How to Choose a Water Softener - Wisler Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, & Electrical

If you’re looking into getting a water softener for your home, you should first determine that hardness is the only water quality issue you need to address. If the water is simply hard and everything else about it is fine, you can limit your choices to a water softener. However, if there is chlorine present in the water, or there are any other quality issues, that will influence the type of water softener you put in.

If you’re only trying to address hard water, the technology that has proven itself effective is the same no matter what brand you choose. All of them will use ion exchange, which removes hardness and puts a little bit of sodium back into the water. (It’s such a small amount that you would hardly notice.) Where the different brands and models do compete is when it comes to the control mechanism (computer board) that manages the whole system.

Depending on how good the control mechanism is, it could potentially make the water softener work very efficiently or inefficiently. Water softeners from many years ago just had a simple time clock, which would make the system regenerate every 3 to 4 days regardless of how much water was used. In today’s water softeners, most manufacturers use a meter that measures the amount of water you use and only regenerates when necessary. The technology has continued to grow, and newer systems have become very efficient in the amount of salt that is used.

I would also caution everyone not to fall for gimmicks when choosing a water softener. The water treatment industry is full of myths and too good to be true solutions. (We have debunked a lot of them.) If you go online and see a company that makes incredible promises, the first question you should ask yourself is, can I prove that this system will actually do what they claim? If you cannot test the unit to determine that it has actually corrected a water issue, then it is probably going to be a gimmick. Don’t waste your money on untested solutions that promise the world.

As a starting point, it’s a good idea to get a free in-home consultation so we can assess your water quality. Then we can make a recommendation about which products would be ideal. To reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing and Air, contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382.