So what size of water softener offers 21 000 grains of total softening capacity.
Water softener grains.
If tested under lab conditions the softener will indeed remove this amount and that s because things like water pressure flow and temperature are monitored closely.
High grain water softeners cost more money and on over sized softener means wasted money.
The hardness of water is measured in grains per gallon gpg.
One grain of hardness is equal to 1 7 000 pound of rock.
What is sold typically as a 32 000 grain system contains 1 cubic foot of water softening resin.
A water softener that is too small will not be able to keep up with your needs and will wear it down faster.
So a 32 000 grain capacity water softener should be able to remove 32 000 grains of hardness before you need to regenerate it again but this isn t strictly true.
A quick look online and in many stores will reveal an abundance of 24 000 32 000 48 000 and 64 000 grain capacity water softeners.
If one looks at the specification.
How is the hardness of water measured.
This means that with 8 3 lbs of salt it could be possible to regenerate up to 27 600 grains.
This is where widespread incorrect information found on the internet and elsewhere can hide the real answer.
A similar model of water softener will require at least 2 6 lbs of salt to regenerate 13 000 grains.
What does the grain capacity of a water softener mean.
Knowing your water and usage is vital to purchasing the correct water softener.
There are however two aspects of this statement that are misleading.
A water softener advertised as a 32 000 grain system should be able to remove 32 000 grains of hardness before it requires regeneration right.