Are you considering getting a water softener for your home? That’s excellent news; however, we’ll need you to slow your rolls before your purchase. Getting a softener system for your home is a big deal, and rushing into choices is not going to cut it. Homeowners that use hard water can attest it is not ideal. Hard water stains and spots can be damaging to utensils and clothes. The best part is that you can change your water from hard to soft with a process called water softening. What makes water hard? When the amount of dissolved minerals in the water is at least one grain per gallon. What a water softener does is transform the hard water into soft water.
Softening water improves its usability and minimizes the risk of damage to the plumbing system and other water-using appliances. That is why it is crucial to get your purchase right. A suitable water softener is an investment and could serve your household for years. There are different types and models of water softeners on the market today, and sifting through them all to find the ‘one’ is time-consuming. This post will give you the guidelines needed to find the right one. Here are essential pointers to take into account going into the purchase.
1. The Hardness Level Of Your Water
All hard water contains at least a grain of dissolved minerals per gallon; however, the minerals’ levels vary. Before buying a water softener, check the hardness of your water. It is the only way to find the perfect water softener for your home. There are hardness test strips you can buy to test your water hardness.
2. Type of Water Softener
What type of water softener would you like for your home? You will encounter this question, so it is best to prepare for it. There are mainly three types of water softener, but to know which one is the right one for you, you need to understand how each works.
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Salt-Based Ion-Exchange Softener
This softener requires two tanks, one filled with brine (sodium chloride) and the other with resin beads. It works by eliminating the mineral residue in the cycling water, thus getting rid of its hardness.
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Salt-Free Softener
While a salt-based softener does the job just fine, not everyone is comfortable with salt’s excessive intake. This type of softener uses potassium chloride, which works as a scaler, preventing the minerals from piling up and becoming harmful.
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Magnetic Descaler
It softens the water by changing the electromagnetic properties of the minerals that cause hardness. For it to work, you should clip the softener onto the incoming pipe. It will then result in the mineral particles repelling one another plus the metal piping.
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Dual Tank Softener
For proper function, you need to charge your water softener regularly. But it is unable to work while it recharges. The dual-tank water softener has two tanks that work alternatively, so even as one recharges, you can still use the other one.
3. Water Softener Size
The right size of your potential water softener is determined by its rate of removing hardness grains. It is how you decide whether the softener can meet the needs of your household. To ensure the sizing water softener for your home matches your family’s needs, you should do some calculations. Simply take the average water gallons used by each person daily and multiply it by the number of grain minerals per gallon in the water. What you get is the minimum capacity the softener should be able to handle daily.
4. Price
It is easy to forget that price plays an essential factor in buying a water softener. As you shop, you will discover different features and sizes that could easily put you over your budget. One thing to always remember is you have many options, so do not jump at the first offer you get. A water softener can cost you anywhere from $1000 to $ 4000. However, it could reach up to $5000 depending on how advances you want yours. Good things take time, so do not worry about the time spent exploring your options. If it gets you a water softening system you want and, most importantly, within your budget, then the search is worthwhile.
5. The Level of Upkeep
Buying a water softener will not be your last interaction with the system. To keep using it for long, you will need to keep up with maintenance. Salt restocking and cleaning are a few of the things you should do to ensure your softener works properly. Basic information on how to ensure good upkeep of your water softener is always available, but you can also ask additional questions of the provider.
6. Control Features For the System
You should be clear about what you are signing up for with your water softener’s purchase, from the functions to the system’s controls. Water softener systems have various feature functions and adjustable controls. Some of these functions regulate regeneration cycles for recharging the resin and water usage. Always consider your preferences; from time controls to DIR controls, you have options. You will find softeners with electrical and mechanical features in the market, so always ask details about their features and weigh them against your household’s needs. The needs of your home will determine the kind of features that will work for you the best.
Although hard water poses no potential health risks, using it in the home has many downsides, most of which one can avoid by buying a water softener. Getting a water softener for your home is not a drop by the store type of purchase; you need to evaluate your options. You will benefit greatly by considering the factors above before settling on the right softener. You can use this post as your buying guide to find the best product for you. Now that you are set to purchase your water softener, good luck!
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