Hard Water is always a big problem for the water-using appliances in the home. Hard water contains more calcium and magnesium in the water. Calcium and magnesium deposits on the surface of the pipes and appliances as limescale affect the quality of the appliance and water. Hard Water is dangerous for your health too. Hard water makes your hair brittle and your skin dry. You will not be happy with your laundry and utensils as they leave spots on them. The only solution to this is the water softener. The water softening system will provide a single solution for all these problems. See the below best Water Softener buying guide and plan for the best one.
Water Softener Buying Guide
Before choosing a water softener system, you need to know what water softener is and how they work. A water softener reduces the amount of calcium and magnesium present in the water and provides salt-free water for household needs.
How do I know which water softener to buy? To decide which water softener is best for your home, you need to consider the family size, cost, regeneration cycle and many more that are given below in detail.
Things to consider while buying a Water Softener System
Make sure to cover all the features according to the product to increase the life of your household appliances. Just follow the below water softeners buying guide and it will ultimately lead you to the best one.
Size of the family
Start with the number of family members in your house. So, what size water softener for family of 4 is the best? On average, a four-member family uses a 33,000-grain water softener system. If you are taking long showers or if water consumption is more, then the grain number will increase accordingly.
Regeneration cycle
All water softeners have a resin bed in which the beads will entrap the minerals and provide soft water for consumption. When the bed is full of salts, it needs to be regenerated using water softener salt. This process usually takes more than one hour, and if you need continuous water supply without interruption, you can consider using a dual–tank water softener.
Cost
This is the most important factor that determines the use of water softener at home. If your water is extremely hard and wants to install a water softener, you have to spend around $500- $2500 for the initial installation. Adding to it, you may need to spend around $40 for the water softener salt every month. So choose the one that may not be very expensive.
Crosslink resin
Most of the softening resins have 8% of crosslink, and few have 10% of the crosslink. If possible, get a 10% crosslink resin bed as it will increase the resin bed’s life by many years. The efficiency of the bed also depends on the percentage of crosslink
Automatic features
Automation is always a major factor in this water softener system buying guide. The latest water softener systems can add salt when required and indicate when we need to add salt. It will help you to fix your maintenance work accordingly.
Iron removal: apart from calcium and magnesium salt removal, some softeners also remove iron content. You can use this if the iron is a major problem in your water.
Sediment filtration: This is an added feature in the water softener.
Hope the above water softener buying tips helped you to know how to buy a water softener system in budget and as per needs!
Our Best Water Softener Suggestions
After reviewing many water softening systems in the US, we have brought you the best ones in the market. They were chosen based on the review, pros, and cons.
- AFWFilters 5600SXT- 48K – this is a complete on-demand metered system with a 10% crosslink and saves a lot of water, salt, and electricity.
- Fleck 5600SXT BR8 softener is the best salt-based water softener in the market with an 8% crosslink.
Verdict
Water softener systems have become essential in the US as almost all states have hard water. The water softener system is important to increase the lifespan of the water using household appliances. There are single and double-tank water softener systems with many added features in the market. So once check out the above home water softener buying guide and based on your requirement, choose the one that suits your needs.