Table of Contents
To determine the appropriate water softener size for your home, multiply the number of people in your home by the gallons of water they use each day (80 gallons per person is the average). Multiply that number by the grains of hardness in your water to figure out how many grains need to be removed each day.
What size water softener do I need for a family of 4?
What Size Water Softener for Family of 4? A family of 4 needs about 300 gallons of water per day (4 x 75 gallons). If the hardness of water is 10 grams per gallon, then the daily softening requirement is 300 x 10 = 3000 grains.
Is it better to have an oversized water softener?
An oversized water softener isn’t necessarily as bad as an undersized one, save for the fact that you will pay more money for it upfront. Regeneration will occur less frequently and the unit will use salt more efficiently. Otherwise, you won’t be able to properly estimate how much you need to spend on salt.
What does 30 000 grain water softener mean?
30,000-grain water softener means that it is theoretically capable of removing that many grains of hardness before it needs to regenerate. The hardness is the number of minerals that the water softener can take in before it needs to refresh and drain itself.
What size water softener do I need for a family of 8?
Determine the proper water softener based on your hardness and number of people in your house. Number of people in your house Hardness in Grains Per Gallon 1 to 2 people* 7 to 8 people* 5-10 GPG 32,000 Grain 40,000 Grain 11-20 GPG 32,000 Grain 48,000 Grain 21-30 GPG 32,000 Grain 80,000 Grain.
What is 48000 grain water softener?
The internet is littered with websites selling 24,000 / 32,000 / 48,000 / 64,000 grain water softeners. As mentioned above, the capacity of a water softener describes how much hardness it can remove before it needs to regenerate. A “grain” of hardness is 1/7000th of a pound of dissolved calcium and magnesium.
Is 50 ppm hard water?
Water hardness is usually expressed as the number of parts per million (ppm) of calcium carbonate present in the water (see Table 19).77 Water Hardness and pH. Type of Water Hardness Soft water 10-50 ppm Slightly hard water 50-100 ppm Hard water 100-200 ppm Very hard water Over 200 ppm.
What happens if your water softener is too big?
You might also experience flow rate problems because your water softener can’t treat your water fast enough. If your water softener is too big for your home, it won’t do enough work to trigger regeneration on time. When a water softener doesn’t regenerate, it’s not as effective and bacteria can grow in the tank.
What is the lifespan of a water softener?
Water softeners that operate using electricity to work can last anywhere between 2-10 years, depending upon the quality of the device. Water softeners that rely on the kinetic energy from water flow can last even longer, about 20 years if they are maintained well.
How do you know the grain of hardness in water?
If your hard water test displays or produces the result in parts per million or milligrams per liter, you can take the total hardness level and divide it by 17.1 to determine the hardness in grains per gallon. For instance, if your hard water test shows 182 mg/L, you have 10.6 gpg.
How many grains should I set my water softener to?
Daily Softening Requirement = 10 grains per gallon X 300 gallons per day = 3000 grains per day. In the example above, the softener will be removing 3000 grains per day. A softener is usually sized to regenerate about once per week.
Does it matter what water softener salt you use?
Does it matter what kind of salt I use in my water softener? The type of salt you use in your water softener does make a difference. While all salts will soften hard water, pellet salts will do so more efficiently because they are purer.
What is a good water softener for well water?
The best water softeners reduce water hardness by removing calcium, magnesium, and iron through salt-based ion exchange or salt-free water conditioning. Some of the top brands of water softeners are Pentair, Crystal Quest, Aquasana, and Springwell.
How do you measure water hardness?
Water hardness can be easily measured using a simple soap test kit that will measure in “grains of hardness” (a little bottle with a line marked on it which you fill to the line with water, add a drop of soap, and shake to look for suds. More drops of soap – more degrees of hardness).
How often should water softener regenerate?
Experts agree that regular regenerations are the best, because they keep the resin bed active. This should be every two to three days, although highly efficient softeners may generate every day or even multiple times a day.
How many gallons should I set my water softener to regenerate?
How many gallons of water does it take to regenerate? During regeneration, a typical water softener for a family of 4 uses approximately 35 to 65 gallons of water, depending on the size of the water softener.
Which brand of water softener is the best?
Best Overall: GE GXSH40V Water Softener. Best Budget: Waterboss Model 900 36,400 Grain Water Softener. Best System: GE GXMH31H 31,100 Grain Water Softener and Filter in One. Best for Well Water: Aquasure Harmony Water Softener with Fine Mesh Resin for Iron Removal.
What is an acceptable water hardness level?
Measures of water hardness General guidelines for classification of waters are: 0 to 60 mg/L (milligrams per liter) as calcium carbonate is classified as soft; 61 to 120 mg/L as moderately hard; 121 to 180 mg/L as hard; and more than 180 mg/L as very hard. Sources/Usage: Some content may have restrictions.
What should hardness be set at on water softener?
What is the Ideal Water Hardness? 0–3: If your hard water test strip indicates that your water is between 0–3 grains per gallon, your water doesn’t require softening. 3–7: Water between 3–7 gpg is moderately hard, causing spotty dishes and dry skin.
