What Size Water Softener Should I Buy

But how do you do that? To find out what size water softener you need, you must identify factors such as water hardness levels and daily water consumption habits, then use this information to choose the proper softener capacity.

what size water softener should i buy

Ultimately, getting the right size water softener is the only way to ensure that your water is adequately treated for hardness without requiring constant regeneration. Without sufficient grain capacity, the softener will have to regenerate more often, using extra salt and straining the appliance.

High-efficiency water softeners can be designed to adjust to the specific water conditions in your household, allowing you to treat hard water without wasting extra salt or money in the process. For example, some water softeners use technology designed to optimize salt, water and electricity usage, decreasing your operating costs.

Many of the new water softener sales inquiries we get are from customers looking to replace an old water softener. Our sales process involves steps where we help our customers figure out precisely what size of new softener will get the job done for them. In the case of customers who are replacing an old and broken softener, they often just want the same size they had before.

But determining what size they currently have can be harder than it seems it should be. Here are two different methods you can use to determine what size softener you presently have. We're going to assume that you can physically get to the 'softening' tank. This is the tank that has the softener control valve on top. Some 'all in one' softeners where the softening tank sits inside of the salt tank make it really hard to get at the softening tank.

The next measurement is the tank diameter. Diameter is the distance across the tank. It can be hard to measure this for a round object but this measurement is critical in determining the size softener you've got. A difference of 1" is the difference between softeners of one size another.

Throughout roughly 85% of the United States, watersofteners are an essential household appliance. Knowing how to size a watersoftener can mean the difference between ending up with a unit that meets yourneeds and one that falls short.

Additionally, a water softener that is too small will require more frequent regeneration (read here to learn more about ideal regeneration cycles). Regeneration occurs when your water softener flushes its resin beads to get rid of built-up minerals.

In many modern systems, this regenerationprocess occurs based on demand; the more minerals that build up in the beads,the more frequently it will regenerate. Excessively-frequent regenerationaffects the life of these resin beads and your water softener as a whole.

As mentioned earlier, 85% of the water in the United States is hard. Exactly how hard the water is can differ from region to region, though, as you can see from the map above. You need to test your water hardness in order to accurately determine how to size a water softener for your home.

It involves calculating your daily water use and then multiplying that number by your water hardness measurement in grains per gallon. This will help you determine how many grains of minerals your softener needs to remove per day.

Is your head spinning? We get it. Knowing howto determine what size water softener you need involves understanding somefairly complicated metrics that can be hard for people outside of the industryto conceptualize.

Ideally, a water softener should be sized so that it does not regenerate any more often that every three days (wastes water and salt), nor goes longer than 14 days before regenerating (can cause compacting of resin, and fouling with sediment or iron). 7 days between regenerations is probably best - especially if iron is present. For the majority of homes, our 32,000 grain unit (1 cubic foot of resin) is more than enough capacity. There are conditions that would create a need for a larger unit: larger family (6 or more) and/or very hard water (over 15 grains).

Note: With Logix computer-control valve, it is possible to program it for more efficient use of salt by setting the capacity at a lower amount. For example, a one cubic foot softener has a peak capacity of 32,000 grains at a salt setting of 18.5 lbs. per regeneration. This provides 1729 grains of softening per pound of salt (32,000/18.5). You can program this for a capacity of 24,000 grains at a salt setting of 8.5 lbs. of salt. This would provide a more efficient 2823 grains per pound of salt, nearly doubling the efficiency. Granted, it will regenerate slightly more often, but since it only uses about $0.10 of water per regeneration, this is not really a major consideration. This being said, the following capacity options list both the peak and the efficient levels to make a better decision.

The next step in choosing the right size of water softener is determining how many grains to remove. A grain is a unit of measurement in which one grain is equal to approximately 65 milligrams of calcium carbonate. Water softeners are rated according to how many grains of calcium they can remove, as calcium is the mineral that causes hardness.

Using the 75 as the average use of gallons per day, multiplied by five, a family of five would generally be expected to use 375 gallons per day. With a water hardness level of 10 gpg, this family would need to remove 26,250 gpg of hardness per week. Finally, taking into consideration salt use, the right size of water softener for a family of five would be a 40,000 grain softener.

Of course, selecting the most effective water softener for your family will depend on your unique circumstances such as your water use and the levels of water hardness. But knowing how to accurately use this information to find the most efficient system for your home will bring you one step closer to enjoying a life at home with soft water. Take time to compare different models of water softeners, then make your selection.

A water softener is the only way to remove minerals from your water and prevent problems like these. After the water softener has been used over and over again, the filter needs to be recharged with more salt to continue working effectively.

Evaporated salt generally has the highest purity rate. A high purity rate of water softener salt means there will be less water-insoluble matter in the salt, which means less buildup in the bottom of the tank to clean out.

Some people prefer using potassium chloride if they have a sensitivity to salt and have certain dietary restrictions that require significant reduction in sodium intake. But again, for those worried about the taste of salt, know that salt used in water softeners does not make water salty.

Potassium chloride is a safe salt alternative for those who do not want to or cannot use salt with a water softener. Potassium is also a nutrient that plants and flowers rely on to grow, so you might prefer having that in your wastewater versus sodium.

The type of water softener salt that will work best for you and your family will depend on a variety of factors. It helps to talk with your water softener installer to get their recommendations based on your unique needs. Some factors to consider include:

You can determine your actual water hardness level by looking at the maps of the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, and Guelph Regions provided here. The following chart will also give you a rough idea of the water hardness level in your area. If you are using a private well you should get your water hardness and iron tested separately in order to get your hardness rating.

Choosing the right size water softener is important. According to watersoftenerfacts.ca, -buyers-guide/ it is estimated that "134,723 household water softeners use at least 2.7 billion litres of water and 44,700 tonnes of salt every year. To put that in perspective, it is equal to more than 10 Olympic-sized swimming pools and about one third of the weight of the CN Tower in salt!" The right sized softener will operate more efficiently, use less salt and less water, which is good for the environment and will help you save money.

The following video shows you how to install a water softener. If you purchase a water softener from WaterSmart, we will install and program it for you correctly, free of charge. We will also go over how to operate and maintain it.

At WaterSmart we carry an excellent line of water softeners that we are proud to install and maintain. We have been serving the tri-city region for more than 28 years so we understand the unique water softening challenges of this area. If you are considering installing a water softener in the Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, or Guelph area, contact us today for a professional consultation and installation.

A water softener works at its best when its softening capacity is suitable for the water used in the home. Our recommendations are based on the softener recharging every 3 or 4 days. However water use and water hardness will affect how often the softener has to recharge.

We use an average water use per person per day of 140 litres and the softening capacity of the water softener at 300 ppm. If the water is less hard so the softening capacity will be greater and obviously if the hardness is greater the softening capacity will be less.

If you are sizing a softener for a larger home with plumbing at 28 mm, then you need a larger water softener that has a greater softening capacity and a larger valve to give you the flow rates required.

There are several factors that play into determining the proper water softener size and certain criteria may apply on a case-by-case basis. However, the following are the general key factors to consider in finding out what size water softener your commercial business should implement.

The best water softener system can work wonders for your home and family. It will save you time and money and protect your health by defending against the harmful effects of hard water and other contaminants. 041b061a72