Have A Water Test Done To Help You Buy The Right Water Softener For Your Home

If you're getting fed up with the hard water scale on your dishes and shower doors, it may be time to get a water softener. A major benefit of this appliance is that it eliminates problems with scaly deposits on everything the water touches, including your plumbing pipes, laundry, and even your skin. Here are some tips for buying and installing a water softener.

Test Your Water First

You might obtain the hardness level of your water by calling your water department or by looking on their website, but you can also have a water test done to determine how hard your water is as measured in grains per gallon. While hard water is common in many geographical areas, the level of hardness varies significantly and you need to buy a softener that can handle the hard water that comes out of your faucets.

Calculate The Size You Need

Water softeners have different capacities, so you need to buy one that handles your needs, especially if you have a large family and use a lot of water and do a lot of laundry. You first need to know how many gallons of water you use per day. You can find this information on your water bill or use a general estimate times the number of people that live in your house. Then multiply that number by the hardness rating of your water as determined by a water test in grains per gallon.

The answer you get determines the capacity you should look for in grains per gallon that can be processed in a day. A plumber can help you calculate the best size of softener to use in your home if you want to make sure you get the right size.

Let A Plumber Install Your Water Softener

Besides choosing the size of your softener, you'll need to compare types of softeners, types of salt used, and special features available on different brands of water softeners. A plumber can walk you through different options and help you find the ideal softener for your budget and needs.

Once you have bought the equipment, the plumber will install it by attaching it to your existing plumbing line. First, decide where you want the softener placed. It might be in the basement, laundry room, or other area where plumbing is easy to access.

Learn How To Maintain The Softener

A water softener doesn't need a lot of maintenance, but it will need to be filled with salt and serviced on schedule. You'll need to learn how and when to add salt and when to clean the resin beads, valve, and nozzle in the tank. Also, learn how to recognize the signs of a salt bridge, which keeps your softener from working, and learn how to break up the salt bridge yourself so you don't have to make a repair call if it isn't necessary.

For more information on water softener systems, contact a company like Ecowater of Central Florida.

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