What a Water Softener is and How to Choose the Right One for Your Home

You have probably heard of water being described as hard or soft. Hard water is something that millions of people across the nation deal with on a daily basis. It has been estimated by the United States Geological Survey that 85 percent of households in America must cope with issues related to hard water.

Hard water derives from sources under the ground that accumulate dissolved minerals that come from rocks. Examples of these minerals include calcium, manganese and magnesium carbonate. What these minerals do collectively is to bring about unwanted characteristics in water that cause it be called hardness.

Hard water is not so much a health issue as it is a concern for the plumbing system in a home. When hard water is heated for instance the minerals in it that were dissolved begin to re-crystallize and then from there they develop a scale that produces a clog in the plumbing and decreases the level at which water can flow through.

A water softener can be installed in a home to make this less of a problem. Water softening can be described as being a reduction in the concentration of the minerals that are found in hard water.

If you are tired of dealing with hard water then a softener may be the answer to your problems. When you are in the market for a water softener selecting the appropriate size as well as the right capacity is essential. You want to purchase one that can handle the demands put upon it by your family but at the same time you do not want to buy one that is too big and too costly for your budget. The physical size of it is not the only thing that matters. Size in terms of a water softener is about the ability of the system to eliminate the hardness minerals from the water without needing to regenerate on a frequent basis.

What you should look for is a softener that treats water for your whole house and not just parts of it. You also require a flow rate that is generous, which is to say approximately 16 gallons per minute. You also need a water softener that has a storage capacity for salt that is 300 pounds.

Softeners can be purchased in numerous sizes. Each size is rated according to the number of hardness grains that it is able to remove from the water between the regeneration periods. Look for a softener unit that can run for at least three to four days before it needs to be recharged again. Ideally you should also purchase a water softening system that can adequately cope with spans of time when water usage is greater than normal (such as when you have company staying for a few days and there are lots of showers taking place and lots of dishes to wash!).

To figure out what size of softener you require for your home multiply the number of members in the household by 75. You would multiply it by 75 because this is the average number of gallons of water that is used daily per person, generally speaking. The number you get will tell you how much water is used daily in your home. You would then take this number and multiply it by the number of grains per gallon (GPG) of minerals that are found in the hard water that comes into your home. Once you know that then you will be able to decide the size of water softener you require to treat your entire residence.