Home Water Softeners
Types, How to Choose and Best Models

Home water softeners are appliances that trade the calcium and magnesium ions present in the water source with sodium ions (which are chemical magnets), thereby making the water soft.

Home water softner has what is called a "resin tank" which is made up of minute beads of sodium ions.

As the water enters the resin tank, the sodium ions attract the calcium and magnesium ions and swap places with them, making the water mineral free and soft.

When the sodium ions run out, a water softener control valve goes into action and transfers the collected magnesium and calcium ions into a brine (salt) tank, which is also a part of the water softner.

The brine tank drains out the magnesium and calcium ions present in the resin tank and replaces them with sodium ions.

The result is that the water is cleaner, does not clog up the appliances with mineral residues, increases the appliance life by making them do the same amount of work in a shorter time and more efficiently, and it makes your clothes feel softer.

A water softener is used for appliances such as washing machine, dishwasher and water heater.

Types of Home Water Softener Systems

There are two types of home water softners available:

1. Automatic softeners: Automatic softeners come equipped with a timer that controls the ion regeneration process, usually at night.

2. Demand initiated regeneration (DIR): These systems run on autopilot mode; everything is planned and the softener does what it has to do depending on the usage of water.

How to Choose a Home Water Softener

It is important that every home must choose a water softener system best suited to its requirement.

A home water softener is not something you should pluck off the shelf; rather, you must first study your requirements and match them with the softeners available in the market. Here's how you do it:

1. First step is to determine the average household water consumption. An American uses about 80 gallons of water a day and a family of 3 will consume 240 gallons a day.

The grains of hardness come to about 10 grains/gallon and that makes it 2400 grains of hardness that need to be filtered out daily.

Accordingly, such a family should choose a softener system whose recharging time cycle matches their requirements.

2. Choose a water softener that's easy to clean.

3. The softener system must be backed by a solid warranty and dealer service.

4. The level of convenience required should also be kept in mind before buying a softener. Accordingly, an automatic or a DIR machine can be chosen.

5. There must be no hurry to buy a softener – you must try out, get references and recommendations and investigate all before buying a system.

6. The dealer must be reputed, the manufacturer must have a name in the market and the product must carry a seal of approval from a government agency.

Best Home Water Softeners

One highly rated and very popular home water softener system is the Pelican PC1000 Premium Whole House Water Filter.

This machine utilizes a 4-step filtration process and using the highest grade NSF certified carbons, it removes or reduces chlorine, sediment, particulate matter, and harmful chemicals from entering through your water supply.

Available at about $950, this premium household water softener does not require any maintenance for 5 years and features a 5-year or 100,000 gallon warranty (whichever comes first).

It is also certified by NSF and doesn't need any backflushing or electricity, and is perfect for homes with more than 3 baths.

The Home Master – Whole House Water Filter is another model that comes highly recommended. It features a 3-stage sediment, iron & carbon filter that can remove up to 95% of dirt, minerals and harmful chemicals from the water.

It is available at $675 and comes with a 2-year warranty and is ideal for a large house with 3+ bathrooms or for smaller houses where the family doesn't want to spend time on checking the recharge levels.

To sum up, there are many home water softeners available in the market. All one has to do is to find out the softener capacity suited to their house, do some checking around, lay down their convenience levels, compare prices and then shop.

Shoppers should also run through E-shops for water softeners as many e-commerce sites sell softener systems at highly discounted prices.

Home Water Softeners Related Articles

How Does A Water Softener Work?
Have you ever wondered how water softener works? What are the processes inside a water softener that tranform hard into soft water?

Whole House Water Softener Benefits And 2 Recommended Models
Whole house water softeners clean and soften your whole water supply so there is no more need for faucet or other types of softners.

Top 10 Water Softener Benefits
There are many more benefits of water softners besides providing you with soft water.

How Water Softeners Help Alleviate Dry Skin Problems
Hard water can cause your skin to become dry and itchy. Water softeners soften the water and help alleviate problems with dry skin.

Water Softener Salt - Different Types And Purities Of Salt
Since the best water softener salt that you could get would be 100 percent sodium chloride, which is impossible to get, the next best thing is referred to as rock salt, which comes from underground mines.

Shower Water Softener - Two Recommended Shower Head Softeners
Why should you get a shower water softener? Having a softener for shower ensures that there are no traces of magnesium or calcium in your bath water.

DIY Water Softener - 2 Models With Easy "Do-it-yourself" Installation
The DIY water softener systems are easy to install. Do-it-yourself systems have parts and tubings that quickly connect to each other.

Residential Water Softeners - An Overview Of WaterGroup Softeners
Residential water softeners are those models that are designed to work for households only.

Best Home Water Softener - How To Find The Best Model For Your Needs
Choosing which model among the others is the best home water softener is actually a subjective task. But there are some features that best models all have in common.

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Home Water SoftenersTypes, How to Choose and Best Models

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Home Water Softeners
Types, How to Choose and Best Models