Table of Contents
How do I know which water softener to buy?
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Is it OK to drink softened water?
Softened water is considered safe to drink in the majority of cases. In softened water, the sodium level increases. Sodium is not the same as salt (sodium chloride). The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) says that water with a sodium content of up to 200ppm is safe to drink.
Is salt-free water softener better?
A saltwater softener would be your better choice. Salt-Free Water Conditioners create hardness crystals but leave minerals present in the water. The crystals won’t adhere to surfaces so you will see a reduction in the scale build-up. Salt-based systems will outperform salt-free for overall water softening.
What are the disadvantages of having soft water?
Cons of Soft Water Regularly drinking soft water increases a person’s sodium levels, which can lead to multiple health problems including blood pressure. The process used to make the water soft also makes it more volatile, which means it picks up more unwanted elements from your pipes.
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 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.
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.
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 48 000 grain water softener mean?
With 48,000 grain capacity and 12 ppm of clear water iron, this is an ideal softener for households with high levels of hardness and iron. It also has an built-in, self-cleaning filter screen for homes with sediment issues and private well water supplies.
Is 9 grains hard water?
Grains per gallon is a measure of water hardness. One grain per gallon (gpg) is equivalent to 17.14 parts per million (ppm). A water hardness of 0 to 3 gpg is soft water, 3 to 7 gpg is moderately hard and 7 to 11 gpg is considered hard. Anything more than 11 is considered very hard.
What does 32000 grains mean?
What is sold typically as a 32,000 grain system contains 1 cubic foot of water softening resin. If one looks at the specification provided by the resin manufacturer you will see that 1 cubic foot of resin under ideal laboratory conditions can remove about 32,000 grains of hardness.
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.
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.