[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Perhaps, your trusted water softener finally gave up because of old age. Or maybe you’re moving in a new place that doesn’t have a water softener installed. Another possible reason is that a new change in nature makes your water quality supply to suddenly house minerals that makes the water hardness. Maybe you’re a new user and this is your first time buying a water softener. Whatever your reason is, you’re currently in the market for a new water softener and you want this purchase to count.
Would you opt for the most expensive water softener or would you instead get a unit that suits your budget? What are the features that you need to include? To make this purchase count, researching everything from the price to feature is a great idea. In this article, we will give you some important points that you need to consider in how to pick a good water softener.
What Does A Water Softener Do And Why Do You Need One?
Every day, millions of people in the country suffer a common water problem: hard water. This kind of water is produced when a great amount of calcium and magnesium ion exchange are present. It does not pose a health risk. In fact, drinking hard water is more beneficial than drinking the so called “soft water” because of its added mineral content (Calcium is good for the bones).
If there’s one thing that makes hard water a nuisance in our day to day activities, that would be because of its effect with soap. Hard water makes soap inefficient in what it does, which is to maintain cleanliness. Hard water makes laundry, washing dishes, cleaning houses, and even bathing a pain in the neck.
Read more: http://extoxnet.orst.edu/faqs/safedrink/hard.htm
Editor’s Sidenote: Still in search for a good water softener? here is a review that we did on the best home water softener systems and get the right product for your needs. As we reviewed 10 top water softener that works really well for your home.
By using a water softener, calcium and magnesium ion exchange are removed. You can wash your clothes and take a bath with ease. In addition, softened water will not cause the formation of what is called as “scales”, which can harm the whole plumbing system. Listed below are the things that you need to think of when buying your new softeners.
Read more: https://www.culligan.com/ca/home/solution-center/what-is-a-water-softener
5 Things To Consider When Finding A Water Softener Replacement
1. Number Of Tanks
A single tank water softener works differently compared to a dual tank water softener. In a single tank, the resin (which is responsible for the Science-y stuff) and the brine tank which is where the salt is located, is in the same system. Getting one of these will surely save space. However, the softener will not function if the unit in regeneration mode.
Dual tank water softeners have two resin tanks, with one housing the brine tank. If one tank needs to regenerate, the other one will still function, so soft daily water will still be available. However, this might not be ideal for small houses. Only get this if you need a nonstop soft water supply.
Read more: https://www.garreltswater.com/single-tank-vs-dual-tank-water-softeners/
2. Number Of Users In A Household
It’s important to consider the number of people who will use water in a household. This is to make sure that you will buy a right-size water softener. A formula made by Lowes needs states that to get the ideal water softener size for a whole family is (number of people x gallons of water used) x grains of hardness of water (which is measured by grain capacity grains per gallon gpg). The ideal size for a four-person household, according to Lowes, is about 33,0000-grain unit. Also consider the regeneration time. It’s either you store soft water in advance so you can still use it during regeneration time, or go with a dual tank unit.
3. Proprietary Or Non-Proprietary Products
Buying a non-proprietary brand might be a better purchase than buying a named unit. The reason for this, according to Gary the Water Guy, is because most softeners can last for years. Once you need replacement part after so many years, you would have a hard time finding the branded one because the production might’ve been discontinued or moved on to the next product line.
4. Should You Buy Additional Feature?
There are water softeners that add features which make maintenance easier and more convenient. In addition, more and more manufacturers are adding water filtration system, which is usually an after-thought purchase for buyers. If you want those additional features, you would have to pay more for your initial purchase. Consider if you really need these features before closing the deal.
5. The Maintenance Involved
When buying a water softener, consider how much time you would want to spend for your unit’s maintenance. There are units where the salt usage is low (so it would demand less maintenance), as well as built-in AI where it learns water usage patterns. A lot of recently manufactured water softeners also have indicators to know if salt is needed. These features lessen the time you use for maintenance but costs more.
Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWgw_PgSQbs
Conclusion
Purchasing a water softener unit is considered a big purchase for a lot of people. A system’s average installation cost is about $$$$, depending on the contractor and your location. At the end of the day, as long as the unit does what it says it would do, that’s still a good purchase. It’s up to you if you want to make it a better purchase by getting the functionalities at a lower price. Thanks for reading this article. Please share this article if you enjoyed it and check out other articles about water treatment that might interest you. I hope you learned something new and goodluck on your water softener shopping.
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