When choosing a water softener for your home, there are several key factors to consider as you evaluate the many makes and models available today. These fundamental considerations include the hardness level of your home’s water, the size and composite water use of your household, your budget and the technical functionality of specific water softener systems. By answering the questions below, you will be well underway to finding the right water softener for you and your family.
1. Do I need a water softener?
No matter where you live and what your water source is, there is always going to be a certain amount of hardness to your home’s water, from relatively benign levels to potentially damaging levels. When picking a water softener, it is important to know just how hard your water is as each model is designed to treat a specific range of hard water levels. You need to ensure it has the capacity to treat your specific hard water symptoms.
To get a general idea of the hard water levels in your area, take a look at this water hardness map.
2. How much water does my family use?
Water softeners have clearly defined water softening capabilities, referred to as grain capacity, with a number in the 10s of thousands. Often you will see this number in conjunction with a model number. This is important to know because you need to make sure you purchase a system that has enough softening capacity for your entire home. It’s a pretty simple calculation – more people + more water use equals the need for a larger capacity water softener and vice versa.
Use the water softener sizing chart below to determine the rough capacity of water softener you need.
3. What water softener do I need?
As you can see in the water softener buying guide below, budget, functionality and features vary considerably across the spectrum of water softeners. Besides softening capacity, options such as energy efficiency, iron removal, salt usage and even contaminant filtration capabilities found in whole home hybrid water treatment units come into play when deciding which system is right for you. At a glance, It may seem like a lot of technical info, but if you get to know some basic water softening terminology, narrowing down your water softener choices becomes much easier.
Now you’re ready to find your water softening solution.
There is a wide range of water softeners to peruse and you are more than guaranteed to find the best solution for your household. All you need is some fundamental knowledge on how to choose a water softener to narrow down your search. If you have answered the questions above, you are more than ready to find your perfect water softening solution.
Ready to find your water softening solution? Explore water softening systems on EcoPureHome.
