Hague Maximizer 97

The Hague Maximizer Model 97 solves a common problem: the mechanical room, garage corner, or utility closet just isn't big enough for a softener and a separate filter tank. At 15 inches wide, 30 inches tall, and 19 inches deep, the 97 fits where a two-tank system can't, and it still does both jobs. The patented valve includes a built-in bypass and a test port, so a technician can sample raw and treated water without cutting into your plumbing.

Filtration comes from Hague's Ultra-Fil media, a self-cleaning 20-micron nominal bed that backwashes itself rather than relying on cartridges you have to buy and swap. The softening side uses vacuum-packed fine-mesh resin, which is why the unit can handle up to 90 grains of compensated hardness and 10 ppm of ferrous iron while still drawing less salt per regeneration than conventional resin. A smart-touch color controller shows live flow rates and settings, and a safety shut-off protects the house if the system ever faults.

Compensated hardness is the number that matters on well water, because dissolved iron effectively adds to the load the resin must handle. A well testing 25 grains with 5 ppm of iron behaves much more like 50-grain water. Plenty of wells around Jerome, Hansen, and Buhl land in that territory, which is exactly where undersized softeners give up early — they regenerate constantly, run out of capacity mid-shower, and foul their resin within a few seasons.

The 97's 90-grain compensated ceiling gives real headroom on that kind of water, and the self-cleaning filter ahead of the resin keeps sediment and oxidized iron from ever reaching it. Two media choices tailor the unit to what your test shows: the 97MMB1 uses Chlorostat for chlorinated city supplies, and the 97MMP1 uses Sulfurstat for wells with rotten-egg sulfur odor. Peak flow of 10.7 GPM at a 15 psi drop supports simultaneous fixtures in a typical three-bath home without a noticeable pressure loss.

Because everything lives in one cabinet, installation is often faster than a comparable multi-tank setup — usually three to four hours including the tie-in, bypass, drain line, and programming. The unit needs a standard 115V outlet nearby and a drain within reach. We program the controller to your measured hardness and iron so the metering reflects your actual water, then walk you through the touch screen before we leave.

Maintenance is mostly salt. There's no filter cartridge to replace, which is the main ongoing cost people forget to budget for on other systems, and 170 pounds of salt storage means fewer trips to fill it. We recommend an annual service visit to verify metering, sanitize the resin, and inspect the brine well. Hague backs the unit with a 15-year limited warranty, and warranty work is performed by our own technicians here in Twin Falls rather than shipped somewhere.

Both are premium Hague systems and both combine softening with filtration. The WaterMax is the higher-capacity, longer-warranty flagship and is our default recommendation for larger homes and the toughest water. The Maximizer 97 is the answer when space is the binding constraint, when you want a specific media choice for sulfur or chlorine, or when the household's demand doesn't justify the larger unit.

Neither one is a drinking-water system. If nitrates, dissolved solids, or bottled-water bills are what's actually bothering you, pair either softener with an under-sink RO at the kitchen tap. And if you're on relatively straightforward city water without an iron or odor problem, Wade's 40KMC will get you soft, chlorine-free water for less money.