinated city water the supplier recommends a carbon filter ahead of the standard Snow Leopard; the Compact and the Dual-Tank include carbon.
Both work. They’re built for different priorities. Here is the comparison.
| Feature | Salt-free conditioner (from $2,225) | Salt softener (from $1,799) |
|---|---|---|
| Scale | Meant to be reduced. The supplier claims 99% and cites no test; neither the supplier nor Watch-Water claims a scale-reduction certification | Hardness removed — close to 100%, to under 1 grain, which WQA uses to define soft water |
| “Soft” shower feel | No | Yes |
| Glassware spots | Can still spot — the hardness stays in the water | None |
| Salt required | None | About 3–21 fifty-pound bags a year, by household and hardness (our arithmetic from the supplier’s settings, with a metered valve; a timer can use more) |
| Sodium added to water | None | Yes: about 34–61 mg per liter on Prescott city water, about 160 on a 20-grain well (our arithmetic) |
| Waste water | None | About 40–140 gallons per regeneration, plus the slow salt-water rinse, on the tanks in our packages, by size (our arithmetic from the supplier’s settings) |
| Electricity | None | Required |
| Drain plumbing | Not needed | Required |
| Maintenance | Almost none | Salt refills: about 3–4 bags a year for 2 people on city water (our arithmetic, with a metered valve; a timer can use more) |
| Best fit | No salt runs, no electricity, no waste water, minerals stay in the drinking water. | Slippery soft-shower feel, spot-free glass, very hard water (over about 10.5 gpg, the U.S. Geological Survey’s “very hard”). |
The supplier asks for a technical review of any salt-free install above 25 grains of hardness; for water that hard, a water softener takes the hardness out. If you want no salt and the hardness reduced, the Navien WEC600 does it electrically, though Navien says it does not necessarily make soft water. Units sold after 1 February 2026 take hardness up to 600 ppm (35 grains); earlier units, 350 ppm (20.5 grains).
Three builds, flat-rate installed. The water test and your household size decide which one.
One 10×54 tank holding catalytic carbon and scale media together, on a non-electric head. About 8–9 gallons a minute (GPM) of flow — Neil’s rating; the manufacturer publishes none for a one-tank build. The carbon takes out chlorine.
Full spec sheet$2,225Reference priceScale media (Filtersorb SP3 in the supplier’s system) on a non-electric Clack in/out head — the conditioner described at the top of this page. On chlorinated city water the supplier recommends a carbon pre-filter ahead of it. The Dual-Tank has one in its own tank; the Compact mixes carbon into its one tank, Neil’s layout rather than the supplier’s.
Full spec sheet$2,750Reference priceTwo full-size 12×52 tanks — catalytic carbon first, then the scale media on its own, the layout the supplier’s instructions call for. About 8 GPM through the carbon tank (the supplier’s rating for that size), and the largest carbon bed of the three.
Full spec sheet$3,550Reference priceNot bookable yet. This work comes to $1,000 or more, so it waits for CreekWell’s contractor licenses.
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
Included: the conditioner sized to your home’s water and household demand, its head, bypass and media, all plumbing parts and fittings, and the tie-in to your existing loop — no drain needed, because it never backwashes or regenerates. New loop plumbing, if your home has none, is priced up front, in writing once the licenses are issued, and approved by you first. Installation and testing, CreekWell’s two-year workmanship warranty, and the supplier’s warranty: tanks 10 years, media and parts 1 year (on the Compact, only if the supplier accepts its one-tank layout, which your estimate confirms in writing).
Before parts are ordered, the build is checked against the supplier’s published limits for the media and your water test results. If existing plumbing needs to be brought up to code, you are shown what is needed and given the price in writing first, once the licenses are issued.
The same price applies everywhere in Yavapai County — Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Dewey-Humboldt, Mayer, Paulden, Sedona, Cottonwood, the Verde Valley and the outer county. It is not a Prescott-only rate.
