As a good rule of thumb, you should start by setting your water hardness level on your water softener to match the GPG of your water supply. For example, if your report shows you that your water hardness level is 10 GPG, then you need to set your water softener to 10 GPG as well.
Therefore, it's best to set the hardness setting on your water softener 4 points above the amount of hardness in your water (plus 4 for every ppm of dissolved iron). The hardness number measures the number of minerals your water contains.
The membrane manufacturers will often specify what the maximum hardness concentration can be, but the industry rule of thumb is that hardness should not exceed 120 to 170 mg/L (7 to 10 grains per gallon).
The higher the number, the harder your water is, and the problems it causes will be more extensive. A single grain per gallon (gpg) is equal to 17.14 parts per million (ppm).
If your water's hardness is greater than 7 grains per gallon or 120 mg/L, then you might need a water softener to ensure your appliances run well and to improve the taste, smell, or look of your water.
If you set the hardness higher than it needs to be, your unit will still give you the same degree of softness (0-3 gpg), but it will use more salt and water on the backside (more recharges). Setting the hardness number higher than necessary reduces the efficiency of your softener.
As a good rule of thumb, you should start by setting your water hardness level on your water softener to match the GPG of your water supply. For example, if your report shows you that your water hardness level is 10 GPG, then you need to set your water softener to 10 GPG as well.
The level of water softener salt in a brine tank should be at least one quarter full, no more than 4-6 inches below the top of the tank, and a few inches above the water level. Before adding any new salt to a tank, loosen any encrusted salt stuck to the sides of the tank.
Is my water too soft? After your water softener is installed, you may begin to notice your skin feeling a bit slippery after a bath or shower. It's a stark difference from the hard water shower experience, which causes a soapy film to remain after rinsing, resulting in dry skin and weighed-down hair.
11–15: Considered very hard, water at 11–15 gpg exhibits all the signs of hard water all the time. 15+: Extremely hard water is anything over 15 gpg. Glasses are extra spotty, skin feels super squeaky, and soap scum is at its most stubborn.
On the Mohs scale, fingernail has hardness 2.5; copper penny, about 3.5; a knife blade, 5.5; window glass, 5.5; steel file, 6.5. Using these ordinary materials of known hardness can be a simple way to approximate the position of a mineral on the scale.
The simple definition of water hardness is the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in the water. Hard water is high in dissolved minerals, largely calcium and magnesium.
The average water softener needs between one and one-and-a-half 40-pound bags of salt per month. This is assuming that the water softener has a small-to-medium capacity of around 32,000-40,000 grains and is serving a family of four.
How long does a 40 lb bag of water softener salt last? We hear questions like this often, and the answer is that it really just depends on your system and your household water needs. While the average family will go through a 40 lb bag about once a month or so, your amount will vary.
A dry water softener brine tank means that you will only have water in your tank an hour or two before your softener is ready to go through a regeneration cycle. When your softener is in between cycles, it shouldn't have water in it.
An empty salt tank, salt bridge, depleted resin, clogged or damaged venturi, broken rotor position switch or failed timer can prevent the water softener from producing soft water. If your skin doesn't feel slick after taking a shower, that's a good sign you don't have soft water.
This should be every two to three days, although highly efficient softeners may generate every day or even multiple times a day. There are several factors that go into determining when your water softener needs to recharge: The hardness of your water. The amount of iron in your water.
If the hard mineral does not get cleaned from the resin, the resins will not be able to remove more hardness from the running water. A water softener will not remove the hardness that if the system is not be drawing all or any of the brine salt during its regeneration process. This is often due to the clogged injector.
Benefits of Hair Washing with Soft Water
Most notably, soft water lacks the heavy minerals that can damage hair and make it less resilient to other changes (like stress or diet). Because soft water can penetrate the hair follicle more fully, it generally helps hair look shinier, softer, and less damaged.
Soft Water: 0 – 1 GPG (or 0 – 17 PPM) Slightly Hard Water: 1 – 3.5 GPG (or 17 – 60 PPM) Moderately Hard Water: 3.5 – 7 GPG (or 61 – 120 PPM) Hard Water: 7 – 10 GPG (or 121 – 180 PPM)
Don't Add Too Much Salt
This buildup can prevent your system from regenerating properly.
Can a Water Softener Work Without Salt? Typical water softening systems need salt in order to regenerate and produce soft water. Without sodium, the softener can no longer effectively remove calcium and magnesium from your water, allowing hard water back into your pipes and home.