Are you currently shopping around for a new home water softening system? If so, you may be running into terminology that you are completely unfamiliar with. Here is an overview of three different terms that you need to know when doing your research.
Tank Grain Capacity
A frequently used term that you'll run across is called grain capacity. It's essentially a rating system used for every water softening system out there, and it measures how many grains the entire system can filter before the water softener flushes out all the water to clean it. A grain is a unit of measurement of dissolved magnesium and calcium, and the more grains that the system can handle will result in less frequent flushing of the system to soften the water.
Ideally, you want a system that is large enough to treat water that you over several days and can effectively make your hard water soft. Too small of a unit, and you'll find that the unit flushes itself while you're using water in your home.
Regeneration Process
When the water softener reaches total capacity, it will flush all of the water out as previously mentioned. This is called the regeneration process. There will come a point where the water in the system is completely saturated with minerals that cause hard water, and the system must regenerate to remove them. It does this by mixing salt with the water in order to flush those hard particles out. Once the process is finished, the water softener can start removing more minerals from the water to make the water soft.
When shopping around for a new water softener, you'll notice that systems can regenerate after a certain amount of softened water is used, at specific times during the week, or both. It is important to have control over the regeneration so it fits your household's needs.
Water Hardness
Some water softeners are better than others, and are rated based on the water hardness they are able to process. This is measured in grains per gallon (gpg). It's important to know what the gpg of the water is so you know if the water softener can effectively process it. If your city cannot provide you with the gpg of your local water supply, you can always purchase a water hardness testing kit. If you use well water, this is the only way to know what the water hardness really is.
Talk to a local supplier to salt for water softeners.
Share9 July 2018
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