| Spec | Salt-free conditioner |
|---|---|
| Technology | Scale media: the supplier’s systems use Filtersorb SP3 (nucleation-assisted crystallization, NAC, a similar crystal-forming idea to template-assisted crystallization, TAC); the media in your tank is written on your estimate |
| Salt | None — chemical-free, no brine tank, no regeneration |
| Electricity | None — no controller, no drain plumbing |
| Scale prevention | The supplier claims 99% and cites no test. Neither the supplier nor Watch-Water claims an IAPMO/ANSI Z601 scale-reduction certification. An Arizona State University study of a TAC media measured more than 88% less scale. |
| Iron tolerance | ≤ 0.4 ppm (pair with an iron filter if higher) |
| Other limits (the supplier) | pH 6.0–9.0; chlorine ≤ 3 ppm; manganese ≤ 0.05 ppm; no hydrogen sulfide, oil or polyphosphate; hardness up to 100 grains, with a technical review above 25 |
| Pre-filter | Carbon recommended for chlorinated city water (the supplier) — its own tank on the Dual-Tank; mixed into the Compact’s one tank |
| Media life | About 5 years (the supplier); 5–7 years (Watch-Water). High iron, copper or manganese shortens it. |
| Mineral handling | Preserves calcium & magnesium for drinking |
| Service flow | Compact about 8–9 GPM (Neil’s rating); Dual-Tank about 8 GPM through its carbon tank; an SP3 tank on its own up to 22.2 GPM (10×54) or 30.8 GPM (12×52), Watch-Water’s maximum |
Sources: the supplier’s salt-free brochure and scale-control page; Watch-Water’s SP3 specification. The full spec sheets: Snow Leopard, Compact, Dual-Tank.
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).
$2,750 installed for The Snow Leopard Package — the same price across Yavapai County.
It is a reference price: not bookable until CreekWell’s contractor licenses are issued.
That covers the salt-free conditioner sized to your home water profile and household demand, the Clack in/out head and bypass, the scale media, all parts and fittings, and the tie-in to your existing loop. No drain plumbing is needed — the conditioner doesn’t backwash or regenerate. The Snow Leopard Compact is $2,225 and the Dual-Tank $3,550. Before parts are ordered, the configuration is checked against the manufacturer’s sizing data and your water test results.
A softener takes the hardness out; a salt-free conditioner leaves it in and is meant to stop it forming scale, with no scale-reduction certification.
A regular softener removes calcium and magnesium via ion exchange and replaces them with sodium — that’s how it produces “soft” water that feels slippery. A salt-free conditioner uses a crystal-forming media (the supplier’s systems use Filtersorb SP3; TAC media rest on a similar idea) meant to turn the calcium and magnesium into microscopic crystals that pass through your plumbing instead of sticking. Salt-free does not remove hardness; it is meant to stop it forming scale, and how well it protects pipes and water heaters is not certified (see the next question). Glassware can still spot.
It can reduce scale, but the evidence is thinner than for a softener.
The supplier claims 99% scale prevention and cites no test, and neither the supplier nor Watch-Water claims an IAPMO/ANSI Z601 scale-reduction certification. An Arizona State University study of a TAC media, for the WateReuse Research Foundation, measured more than 88% less scale; the University of Nebraska found few conclusive studies of salt-free devices overall. It’s not as good as a salt softener if you want the slippery “soft” shower feel, soap that lathers easily, or zero mineral spots on glass. Salt softeners win on softness; salt-free wins on simplicity: no salt runs, no waste water, and no sodium added to your drinking water. Neil helps you pick based on your priorities.
Anyone who wants less scale without salt, electricity or waste water, on water that is not too hard.
Pick the salt-free conditioner if you want less scale without salt runs, no electricity, no waste water, and drinking water that keeps its calcium and magnesium. Pick the salt softener if you want the slippery soft-shower feel, spot-free glassware, or your water is very hard — the supplier asks for a technical review of any salt-free install above 25 grains. Both have their place; they’re built for different priorities.
Yes, if iron stays below 0.4 ppm, manganese below 0.05 ppm and there is no hydrogen sulfide (the supplier’s limits).
Only a lab test shows whether your well is inside them. If your well water has higher iron, sulfur or arsenic, the salt-free conditioner goes in downstream of the right iron/sulfur filter (priced from your lab test once the licenses are issued) or the arsenic system ($4,750 flat, a reference price — The Jaguar Package). The water always gets tested before a salt-free system goes on a well; the $185 lab test is the thorough option.
About 5 years, by the supplier’s figure; its maker, Watch-Water, says 5–7.
High iron, copper or manganese in the water can end it sooner (Watch-Water). Unlike a salt softener, which needs salt as long as it runs, the salt-free conditioner has no routine upkeep beyond the carbon on chlorinated city water.
Yes.
The conditioner is meant to prevent scale in your pipes and appliances, but it doesn’t remove the calcium and magnesium — they’re still in the water when it dries on glass, so spots stay visible (the Arizona State University study measured scale in a water heater, not spots on glass). If spot-free glassware is a priority, a salt-based softener is the better choice. If you want your drinking water to keep its mineral content, the salt-free conditioner is the answer.
Most installs take 2–3 hours from arrival to walk-through.
With no brine tank, no electrical hookup and no drain plumbing, it’s the fastest of the water-treatment installs. The appointment is set around your schedule, and most installs are finished in one visit with the water off no longer than 90 minutes.
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.
