Best Water Softeners of 2018

There are two types of water softener systems, salt-based and salt-free systems. When hard water passes through a softener system, it goes through a resin filter, which reacts with the minerals in the hard water and replaces them with harmless soft-water ions. The unwanted minerals stay with the resin and over time, the resin media gets saturated. When that happens, the resin media needs to be “cleaned” or regenerate itself. The regeneration happens when salt-water is used to rinse the resin. This is where the “salt” in a salt-based system is used.

A salt-free system, on the other hand, does not remove any minerals or ions. Rather, it reacts with the harmful minerals or ions and modifies them in such a way that they do not stick to pipes or create any limescale build up. Salt-free systems use the concept of electromagnetism.

For figuring out which system is right for you, it is important to understand the benefits and downsides of both the technologies. The salt based system is good if your water from the source is really hard. It is more efficient at softening water than a salt-free system. The downside, however, is that draining the salt-water waste is not environmentally friendly. Also, the water coming out of the salt-based system may contain salt or sodium, which may not be good for drinking and cooking. Additionally, the softening process removes minerals from the water which are actually quite healthy for your body. Salt-based systems require minor plumbing work during the installation of the system, so you have to be prepared to put some time and effort into the initial phase.

The salt-free system can be used only if your water from the source is not very hard. It only conditions the water rather than thoroughly softening it. Hence, it is not as effective as a salt-based system. You may still have issues with soap lather. Such systems are good for apartment use, or people who just want to protect their pipes from limescale build up. Salt-free systems are also more environmentally friendly option than a salt-based system. These systems are a tank-less solution and hence they are cheaper in price, easier to install (no real plumbing work), and there is no changing of filters either.

All salt-based water softener systems have a grain number associated with them. This is essentially the size of the softener system. To find out what grain size you need for your usage, you need to first measure the hardness of your water. There are kits available to do this.

The hardness is measured in grains per gallon. Once you have that number (let us assume it is 15), then you need to determine the water usage in your house or establishment. Normally, one person uses 75 gallons per day. So, a house of 4 people will use 300 gallons per day. 300 times 15 grains gives you 4500 grains per day or 31,500 grains per week. We look at the weekly number because the regeneration process in salt-based water softeners normally takes place weekly. Based on the 31,500 number, you want to look for softeners which have a grain number higher than 31,500. The harder your source water, the higher the grain capacity you want in the softener system.

Every water softener system has a flow rate associated with it. This is the rate at which the water flows out of the tank in the softener system. If your house or establishment is larger, or if there are more people using the water, then you want to go for a system with a higher flow rate. Flow rate reviewed in this guide range from 4 gallons per minute to 18 gallons per minute.

Regeneration is an extremely important process in salt-based water softener systems. The majority of the systems today come with one of two types of regeneration processes: digital on-demand and a manual process. Digital on-demand systems are more expensive, but they also save you money in the longer term by automatically adjusting water and salt use. Over time, it becomes smarter by learning the usage patterns and regenerating only when necessary.

The manual process involves physically flushing out the waste salt-water and occasionally even changing out the filter. This may be more of a hassle if your softener system is located in a place not easily reachable. It can also be tedious to regularly do the back-flushing if the house or establishment is large and the usage is heavy.

After spending a good amount on a water softener system, and after spending the time and effort to install it, you would want to make sure that the system runs reliably and glitch-free. In case of any problems, your warranty will be critical. So, before buying a softener system, find out information about the warranty. You need to know what is covered under the warranty, as parts of digital systems can be quite expensive. You also want to make sure that the warranty period is long enough. 10 years seems to be the standard period for the well-known systems. Whichever system you choose, make sure it comes with a reasonably good warranty.