Does anyone know if magnets work as water softners? I know this may sound crazy. How much does a water softner cost to maintain once it is installed? We're finding that they are expensive to install. Any input would be appreciative.

 

A good water softener will run at least $1,000 installed, but they cost very little to maintain.
Basically all that you do is add rock salt to the brine tank as needed. It comes in 80-lb bags for about $7 bucks or less.
It takes two to fillup the average brine tank every couple of months or so, depending upon your family water usage (in 1,000-of-gallons-per-month) and how often you have it set to regenerate (just follow instructions).
I've had one for almost 25 years, and have had to do very little maintenance on it. Don't even remember when the last time was that I worked on it (and that was just cleaning out a little salt clog).
They DO soften water by removing calcium and magnesium, which makes your shampoos and soaps (bath, dishwasher, washing machine, etc.) "sud" much better, and helps prevent mineral buildup everywhere.
They are worth it, if you have hard water, in my opinion.
Good Luck!
Mike
Edit: I suppose that a magnet might remove some of the iron in water, but there are better filters for that.