How to Choose the Best Water Softener for Your Needs

Unlike many appliances, water softeners are not always easy to determine what size and type is best for your needs. There are many different factors that come into play when choosing a water softener that will meet the needs of your home. It is important to know what questions to ask and the information to consider before you purchase a new water softener. Here are some of the factors to consider:

  • Size. You need the right size softener for your household. One that is not large enough will not function properly and an oversized model will waste money. This should be based on how many gallons of water you use each month.
  • Hardness. The hardness of your water and the elements in your water will be important in choosing the right softener. You should have your water tested to determine the grains per gallon and the minerals found in your water source.
  • Maintenance. There are many different types of water softeners with varying levels of maintenance. How often you will need to add salt and auto-indicators of salt levels are some of the features that can help with maintenance. The DIR or demand-initiated regeneration option can save energy and salt by only regenerating when needed, versus a timed system. You also want to consider other features like additional filtration for water quality.

To find the right type, size and features that you need for your water softening needs can be confusing. You should get the professional advice of a professional plumber to determine what model is right for your use. They can test your water and evaluate your water use to recommend the best options for your home, and do the installation for you.

Posted on behalf of:
Metro Septic LLC
1210 N Tennessee St
Cartersville, GA 30120
(404) 973-2471

Does Hard Water Matter?

Yes, it does! Most of us know that we prefer soft water since it feels better on our skin, in our hair, and we tend to use less soap. Rarely do we give any thought as to the difference between hard water versus soft water; nor, do we spend much time worrying about the potential damage of using hard water. Perhaps we should give it some of our attention.

Simply put, hard water is water that has a high mineral content, in contrast to soft water which does not. There is a lot of chemistry that we could go into here relative to the concentration of positively charged metal complexes, ions that enter the water supply from common minerals containing primarily calcium and magnesium sulfates. Rainwater and distilled water are soft because they contain few ions.

It is important to note that there has been no correlation between drinking hard water and human illness. However, hard water can seriously damage machinery and equipment that handle the water. This could also negatively affect your home’s piping, boiler, water heater, and other plumbing fixtures. Therefore, wherever water hardness is a concern, most homes and businesses install modern water softeners to help combat its effects.

Hard water forms deposits (like soap scum) that clog plumbing. These deposits build up on the surfaces of pipes and heat exchangers, resulting in restricting the flow of water in pipes or causing corrosion. For the maintenance and safety of your plumbing system, you may want to have your local plumbing professional test the hardness of your water and, if necessary, look into various softening options.