The best way to determine what size water softener to get is to have a plumbing expert from Bumble Breeze Plumbing, Heating & Air come out to your home. Your plumber will take a few different factors into account when calculating an appropriate sized system for your home. Some of these factors could include the size of your house, the number of members in your household, and your overall water needs.

There are many tell-tale signs that you could benefit from a water softener including; hard calcium stains around your faucets, irritated skin after showers, and feeling dehydrated even when you’ve had an adequate amount of water. The only surefire way to determine whether or not your home needs a water softener is by testing your water. A water assessment will inform you of what minerals and contaminants are present in your water supply.

A water softener is a device that removes unwanted and potentially harmful minerals like calcium, magnesium, etc. that cause hardness in your water supply. In order to soften water, a salt solution or brine is used to perform a “scientific swap” between the salt and hard minerals present in your water supply. This will greatly benefit your plumbing fixtures and appliances, your hair and skin, and so much more!

Water softening can be extremely beneficial as hard water can dry out your skin and hair, leave water spots on freshly cleaned glassware, and cause calcium and limestone buildups on your plumbing pipes! This can potentially even lead to damaging clogs and low water pressure. Adding a water softener will help combat all of this, making showering and cleaning your home much easier!

The main difference between salt and salt-free water softeners is while traditional salt water softeners remove hard minerals from the water supply, salt-free water softeners restructure those minerals using a method called Template Assisted Crystallization (TAC). Salt softeners can be more expensive while salt-free water softeners can save money in the long run. Both systems require the same amount of maintenance. If you’re struggling to figure out which option is right for your home, lean on Bumble Breeze Plumbing, Heating & Air for expert help and advice!