Hello,

So I just found a commercial water softener similar to this one (mine's 12 litres instead of 8 like on the picture) after looking online ever since I purchased my Elektras for a rebuild project. It was only $20, including a standard 220V vane pump that is almost identical to that on the Elektra, so you can understand I didn't ask anything and just picked it up.

The pump vanes rotate freely without unreasonable resistance just like all vane pumps do and does pump water even when rotating by hand and the stainless steel reservoir and valves operate perfectly well, but the seller didn't know much about the condition of the media and basically emptied it all and I need to refill it (I really can't complain, the media could have been just worn out). The problem is, the media itself is hard to find and appears to be very expensive: what I found on eBay sells for $100 to $200 for what I need (1/2 cubic foot) as the shipping is 50% or more of the cost ...

So my question is: Where to find a local source for the resin, what type do I need and how much should I expect paying in the Montreal area?

Was this purchase such a good deal after all? I would think so considering the reservoir is in great shape and the pump appears to be in great condition...

As for background water quality, I have hard water, but it is acidic (pH 6.4 IIRC), with iron, manganese and slight amounts of sulfur. The Saeco Aromas I am using with Brita filtered water have not suffered, over the years, from any significant scaling, nor do my faucets. It's mostly the unsightly iron and manganese that bother us (we need to thoroughly wash the Britas at each cartridge change to remove the rust colored scum that gets deposited over several months in the refill area), and the fact soaps are not very effective.

So thanks in advance for your advice and feel free to share any opinions you may have on the subject .

I can't specifically help you in Canada. I buy my supplies from:
http://www.wateranywhere.com/

Good luck...

What's a good price for media? I've read somewhere else that I should consider getting a new prefilled tank instead and that st would cost me the same, however, considering the poor water quality (and presumably the need to replace the media more often), I'm not so sure...

I would start by calling a few of the good shops in Montreal and asking what made more sense.
The report here recommending Mali sounds like a good place to start.

MONTREAL - Where to shop for espresso machine?

These shops deal with high volume, commercial stores where quality in the cup counts. I'm guessing they can help you out.

Over 10 years ago I installed a whole house water softening system for about $700, a Fleck and did all the work myself. I bought all the equipment from http://www.qualitywatertreatment.com/ . Years later I had some questions concerning the resin but they didn't respond. They did have the best price I could find when I bought the system. Other interesting sites are
http://www.softenerparts.com/default.asp
http://www.softenerparts.com/Resin_Replacement_s/54.htm
http://www.purewaterproducts.com/
Hope this helps.

Marvin