We always recommend a water filter in front of all brands of water softeners. Why? Others might say their softener doesn't need a filter in front of it. Ours doesn't either! No matter what brand of softener that you buy, a 30 micron or smaller sediment filter in front of any brand softener will definitely extend the life of that unit.

"What is hard water?"
Hard water is defined as having more than 1 GPG (grains per gallon) of dissolved minerals in it (usually calcium, magnesium carbonate, and/or manganese).

"How is hard water measured?"
Hard water is usually measured in either PPM (parts per million) or GPG (grains per gallon).
17.1 PPM or Mg/L = 1 GPG
or
PPM or Mg/L divided by 17.1 = GPG (grains per gallon)

"How can I tell how hard my water is?"
You can either have it tested locally. "Why does the water softener have to add salt to the water?"
The softener works by passing the hard water through resin beads which have soft sodium/potassium ions attached to them. While the water is in contact with the resin beads an ion exchange takes place with the hard mineral ions (typically calcium and/or magnesium) trading places with the soft sodium/potassium ions. After a period of use the sodium ions are depleted being replaced by calcium and magnesium. The resin then needs to be regenerated with the sodium ions so the resin will again be able to exchange the hard for the soft.

"What is the difference between a water softener, a water filter, and a descaler?"
A water softener is a water treatment system where the calcium and magnesium carbonate (the minerals responsible for the hard water) which are dissolved in the water are replaced with either sodium chloride (salt) or potassium chloride. This is different from a water filter in that filters will generally remove chlorine, pesticides, bacteria (in some cases), and suspended particles (sand, sediment, etc). A filter will not remove dissolved solids (which are responsible for hard water). A descaler does not remove dissolved solids, it attempts to prevent the solids from being deposited inside pipes, on fixtures, etc.

"Why would I want to soften my water?"
It greatly reduces the scaling of pipes, faucets, pots, glasses, tubs, etc.
You will use less laundry soap, dishwashing soap, hand soap, etc.
The water is more pleasant to wash with, less soap scum.

"Ok then, why wouldn't I want to soften my water?"
If you're using sodium chloride (salt), then the softener will add a small amount of sodium to the water. For most people this is not a problem. However, if you're on a sodium restricted diet, we would recommend a seperate faucet in the kitchen that dispenses un-softened water for drinking.
Some people take a while to get used to the feel of softened water.

"Someone told me that softened water feels 'slimy'."
When you wash your skin with hard water, there is a layer of soap and minerals that is left on your skin. This is what causes the supposed 'squeaky clean' feeling. With soft water, the soap is completely rinsed away leaving just the natural oils your skin produces.

"I've heard that a water softener adds sodium to my water supply. Is this true?"
Yes. A household water softener removes the hardness minerals - calcium and magnesium - from water and replaces them with sodium.

"How much sodium is added to the water by the softener?"
That depends on the hardness of the original water. This table shows the additional amount of sodium consumed by drinking one quart of softened water.

   Initial Hardness                       Sodium Added
 1.0 grains per gallon                7.5 milligrams/quart
 5.0 grains per gallon               37.5 milligrams/quart
10.0 grains per gallon               75.0 milligrams/quart
20.0 grains per gallon              150.0 milligrams/quart
40.0 grains per gallon              300.0 milligrams/quart

"Should I worry about corrosion from the salt in the water?"
No. Over a long period of time it may have some effect on exposed steel surfaces. Most of the metal in a home that comes in contact with softened water is either coated, painted, or stainless steel. All which would be unaffected.

"Do I have to use salt?"
Most stores that sell softener salt will also sell a salt substitute (potassium chloride). This is just as effective as the regular salt, but adds potassium instead of sodium. The downside is that potassium chloride costs between 3 and 4 times more than the regular softener salt.

"Will a Reverse Osmosis system remove the salt from the softened water?"
Most brands will remove 95%+ of the salt from the water.

