How to Choose a Water Softener: The Definitive Buying Guide

Table Of Content

• Salt-Free Conditioners
• Whole House Filter System Warranties
• Grain Capacity
• Maintain Your Septic Tank
• Where should a whole house water filter be installed?
• Pentair Water Solutions Water Filter & Pelican Water Softener Alternative Combo System Model #PSE1800-P
• SoftPro Water Systems Whole House Upflow Catalytic Carbon Filter

As a plumbing project manager, I installed and worked with a wide range of water softeners installed in both residential and commercial locations, including many Whirlpool and Rheem models. Drawing on this experience, I researched a broad pool of water softeners to find these top options to find these top options. Products were selected based on the size, capacity, type of water softener, and the regeneration cycle. Here are some of the best water softeners available based on our findings.

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Salt-Free Conditioners

This mid-size water softener is designed to meet the demands of most small houses with up to two bathrooms. However, if your home has its own well or you have concerns about water quality, you might want to hire a water treatment specialist to perform a more in-depth test. Aside from actual testing, here are some signs that your home’s water is hard enough to require a water-softening system.

Whole House Filter System Warranties

Another small drawback is that you’ll have to remember to keep an eye on the salt levels, since this softener doesn’t have a handy refill indicator light. Depending on the hardness level of your water, this softener is great for households with up to four people. While this won’t be the best option for larger families, it’s a solid pick for households with a smaller number of people.

Grain Capacity

You can program a regeneration cycle to run at a specified time, or you can simply push a button to run the cycle to get soft water. Keep in mind that a regeneration cycle will take over an hour and a half, which is a little longer than some of the other softeners on the list. The brand includes technology that can adapt to your water usage, ultimately helping you cut back on the amount of water you use. The angled top makes pouring salt into the softener a bit easier and the unit has a flashing light to let you know when it’s time to refill the salt. A water softener for well water is typically equipped with an iron filter.

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The carbon can remove very fine particles, including contaminants like herbicides, pesticides and chlorine, and eliminate contaminants that cause poor-tasting or smelling water. Like a lot of other whole house filters, SpringWell’s filter needs an add-on for well water and won’t filter bacteria. Installation is more complicated than others and might require the assistance of a plumber or handyman. This SpringWell model has a lot of upsides because it has a one million gallon capacity, so you’ll never run out of clean, filtered water.

The AFW Filters Iron Pro 2 is a powerful salt-based water softener that removes calcium, magnesium, manganese, sediment, rust, sand and ferrous (soluble) iron. It's available with different grain capacities, ranging from 32,000 grains to 80,000 grains. The model we chose has a 64,000-grain capacity, suitable for most households, including those with more than four occupants. With plenty of use, the resin beads in a salt-using water softener eventually become filled with minerals, and they need to be adjusted through a regeneration process. During this process, the household water temporarily stops running through the water softener.

Each type of hard water treatment system has its own unique benefits, and when you understand the differences between them, you might just find that one system is particularly ideal for your needs. However, before installing a water softener in your home, it's important to understand how water softeners work and the various types available. We'll break down the key differences between each softener to help you decide which type is appropriate for your needs.

While they can be less expensive, these systems can’t always process as much water. But it you aren’t looking for anything too high volume, they’re a great option. Empty the contents of the water softener and scrub the empty tank with soapy water. Designed for portability, the On The Go portable water softener is an excellent choice for an RV, a large boat, a small one- or two-person home, or an apartment. An included hose allows for connection directly to an outdoor faucet or campground water supply for instant access to softened water for cleaning, drinking, and bathing.

SoftPro Water Systems Whole House Upflow Catalytic Carbon Filter

These units are good choices for commercial use by small businesses like coffee shops and restaurants, but they can also be used in family homes. Nick spent 10 years in print journalism before landing in digital publishing within the home improvement space. In addition to writing for Forbes Home, Nick contributes to publications like Angi, Trusted Company Reviews and Family Handyman. Through this, he has developed a wealth of knowledge in a variety of topics ranging from solar and home security to moving and home warranties. Safety certification is crucial when dealing with products that can have a direct impact on health.

Once this has happened, the tank will have extracted a salty brine that requires draining. Magnetic treatment is the easiest to install because they sit on the outside of your water pipe. The hard water gets trapped by resin beads in the softener, where the calcium, magnesium, and other minerals found in hard water are exchanged for the sodium or potassium found in salt. These devices require specific softener salts, and it's best to refer to your softener's manual to see what the manufacturer recommends. The GE GXSH40V Water Softener is our best overall pick as a water softener for average-size households. It filters 40,200 grains before triggering a two-hour regeneration cycle that uses just 37 gallons of water.

Electronic descalers are the final water conditioning option to consider. Again, these units don’t technically “soften” your water, and they don’t use salt, resin, or even a tank. For that reason, systems with excellent flow rates for their level of filtration were awarded higher points in this crucial category. NSF certification ensures that your water filtration system meets rigorous safety and construction standards. An NSF-approved system has been tested to ensure that it removes the contaminants it claims to, and won’t allow specific pollutants to pass through. SoftPro’s water filter will remove 99% of contaminants along with many other impurities using its catalytic carbon filter, which also eliminates minute metal materials and chloramine.

Installing a whole-home water softener costs an average of $1,500 but could range between $500 and $6,000. Water softeners remove the minerals from hard water, giving your water a more pleasant feel right out of the tap. We’ll break down the cost of a water softener system, types of water softeners, and money-saving tips below.

Medium or large homes need softeners with capacities between 40,000 and 64,000 grains. Dual-tank water softener systems are typically more expensive than single-tank units. Depending on the size and capacity of the unit, you can expect to pay between $1,500 and $3,000. The benefit of using a dual-tank unit is that there’s never a gap in soft water production. Systems that include the ability to soften water were rated slightly higher than their competitors.