If you’re interested in the Genesis 2 Upflow Premier Cabinet Style Softener, but you don’t want to make a purchase until you’ve done your research and read a few impartial reviews, you’ve come to the right place.
In this Genesis water softener review, we’ve shared everything you need to know about the Genesis Cabinet Style Softener, including its specs and features, its performance efficiency, its installation and maintenance requirements, and more.
Table of Contents
🧾 Overview
The Genesis 2 Upflow Premier Cabinet Style Softener is Genesis’ all-in-one water softening solution. This water softener is sold by Discount Water Softeners, and the actual manufacturer of the system is unknown.
What are the first things you should know about the Genesis Cabinet Style Softener? Most importantly, it houses the brine tank and the resin tank within a single cabinet, which allows for an easier install and saves space in the install location.
The Cabinet Style Series comes in three size and flow options:
- 24,000 grains – 10 GPM
- 32,000 grains – 12 GPM
- 48,000 grains – flow rate not shared
📌 The softeners in this series cost almost the same as the traditional two-tank Genesis Premier Water Softener Series, with prices for the cheapest 24,000-grain unit starting at around $950. The Cabinet Style Softeners have slightly slower flow rates than the Genesis Premier and Select Series softeners, which is likely due to the system’s all-in-one design.
📝 System Specifications
| Softener Type | Salt-based/ ion exchange |
| Regeneration Type | Meter initiated |
| Flow Type | Upflow |
| Resin Crosslink Percentage | 10% crosslink |
| Brine Tank Capacity | 200 pounds |
| Power Requirements | 120v/60hz |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | Starts at 13 x 20 x 44 |
| Country of Manufacture | USA |
| Warranty | Lifetime warranty on control head/valve, resin tank, and brine tank |
💡 Features
All-In-One Tank Design
The Genesis Cabinet Style Water Softener is the only Genesis Premier water softener to combine the salt tank and the resin tank in one cabinet. This means the system has a smaller footprint and a less complicated design, making it easier to install and suited to smaller spaces.
Ion Exchange Water Softening
Like all Genesis water softeners, the Cabinet Style Softener uses ion exchange to produce soft water. This process exchanges calcium and magnesium ions with sodium (salt), preventing scale formation associated with water hardness.
10% Crosslink Resin
The resin in this Genesis softener is 10% crosslink – the best type of resin when it comes to longevity and chlorine/chloramine resistance.
Upflow Regeneration
Like the majority of Genesis water softeners, the Cabinet Style Softener has upflow regeneration cycles, meaning that water flows up through the tank, allowing for more targeted regeneration of the resin.
Lifetime Warranty
You get the reassurance of a lifetime warranty on the resin & brine cabinet and the control head when you buy this Genesis water softener.
🚦 Performance
There are 5 factors that we always consider when we’re evaluating the performance of a salt-based water softener:
- The system’s regeneration type and efficiency
- The softener’s flow rate (in GPM) and flow type (upflow vs downflow)
- The maximum hardness minerals removed by the softening process
- The system’s testing to and/or official NSF certifications
- Any additional features that affect performance
Let’s start by looking at the regeneration type and efficiency offered by the Genesis Cabinet Style Softener.
Like most Genesis softeners, the Cabinet Style Softener uses metered control on-demand regeneration. What does this mean? The softener regenerates automatically based on how much water flows through the tank. This type of regeneration is common in modern water softeners (replacing time-based regeneration) since it helps you cut down on your salt usage and water usage by only regenerating when necessary.
Next, let’s look at flow rate and flow type.
Here is where having an all-in-one design is a slight disadvantage. The 24,000-grain softener has a service flow rate of 10 GPM, and the 32,000-grain softener has a 12 GPM flow rate. These flow rates are still good – the average household needs a 6-12 GPM whole home flow rate – but they’re 2-4 GPM slower than the two-tank Genesis Premier models. If you have a large family and a high water usage, even the 32,000-grain water softener might provide a flow rate that’s too slow for you.
As for flow type, the Genesis Cabinet Style Softener is no different from most other Genesis softeners, with an upflow design that, according to the manufacturer, helps save 75% salt and 64% water per regeneration. Some experts argue that upflow regeneration cycles are only slightly more efficient than downflow, so while you might save some money on salt and water over the years, we think the manufacturer may be exaggerating the savings slightly.
What about the system’s maximum hardness minerals removed?
Unfortunately, Genesis doesn’t share how much hardness its systems can treat, so if you’re keen to know for certain, we recommend contacting Discount Water Softeners. The fact that this water softener uses ion exchange – the most effective softening for hard water – we’d be pretty certain that it could treat very hard well or city water.
Next: NSF certifications.
