Hard water is not just good to drink, it can clog your plumbing and appliances. Plus, it can affect your skin and hair health as well. hard water. To get rid of hard water, water softener systems are employed. But you should choose the right size as it can directly impact the performance of the unit. Here’s what to know.

Water Softener Sizing Guide

The size of a water softener mainly depends on two things:

• The hardness of water
• The number of people consuming the water

So, if you want to get the perfect-sized water softener for your house, then you need to have your water tested first and determine how hard the water is. Then you can go ahead and choose a water softener from the below mentioned hardness of water.

Minutely Hard Water

Hardness in water is usually measured in grains per gallon or GPG. So, if you test your hard water and the hardness lies between 5 to 10 GPG, then you can get a water softener that is anywhere from 32,000 to 44,000 grain size. This is going to remove the excess of calcium and magnesium and you will have perfectly soft water ready for drinking or use around the house.

A 32,000-grain-sized water softener is perfect for small families and you can go up as the number of people increases.

Moderately Hard Water

The next level of water hardness lies in the range of 11-20 or 25 grains per gallon and if that is the case, then you’re going to need a bigger grain sized water softener, something that lies in the range of 32,000 to 64,000.

Obviously, the higher the hardness of water is, the bigger the water softener you need to sufficiently remove all of the excess scale and hardness-causing ions. This is going to lead to the best results in the end, and your water softener won’t break down either, which is what you want.

Hard Water

Hard water that lies in the range of 21-40 grains per gallon is water that you need to soften, otherwise, there will be a bitter taste in the water and you won’t be able to drink it or even use it on your body or clothes. Hardness below 40 is acceptable and unless there’s a health issue, you really don’t need to soften the water.

For this level of hardness though, you will need a water softener that will be sized at 48,000 (for a small family of maximum 4 people) to 96,000 (for a big family up to 10 people) and that will be enough to get the job done perfectly.

Very Hard Water

Hardness that exceeds 40 grains per gallon and is near 100, you really need a robust and big water softener for it. You can’t risk getting a small or incorrectly sized water softener, because it will not be of any use.

For a small family, you can go for a water softener with the grain size of 64,000 grains and for a bigger family, up to 8 or 9 people, you can choose a water softener that has the capacity of at least 100,000 grains.

Why Choose A Right Sized Water Softener?

Now that you know how to choose the perfect size of the water softener, the next thing to go over is why the right size matters in this matter:

Better Performance

If you take the time to get a water softener that is correctly sized for your house, then you will see that the softener performs better than ever. See, the appliance is able to handle whatever amount of hardness it is designed for, so it will obviously run flawlessly and you won’t run into issues that have to do with white scale clogging the softener or any other appliance. You can further improve the performance of the water softener by regular maintenance.

Less Wastage

When you buy a water softener that is precisely designed for your water hardness and consumption, then there will be little to no water wastage either. A water softener, believe it or not, does cause water wastage.

Water is needed to flush the system every now and then to get rid of any buildup. So, if you get a water softener that fits your needs, then you won’t be wasting water trying to wash off a larger-than-life resin bed that you don’t even need.

No Hard Water

This one is obviously a no-brainer, but if you don’t get the right size of a water softener, then you are also risking the process of the water getting softened properly. This is something that you might not think matters, but it does.

Imagine getting a water softener that is not the correct size and then you can’t get soft water from it, because it is not doing its job well due to its incorrect size. This is something you definitely don’t want to experience, so make sure that you’re taking your time and getting the right size water softener for yourself.

Less Trouble For Maintenance

If you buy too big or even too small a water softener, then you’re driving an axe straight onto your own foot. This is not what you want to do, because the bigger or smaller the softener is, the more you need to maintain it.

Smaller water softeners have a tendency to get clogged up pretty quickly, while bigger water softeners need more attention and lead to more water wastage. So, you really need to think things through if you’re going to get a water softener.

Efficient Regeneration

Regeneration is the process by which the resin bed is flushed to remove all of the excess calcium and magnesium ions that were once in the water. They have to be removed from the resin bed in order for the cycle to start again and water to be softened. But where does the size come in?

Well, small water softeners can get choked really easily and regeneration can be a pain in the neck. Whereas a bigger water softener will use more water to cover the larger surface area of the resin bed, most of which is left unused, since it’s not the right size for you. So, no, bigger doesn’t always mean better and if you want the regeneration cycle to be efficient and easy without any mess, then you have to choose the right size.

Less Wear And Tear

There are a lot of moving parts in a water softener and if you get the incorrect size, usually a small one, then it will work double time to soften the water and wear and tear can be more common. This is why choosing the right size for water softeners is key.

Conclusion

Water softeners are come in various sizes so you need to get the right size to make the most out of it. After water softener installation Erie, make sure to maintain the unit regularly for a longer lifespan and effective softening.