Why Does The Hardness Setting On My Water Softener Matter
The hardness setting on your water softener matters because it determines how much hard water the unit can remove before regeneration. Setting this value based on the level of calcium and magnesium in your water will optimize the performance of your water softener and eliminate waste of water and salt.
Filling The Brine Tank
Initially, water is routed into the brine tank, where it fills to just below the salt level. This water is needed to make brine, a smooth mixture of dissolved salt and water. Its critical to keep your brine tank stocked with enough salt to produce brine at all times otherwise, the system will just replace the resin with water.
Do I Need To Soften My Water
There is no requirement to soften your water. The decision to soften is a personal choice that can affect your home and the environment. If your waters 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.
You May Like: Smoke On The Water Cords
Why The Hardness Setting Matters For Your Water Softener
The level of hardness in your water will determine how often your system needs to regenerate and therefore, how much salt you will need to use. Your water softener isnt able to measure how soft your water is. It relies, instead, on settings like hardness to tell it when to regenerate.
My design guide for water softeners provides a lot more information about this and a lot more.
What Level Should My Softener Be Set At
Basic water softeners are simple to set, you just need to know the hardness level of your water. So, to settle the question what hardness should I set my water softener to?, you just need to learn a few things. Once you understand exactly what the hardness level is, you will want to set the softener in accordance with the level. For instance, if your hardness is running at a 25, you would set it to 25 on the unit. Most of the time this is done by turning a dial or programming an electric head unit. Both are simple just follow the instructions that came with the unit.
Recommended Reading: Indoor Water Park In Indiana
How Do I Extend My Full
Purchasing 3 bottles of Whirlpool Water Softener Cleanser every year will extend your full parts and labor warranty for an additional year. Water Softener extended warranties cap out at 5 years or 10 years depending on model. For warranty details, . To validate and extend your Whirlpool Water Softener warranty, register your product online and upload your purchase receipts.
Recommended usage: pour a full bottle of the Softener Cleanser into the brine well every four months. After pouring the Softener Cleanser into the brine well, press and hold the Recharge button until a recharge commences. The Softener Cleanser will keep your softener free of contaminants, iron, and hard water build-up that can affect the system and reduce efficiency.
What Are The Health Effects Of Home Softening
A water softener that uses sodium chloride increases the amount of sodium in the water you drink at home. Consider the following if you have a home softener:
- If you or someone in your home has a history of high blood pressure, consult a doctor about drinking softened water.
- You can decrease the amount of sodium you drink:
- Have an un-softened tap for cooking and drinking.
- Regenerate your softener with potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride . Potassium chloride is available at most stores that sell softener salt.
The calcium, iron, and magnesium removed by softening are not harmful and may be beneficial sources of essential elements needed by the body. Removing them from your water may mean you will have to get more of them from your diet.
Don’t Miss: How Much To Replace Water Heater
Key Factors Influencing Your Water Softener Hardness Settings
There are three main factors that will dictate what settings you should set your water softener at:
- The Hardness In Your Water: the higher the level of calcium and magnesium in your water, the harder your water softener will have to work to remove these minerals from your water. Thats why its important to test the hardness of your water. This way, youll know exactly what settings to use. If you program your settings incorrectly, the resin beads will have a difficult time removing all of the hardness-causing particles present in your water.
The general guidelines for water hardness are as follows:
- 0 to 60 mg/L is considered soft
- 61 to 120 mg/L is considered moderately hard
- 121 to 180 mg/L is considered hard
- Over 180 mg/L is considered very hard
- The Age Of Your Water Softener: if your water softener is older, it might not work as efficiently as a new one. This means that you might need to adjust and set your settings a bit higher.
- Iron Levels:hard water is defined as water containing high levels of calcium and magnesium but also iron. While water softeners are primarily designed to remove calcium and magnesium, they can also remove iron, but only if you program yours properly. So, the same way you need to test your water for calcium and magnesium, wed also recommend testing it for iron.
Are 7 Grains Of Hardness Being Hard Water
Yes, 7 grains of hardness in water are hard water, though it is lower end. You can still consume this hard water for various other household purposes.
If you have sensitive skin or allergic skin, you should not use it for bathing or showering. Do you need to check what makes this water hard?
Is it high sodium saturation that makes the water hard, or because of minerals because for different reasons of hardness you treat water differently?