A few of Genesis’ water softeners have NSF-certified components, but we can’t find anything in the literature for the Cabinet Style Softener to suggest that it is tested or certified to NSF Standards, which is a shame.
Finally, there are a few other features worth noting when it comes to performance.
There are two additional features to be aware of:
- Automatic system refresh, which flushes the softener to remove stagnant water if it hasn’t been used for 1 week.
- Quick recharge, which activates when the softening capacity drops below 3%, ensuring you have constant access to soft water.
📌 Does the all-in-one design of the Genesis Cabinet Style Softener affect its performance in any way? Aside from a slightly slower flow rate, no. This Genesis water softener offers the same performance benefits as any other Genesis salt-based softener, using the ion exchange process combined with on-demand, upflow regeneration to enable an efficient, effective softening outcome.
Continue Reading:
- Read our reviews of the most exceptional water softeners available in 2023
- Looking for more compact options? Check out the top of the line space-saving water softener systems
- The best water softening systems for well water with high iron content
🔧 Installation & Maintenance
Installing the Genesis 2 Upflow Cabinet Style Water Softener is a bit of a different process from installing the Classic Genesis Premier system or the Genesis Duo Water Softener.
The system combines two tanks in one, which means that you only have to install one unit – much easier.
We recommend watching this video, created by Discount Water Softeners, for the exact process of how to install the Cabinet Style Water Softener. But if you’re just curious about what installation involves, we’ve shared the basic steps below.
- Gather your materials. Unbox the resin tank, which is packaged separately from the actual unit. Unbox the small parts bag and the cabinet, as well as the safety float assembly.
- Choose a location for installation (ideally inside, upstream of your water heater), then shut off your water supply and open a faucet to release trapped air and drain the water.
- Install the resin tank inside the back section of the cabinet, then install the brine well and the middle gray plate into the cabinet. Drop the float assembly into place and secure the nut.
- Install the control valve on top of the riser tube on the brine cabinet, hand-tightening the connection. Install the bypass valve into the control head, then attach the unit to your water line.
- Set the softener to bypass mode using the included allen key, then follow the instructions in the user manual to attach and route the drain line.
- Slowly open your water supply valve, then open a nearby faucet.
- Plug the system into a power outlet and fill the salt tank with salt.
- Follow the instructions in the video to set the softener to perform a manual regeneration, and to program the softener.
📝 Resin Info
The Genesis Cabinet Style Softener uses the same durable 10% crosslink resin that’s in the two-tank Genesis water softeners. The resin is already pre-installed in its own tank, which you simply lower into the cabinet during installation.
📌 Why is 10% crosslink resin better then 8% crosslink resin? Because the 10% stuff is more resistant to chlorine and chloramine and lasts about twice as long as 8% resin (about 20 years versus 10 years). Always go for a system that offers 10% crosslink resin when you can – you get more value for your money.
🔔 Pros & Cons
👍 What We Like
- Like most of the Genesis water softener models, the Cabinet Style softener offers an efficient upflow performance.
- We think this Genesis water softener is priced competitively, offering the same benefits as other water softener brands at a similar price point.
- Because everything is loaded into one tank, installation is easier and the system is more compact than traditional salt-based water softeners.
- Despite the system’s smaller size, it offers all the same performance benefits of the Genesis Premier Series, including on-demand upflow control valve and automatic flushing after 7 days.
👎 What We Don’t Like
- It’s a shame that this system isn’t certified to NSF Standards for its softening performance, and we’re concerned about the misleading information available online in this regard.
- The water flow is slower than the flow rate in any of the other Genesis softeners.
- Although the system is smaller and offers a slower flow, it costs virtually the same price as the Genesis Premier softener with two tanks.
❔ Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the flow rate of the Genesis 2 Upflow Premier Cabinet Style Softener?
The smaller 24,000-grain Genesis Cabinet Style Softener has a flow rate of 10 GPM, while the 32,000-grain softener has a 12 GPM flow rate. Smaller households of 1-4 should find either of these systems suitable for their soft water needs, without a reduction in water pressure.
What’s the difference between the Genesis Premier and the Genesis Cabinet Style softener?
The Genesis Premier softener is a traditional salt-based upflow water softener with a salt brine tank and a separate tank for the resin. These two tanks are installed side-by-side. The Genesis Cabinet Style Softener combines the resin and salt tank in a single cabinet, minimizing space and simplifying the install process. We’ve compared these systems and other Genesis softeners in our complete Genesis water softener reviews guide – view it here.
What’s the best Genesis water softener?
The best Genesis softener depends on your personal softening needs. If you just want traditional water softening, the Genesis Premier Series is considered the best Genesis softener. However, if you prefer to minimize space and simplify installation and maintenance, the Genesis Cabinet Style Softener is a good option.
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