"What difference does size make?"
The size of the softener (rated in grains) in combination with knowing your hardness level will tell you how often it will regenerate, and consequently how often you will have to add salt. Our unit has a capacity of 40,000 grains.
As an example:
If you have a family of four and you hardness level is 10. Divide the 40,000 by your hardness (10), giving you 4,000 gallons of treated water. The average person uses about 50 gallons per day so divide the 4,000 by 200 (50 gallons x 4 people). This gives you 20 days between regenerations. Our softener uses about 12 lbs of salt per regeneration, so if you start out with a full brine tank (350 lbs) it should last you over a year and a half before you have to add salt again!
How's that for low maintenance?

"How much water does it take to dissolve 12 pounds of salt?"
One gallon of water will dissolve 3 pounds of salt. So for 12 pounds of salt, at least 4 gallons of water should be in the brine tank.

"With a flow rate of 13gpm, just how much water is that really? How much water do most fixtures use?"
A toilet will normally use 2-3gpm, a shower 1 1/2 - 3, a bathroom or kitchen faucet 2-3, a dishwasher 2-4, a washing machine 3-5. When you start running more than one fixture at a time, they add up quick and those extra gallons from 1" waterways can make a difference.

"Why would I spend extra for '1" waterways' when I only have a 3/4" main?"
Even if you have a 3/4" main line, having true 1" waterways will significantly reduce the friction loss that any softener produces. Yes, this might be "overkill" for some, but if gallons per minute are important to you, then it would definitely be worth the extra money.

"What makes your softener better than others that charge as much as four times the price?"
All softeners, regardless of price, should soften your water (i.e reduce the hardness to 0 grains). The question is how long will the unit last? How often does it regenerate? How large is the grain capacity? What is the warranty? How long has the company been in business? Does the softener regenerate based on time rather than how much water has been used? How easy is it to change the settings and service the unit? How quickly can you get your questions answered and your problems solved?

"Why do you recommend a two tank system over a one tank system?
Salt water is corrosive. If you live by a beach and have a car, you see this all the time. On a one tank system the controls are very close to the salts. We feel that it's far superior to keep the electronics away from the corrosive effects of the salt.

"I read somewhere that drinking soft water might be related to hearts attacks. Is this true?"
There is currently a medical controversy over what effect, if any, drinking hard or soft water may have on heart disease. In some areas with naturally soft water, residents seem to suffer more from heart disease. In other areas, there appears to be no difference between drinking hard or soft water. A number of researchers feel that some other constituent of water - not hardness or softness - may be responsible for the variations in heart disease figures in different areas of the country.

"What's the difference between naturally soft water and the water from a water softener?"
There's a great deal of difference! Naturally soft water is generally acidic and contains very few dissolved minerals. This tends to make the water quite corrosive to pipes and plumbing.
The water from a water softener is more like the raw water from which it is made. It is usually alkaline rather than acidic, and contains moderate amounts of dissolved minerals. Thus softening hard water in the home should not significantly affect corrosion.

"Will a softener remove iron/red stains?"
In many cases it will, see here.

"Will a softener remove tannin?"
It can. By replacing the typical CATION media in the softener tank with an ANION resin, it will probably remove tannin.

"I've read that the softener capacity should be large enough so that it should not regenerate more than every two days. Is there an ideal period between regenerations?"
"Do long periods between regenerations (say a month) have any negative effects on the softener?"
A water softener should be regenerated when the softener has reached its capacity and is unable to keep exchanging the hard ions for the soft ions. How often a water softener regenerates is dependent on how many grains per gallon of hardness is present in your water and the capacity of your water softener. If the capacity of the water softener is 40,000 grain, and you have 10 grains per gallon of hardness, then your softener would regenerate after 4,000 gallons of water had passed through it. How quickly you would use 4,000 gallons of water would really depend on your water usage. Long periods between regenerations would not have any effect on the softener if water is being used and traveling through the softener. If you are on vacation and water is not being used, sitting in the softener, then the water in the softener could be bacterialogically fouled. Fouling would depend greatly on condition of your well water. The softeners we sell are able to be set up (by the customer) for a calendar override. A calendar override would cause the unit to regenerate after a predetermined period of time. It can be set for between 0 and 15 days. Another way would be that whenever you get back from a long vacation just put a little chlorine in your brine tank and push the manual backwash.

"What is the valve assembly made of?"
The valve is made of Noryl® plastic.

"Does the resin tank have to be right next to the brine tank?"
No, they can be up to 20' apart.