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FAST & FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS IN THE LOWER 48 | US Assembled | Say NO to Chinese Manufactured Softeners
FAST & FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS IN THE LOWER 48 | US Assembled | Say NO to Chinese Manufactured Softeners
Water Softener Efficiencies Explained

Water Softener Efficiencies Explained

Water Softener Efficiencies

"Wait a second...I ordered a 48,000 grain unit, but you only set my capacity to 30K!  What is going on!?!?"

At Affordablewater.us, we get questions like the one above so frequently, we wanted to set the record straight!  You can read many different opinions and explanations on the internet, and unfortunately, most of them are provided by people who simply have no clue what they are talking about.  

We have been in the water conditioning industry as both an OEM and Dealer since 1965, and have Certified Water Specialists on staff.  

The answer to the question posed at the top of the page is all about efficient salt dosing and system sizing.  While 15 lbs of salt (a "full" salt dose) will regenerate approximately 32,000 grains (1 cubic foot) of media, a dose of 6 lbs (efficient salt dose) will regenerate approximately 20,000 grains in non-iron loaded water.  Because you are getting almost 66% of the capacity with less than 50% of the salt dose, the trade off in unit capacity is well worth the cost savings and environmental impact of using less sodium chloride every regeneration.

In the 48,000 grain example above, since the system size is 1.5 cubic feet (48,000 grains), simply multiply 20,000 by 1.5 and end up with the programmed capacity of 30,000.  Some folks would recommend setting it to 32,000 (48,000 * .66666).  Either 30K or 32K work great... the difference is insignificant.  



The graph below is a capacity and efficiency vs. salt dosage curve which shows that it is not efficient to program nor use the entire capacity of a water softener. The formula of 6 pounds of salt per cubic foot of water softener resin per regeneration to achieve two thirds of the total capacity is what we use in the sizing and programming of every water softener.  You can achieve higher efficiencies by lowering both the salt dosage as well as the capacity setting of any water softener. The above is true of any type or amount of water softening resin regardless of what you might read or are told elsewhere.

You will also see on this chart that in order to achieve the full capacity of the resin it would take over 15 pounds of salt per cubic foot per regeneration which would be grossly inefficient. The Water Softener Sizing Calculator on our site is based on the efficient formula that we use as stated above.



A water softener is efficient only if it is sized correctly. An undersized water softener has to regenerate more frequently than a correctly sized one which greatly reduces the efficiencies of both salt and water consumption. A slightly oversized water softener can be slightly more efficient. 

Water Consumption:  The water used for regeneration is offset by the lessened amount of water used in the cleaning in your home or business due to reduced hardness water scale.  You can also take shorter showers as explained below.

Soap Consumption:  You can use between 50% and 70% less laundry and dishwasher soap with soft water. Soft water allows soap and detergents to get into a sudsing state which allows it to work as designed thus lessening the amount used.  When soap is allowed to suds up correctly, it cleans easier, and less water can be used as a result.

What You Might Read On The Internet. As with many other products or industries, ours is fraught with misinformation in regards to water softener efficiencies, specifically related to Fine Mesh or "Salt Saving" Resins.

For decades, resin manufacturers used to dispose of the smaller resin beads that were part of the manufacturing process. They would sieve off the smaller beads because they were not compatible in use with the standard sized beads and would simply backwash out of the system down the drain.

Then some of these manufacturers decided that rather than dispose of these smaller beads that they would sell them using smaller slotted distributors in water softener systems. At that time, certain industry charlatans started falsifying claims about the efficiencies and performance of these smaller beads when in fact they have the same kinetic properties of their larger companions. The more you think about it the more it makes sense.  These smaller beads do not hold up as long as they are not as strong as larger resin beads which is why we do not offer them. Salt saving resins (SST) are nothing more than hype. You can achieve higher efficiencies by lowering both the salt dosage as well as the capacity setting of any water softener.

 

 

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