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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.
Does it matter what water softener 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.
How many grains should my water softener be?
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.
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 a higher grain water softener better?
Knowing your water and usage is vital to purchasing the correct water softener. A water softener that is too small will not be able to keep up with your needs and will wear it down faster. High grain water softeners cost more money and on over-sized softener means wasted money.
Is a bigger water softener better?
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 is better salt pellets or crystals?
Manufacturers of all-in-one or single tank softeners usually recommend that pellets should be used with their products. The reason for this is that since the resin tank sits inside the brine tank, salt crystals may harden, leading to the formation of a “crust” around the resin tank.
How long does a 40 lb bag of water softener salt last?
Your salt consumption will depend on the level of water hardness (minerals in your water) and the amount of water your household consumes. The average family of four with hard water (7-10 grains per gallon hardness level) will use about one 40-lb bag of salt each month.
Can I use salt pellets instead of crystals?
In general, all types of salt will work in most softeners and there is no particular harm caused by mixing different types. Softeners that do not have a salt screen in the bottom of the brine tank may recommend using pellets to avoid crystals being sucked into the brine draw pipe.
Is 14 grains hard water?
7–11: Hard water is packed with minerals at 7–11 gpg, and you likely deal with crusty faucets and pipes and possibly reddish rings on your porcelain from excess iron. 11–15: Considered very hard, water at 11–15 gpg exhibits all the signs of hard water all the time. 15+: Extremely hard water is anything over 15 gpg.
What does 30000 grain capacity 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.
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.
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.
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.
At what hardness is a water softener needed?
When Is Water Softener Needed? A water softener is needed when your water hardness is above 300 PPM or over 15+ grains per gallon. This is when you may notice changes in the water in your house or your health.
How many hardness grains are considered hard water?
Soft water is 0-3 gpg (grains per gallon). Medium water is 3-7 gpg. Hard water is 7-12 gpg. Anything over 12 gpg is very hard, and a water softener is recommended.
How long do water softeners last?
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 calculate water hardness?
The amount of hardness is expressed in milligrams per litre (mg/L) or grains per gallon (gpg) as calcium carbonate. Hardness is calculated from the equation Hardness = 2.497 (Ca) + 4.118 (Mg).