Recommended Reading: Restaurants On The Water Naples Florida
Water Softener Hardness Setting Calculator
Now that you know the hardness level and iron concentration in your water you can easily calculate the optimal water softener hardness setting by using the water softener hardness calculator or referencing the water softener hardness setting chart below that.
To use the calculator simply put in your water hardness level either in gpg or ppm as well as your iron levels in ppm, the optimal water softener hardness setting will automatically be displayed below.
What Are Acceptable Levels Of Water Hardness
Acceptable levels of water hardness are the best range for cities and water treatment plants to have systems last the longest, along with what is best for the consumers and what consumers will tolerate. An acceptable level range for water hardness will be 100- 300 PPM,depending on what city or zip code you live in and what the water treatment plant has decided on.
For drinking water, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends a hardness level around 50 to 70 ppm.
For most other uses, such as bathing, washing dishes, and doing laundry, water hardness between:
30 and 60 MgL Is Generally Considered Ideal.
Some people prefer very hard water for bathing because it leaves their skin feeling clean and refreshed. However, hard water can also cause soap to build up on the skin and in hair, which can lead to dryness and irritation.
If your water is too hard or too soft for your liking, there are ways to adjust the hardness level. Water softeners and filters can remove excess minerals from hard water, and mineral-adding systems can be used to increase the hardness of soft water.
Read Also: 1619 Project Born On The Water
Good Hardness Level For Water
- 0-3 gpg: If your water hardness is in this range, congratulations! This is the ideal water hardness and it wont require a softener.
- 3-7 gpg: Water in this range is considered slightly hard. A water softener will still be beneficial, but you may be able to get away with a lower setting.
- 7-10 gpg: Water in this range is considered moderately hard. A
- water softener set to a higher setting will be necessary to remove all of the minerals.
What Happens If Your Water Softener Hardness Setting Is Inappropriate
The right hardness setting of the water softener makes them more useful, enhances their efficiency.
If you are getting municipal water supply, it is already softened, you would not require to soften it.
In the case of hard water, use the water softener, and set the right settings to get the right benefits.
Keep in mind, setting too hard hardness settings would not bring better results, rather it will waste too much water, and increase the cost to operate.
If the water hardness is not set right, there can be two possible outcomes. Your water softener will be regenerating more water than needed, and the salt consumption will be higher than it should.
In that way, you will be wasting more water as well as salt. And you will be spending more on maintenance, as not only your salt will run short faster, but resin beads will wear out quickly, making them replace.
On the other hand, if the water softener setting is too low, here too you will be spending more than what should.
Such as, if the setting is too loo, you will be spending in buying detergents, pipelines, faucets, soap, shampoos, and much more in the row.
So, it is imperative that you set the water hardness at the right setting and get the desired results.
If the setting is inappropriate, not only you will have extra budget spending, but health problems as well.
Recommended Reading: Water Slide Rentals For Adults
How Do I Adjust My Water Softener
Some water softeners have digital control dials. Others have analogs. The water softener can have a variety of settings, including the number of people who are using water, the salt dose of the softener, and the number of days between cycles, as mentioned.
The instructions for your particular water softener might provide more details about how to physically turn the dials, though it can generally be done by hand and might only require pushing the dial-in.
You can down the salt dose up to get softer water. You can also turn the regeneration frequency up to offer soft water more often, or more on days you are likely to need it.
While not directly related to the dials, if you feel your water is not soft enough, we first suggest testing your water to see how hard it really is, then potentially adding more salt.
On a digital water softener, you might need to push some up and down or side to side buttons in an effort to change settings. Consult your manual if you dont know what something means though this should be easier than adjusting the clock on your vehicle.
Interpreting Water Hardness Testing Results
What Does Your Water Hardness Test Say About Your Water Quality?
If your test of hard water results in measurements of less than 1 grain per gallon , you have soft water. Anything higher than this amount indicates hard water:
Once you test your water and get your number, see where your water quality falls using the guide below:
- 0-3 Gpg: This is Soft Water and is Ideal for Most Uses
- 3-7 Gpg: This is Considered Moderately Hard Water and is Still Ok for Most Uses
- 7-10 Gpg: This is Considered Hard Water and You May Start to See Some Mineral Buildup
- 10+ Gpg: This is Very Hard Water and You Will Definitely See Mineral Buildup
Don’t Miss: Maldives Hotels On The Water
What Is A Good Number For Water Hardness
Relying on water softeners is the best treatment for hard water, but you must adjust the right numbers to get the required results. These settings will help you identify if water is soft, has a lot more salt, or is full of germs. Water can either be hard or not, as theres no such thing as too soft water. Here is an example of the calculation of water hardness:
Water hardness in grains per gallon = 25 Or
Water hardness in ppm = 428
Iron Level = 0.3 ppm
Water Softener Hardness Setting = 27
When Do I Need To Check If My Water Softener Hardness Is Still Correct
For the most part, the hardness of your water is not likely to change significantly for many years, but that can be very different depending on where you live and what is going on in your area that could affect the hardness of your water.
