Tips for Installing a Water Softener

Water is an important substance in your life and your home! From helping us bathe to washing our dishes and our clothes water affects a lot of our daily life. Many people opt in to adding a water softener to their home to keep their water in the best condition for their needs. In this post, we’ll explore what the purpose of a water softener is and tips for installing one in your home.

What is The Purpose of a Water Softener?

A water softener works to remove particles from your home’s water that aren’t supposed to be there. While your water is in the ground, it naturally takes on soluble bits of whatever it passes through. This means that minerals found in the earth end up in the water of your home. Notably, calcium and magnesium end up in our H2O, and these substances affect water’s ability to correctly function in our homes, making some tasks more difficult.

Hard water equates to lessened effectiveness of soaps and detergents that are used in our everyday lives. It discourages these substances from dissolving the way they are intended to, causing soap to “clump”, and eventually inhibiting how affectively it cleans.

The solution to this problem is to get rid of excess calcium and magnesium that ends up in our water, which is where a water softener comes in. This device is a mechanical appliance that is installed physically in the water supply system of a home. This gadget works by trading the mineral for something else, most commonly sodium, through a process called an ion exchange.

Tips for Installing a Water Softener

Installing a water softener may seem like an intimidating task, but it’s actually a relatively simple process.

Choosing the right water softener for your home can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be! The right size depends on how much water is used in your home on a daily basis. You can use a simple calculation to determine what size softener to buy. Multiply the number of household members by the number of gallons used per person each day. From there, multiply the number of gallons consumed by the grains per gallon (GPG) feature, and then multiply the total by three. You do this because you need to account for regeneration as well as days of heavy water use. Experts recommend a capacity of 33,000 GPG for the average home, based on a family of four.

You’ll also want to choose a good place for your softener. If you are simply replacing a pre-existing water softener, you should install the new one in the same spot. If it’s going to be a new addition to your home, you’ll want to choose a spot that is out of the way (for instance, a basement or garage), and also an area that is in close proximity to your plumbing system. You should avoid placing the softener in an area where freezing may occur or anywhere that receives direct sunlight.

Make sure your chosen spot is level. Keep in mind that it’s common for a water softener to come with two tanks that are the same size. These should be placed next to each other, so make sure you choose a spot that is large enough to house them comfortably with room to work around.

It’s important to shut off the water in your home before you begin your installation process. This is a vital safety precaution, and you should also shut off power sources, particularly those that are linked to the hot water system.

Another tip that helps simplify the installation process is to always stick to the manufacturer’s manual that accompanies your device. This will include valuable information on installation, maintenance, and the warranty of the softener that you won’t want to miss.

Part of the installation process involves connecting the copper tubing that delivers water to the bypass valve. To do this, you’ll use a wrench to tighten the supply tube nuts. However, don’t wrench the nuts too tightly as this can make it difficult to make adjustments on your softener going forward.

These tips should help you install your water softener with ease! Remember to follow the instructions that come with the device from start to finish and follow these tips and tricks to not only get everything set up quickly, but to ensure a long life for your new appliance.