Considerations for Homeowners Looking at Adding a Water Softening System

Posted on: 26 September 2017

Water softeners can be vital plumbing components for many homes. However, there are many properties that may benefit from these devices, but their owners may not fully consider the practicality of installing a water softener or they may be ill-prepared for the responsibility of investing in one of these devices.

Understand How Water Softeners Will Benefit Your Property

Hard water is not an issue that will cause health problems, and this can lead some individuals to greatly underestimate the threat that can be posed by this particular problem. Unfortunately, it is possible for hard water to create clogs in your home's pipes and any plumbing appliances or fixtures. These clogs are the result of mineral accumulations that will gradually form.

Have Your Water Professionally Tested

While you may suspect that your home has hard water, it can be impossible to know without having the water tested. Home-based testing kits are available, but you should typically avoid relying on these kits as it can be common for them to yield inaccurate results due to mistakes on the part of the homeowner.

It is more reliable and convenient to have the water professional tested for hardness. To this end, there are many services where you can simply mail a small sample of your water to have it analyzed or a plumbing professional will be able to visit your property and conduct these tests.

Choose a Water Softener with a Slightly Higher Capacity Than Your Estimated Need

The capacity of the water softener that you choose will be an important consideration. Choosing a lower capacity water softener may marginally reduce the cost of having this device added to your plumbing, but it can severely restrict its performance if you exceed its capacity. This is a particularly important consideration for those that are considering having children as this will increase the demand for water that the plumbing will have to meet.

Be Prepared to Care for Your New Water Softener

Owning a water softener will require you to perform some regular maintenance to it to keep it effectively removing the minerals from your home's water. One of the main forms of care that your system will require is replacing the unit's salt. The design of these systems will use a form of salt to remove these minerals from the water, and it will need to be periodically replaced. The professional that installs your water softener will be able to clearly explain the basic maintenance needs of the system, and you should write down these instructions so that you can easily reference them in the future.

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