Choosing a water softener for your home will help soften hard water by removing calcium, magnesium and chlorine from hard water and replacing them with sodium ions. Each home water softener has a resin tank which water enters before reaching your faucet; and within the resin tank the sodium ions trade places with the minerals, giving you softer, cleaner water.
Soft water doesn’t clog your appliances, water pipes and faucets, which means your appliances work more efficiently and last longer. Your clothes will be cleaner and softer as the detergents you use to clean them will rinse away more completely, and your skin will be less dry.
Having a home water softener will improve the performance of all appliances that rely on water, including your hot water heater, dishwasher and washing machine.
Types of Soft Water Systems
While each water softener company will provide a variety of systems to choose from, there are two main types of home water softeners, including:
Demand Initiated Regeneration Systems: In this type of home water softener, everything will happen automatically. The softener does what it needs to do to soften the water, depending on how much you use the water.
Automatic Softeners: In this type of water softener system, the equipment runs on a timer that will start the regeneration process. Most of the systems are set to run at night, when it’s more likely that the water will be used less because everyone is sleeping.
Choose the Right Water Softener
Choosing an appropriate water softener installation is required to get the best results for your needs. It’s not an item that you just walk into the store and buy. Instead, you should consider the following factors and then call your local water softener professional for guidance and installation:
Ease of Cleaning – you don’t want a system that is complicated or time consuming to maintain and keep clean. Look for systems that are easy to clean so that you are more likely to do your part in maintaining efficiency of the unit.
Determine Your Average Water Consumption – the average American family of three consumes 240 gallons of water per day through showers, washing, and drinking. Determine how much water you use daily to find a water softener with a recharging time cycle that will meet your water consumption.
Type of Water Softener – determine whether an automatic softener or demand initiated regeneration system is a better option for your family. A water softener professional can help you choose if you’re unsure. The specific softener you choose will depend on how many bathrooms your home has.
Warranty and Service – as with any large purchase or investment, you’ll want to make sure your water softener has a solid warranty and dealer service. Most softeners do not require much maintenance before 5 years (or 100,000 gallons), but in the event something goes wrong, you’ll want a dealer to service it and for it to be under warranty.