New construction miles away from your home could change the hardness of the water that is coming into your home, so if there is significant activity in your area that could affect your water hardness, you should check your water hardness to see if you need to change the hardness setting on your water softener.
Power outages and even brief interruptions of your electrical power could cause your water softener to lose its programmed hardness setting. If your water softener loses its programming, it could be regenerating more often than it needs to or perhaps not often enough to provide your home with soft water.
I suggest testing your water hardness about once per year just to make sure that there has not been any change in your water hardness that would require changing the hardness setting on your water softener.
By using a simple water hardness test kit, you will know in seconds if your water hardness has changed and you can make adjustments to your water softenerâs hardness setting if needed.
You May Like: Over The Water Bungalow Jamaica
What If I Dont Adjust My Water Softener
Our first suggestion is still to test your water. A couple of the biggest problems that hard water can cause include drying you out but a much larger issue can pop up with your plumbing.
Hard, mineralized water can clog your pipes and wear down your plumbing.
Minerals can get stuck to the inside of drains and be difficult to remove by anyone but a professional, leaving you with either a relatively expensive repair bill to get them removed, or a bigger bill if they break.
Issues like this is why testing is very important. Your water service professional should test the water before installing a water softener to know how to set it to produce the best, safest results.
Retesting is necessary to ensure the water softener is set to the right way to ensure the best operation.
What Are The Units For Hardness
Hardness is reported in units of grains per gallon . This value is a measure of how much calcium and magnesium are in your water. Another unit of measure for hardness is parts per million to dissolved solids. This value includes other ions besides calcium and magnesium, but there is a good correlation.
Also Check: How Many Bottles Of Water Should You Drink
Can You Put Too Much Salt In Your Water Softener
Dont Add Too Much Salt Adding too much salt to your water quality softener can cause salt bridging, or a buildup and solidification of regenerant. This buildup can prevent your system from regenerating properly.
What should a water softener be at at?
The hardness range is from 1 to 99 grains per gallon. Besides, what hardness should water softener be set? The higher the setting means harder the water supply. If your water supply hardness is 15 gpm then you set the hardness level to 15.
How to adjust the hardness of a water softener?
Adjust the water softener hardness to the same number as the hardness that you measured for your own water supply. For example if you measured your water hardness as 30 grains per gallon , then the hardness setting will be 30.
What Does The Hardness Setting On My Water Softener Mean
The hardness number setting on your water softener helps electric water softeners calculate how often the water softener will have to regenerate, control salt dosage and will help the overall performance of your unit.
Some cheaper water softeners might require you to manually alter the salt dosage depending on your current water situation. This salt dosage is pretty much easy to set for yourself.
You can use the user manual to check for how to set the salt dosage on your water softener.
On a non-electric water softener, setting the hardness is a bit more difficult.
A non-electric water softener lacks the use of a computer to keep track of when it needs to regenerate, so it will have to rely on a mechanical disc to know when it needs to regenerate.
Having a metering disc helps you to never have to change the setting providing that your water situation never changes.
However, municipal or water can change over a long period of time, and there may be a time where the meter disc in your basic water softener will fail to regenerate your water softener often enough to provide you with soft water, or it may regenerate more often than required, wasting both salt and water.
If your water situation changes, you will need to have a water softener professional change the meter disc, this is not common, but if your water source changes, so can your water hardness.
You May Like: White Water Rafting South Carolina
Is Hard Water Good For You
In some sense, it is. We human beings need calcium for our bones and magnesium for muscle and nerve function. Your hard water may be your source for these minerals, and this can be a good thing.
That said, though, there are other effective ways to get these minerals, and it may not be worth it to sacrifice the life of your appliances just for a few extra milligrams of calcium and magnesium a day.
Kenmore Water Softener Hardness Setting
Setting the hardness level on a Kenmore water softener is simple. You need to know the hardness and total iron concentration in your water.
Also Check: Natural Gas 40 Gal Water Heater