Selecting a Water Softener

3C Plumbing installs and services water softeners to treat water with high mineral content (hard water,) as well as alternative systems that do not require the use of salt.

But how do you choose the right water softener? There are four basic steps to take before
you actually invest in a water conditioning system:

• Step 1 – Test your Water
  • You need to determine just how hard your water is.
    • Water softeners work by removing elements like calcium and magnesium, so you need to know just how much of these elements you’re dealing with and how powerful a system you’ll need.
    • You can purchase a water testing kit and run the test yourself or hire a professional to come by and assess your water.
• Step 2 – Determine how much water you use? Once you have an idea of the hardness of your water, calculate your household usage in gallons.
  • The average American can use as much as 50 to 80 gallons of water in a single day!
  • A household of 4 can use 300 gallons in one day.

Cy Cadwalader, 3C Plumbing, installs water softener and purification systems like this under-sink Reverse Osomosis water purifying and storage unit.
• Step 3 – How much time do you have? Lastly, you should consider how much time you have in your schedule to devote to the cleaning, running and maintenance of your water softening system.
  • There is a wide range in usability and automation when it comes to water softeners.
  • If you’re a very busy person without much time on your hands, you won’t want a unit that needs to be monitored constantly or thoroughly cleaned regularly.
  • You should choose one that fits in well with your schedule and lifestyle.
• Step 4 – Choose a water softener – With all of this information on hand, you’ll be ready to start looking at units.
  • If your water has high levels of calcium or magnesium, you’ll need to consider larger, more powerful units.
  • The ‘strength’ of a water softener is measured in how many ‘grains’ the unit can remove from a gallon.

    To calculate how many grains your household needs cleaned:

    • Multiply the number of people in your home by the number of gallons they use and then multiply this by the hardness (or amount of grains) calculated by your water test.
    • Using average consumption and the average grain of water in the United States, the calculation for a 3-person household would look like this:
      “3 people x 100 gallons each x 10 grains = 3000 grains a day.”
    • A household with these results would get by well with a smaller, 24,000 to 32,000 grain water softener.
    • Units can run as high as 100,000+ grains for larger households or harder water.

If you are thinking about adding a water softener to your home, but this all seems too much to deal with, 3C Plumbing can help. We have the experience to help you determine the water softening / conditioning solution that best fits your needs, which system to select, and the correct size and type of equipment for your application. Call (317) 850-5114 to arrange a free in-home estimate.