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Best Water Softener – A Roundup of the Top 10 to Buy

Hard water happens to be a big problem in many countries. Other than leaving unpleasant stains on fixtures, cutlery and glasses, minerals such as calcium can leave unpleasant deposits in plumbing systems and home appliances. If the buildup keeps on piling, there can be major plumbing leaks.

Water can be categorized as ‘hard’ in case it has a minimum of 60mg dissolved magnesium and calcium. In a few areas, this can be as much as 180mg. The level of hardness can be expressed as ppm (parts per million) or mg/L (milligrams per liter). Any water with over 7 gpg (grains per gallon) Calcium Carbonate is regarded as hard water. Hard water comprises of a lot of dissolved compounds of magnesium and calcium, and even other minerals at times. It is important to use a water softener to treat hard water and remove its hardness by stripping excess amount of minerals off of it.

Water Softening Systems – What are the Benefits?

Water softeners, since coming into the market, have been wooing customers with many benefits. Such as

No more scales in pipes – In hard water, minerals persist and lead to the formation of limescale on the insides of pipes. This often leads to damages of pipes. A whole house water softener takes out the various minerals that are responsible for limescale formation. It can remove the source of the issues, and stand as one of the most effectual methods to reduce the costs of maintenance that are associated with plumbing systems over the long term.

– In hard water, minerals persist and lead to the formation of limescale on the insides of pipes. This often leads to damages of pipes. A whole house water softener takes out the various minerals that are responsible for limescale formation. It can remove the source of the issues, and stand as one of the most effectual methods to reduce the costs of maintenance that are associated with plumbing systems over the long term. No residues in appliances – As these systems prevent the accumulation of minerals, these can help reduce leakage problems and increase the longevity of home appliances.

– As these systems prevent the accumulation of minerals, these can help reduce leakage problems and increase the longevity of home appliances. Better health – You can get smoother skin and hair with these systems. While shower head filters can improve the quality of water, these lack the ability to get rid of the hard minerals that are present. Thus, the hard water can affect the health of your hair and skin. A softener can take care of this problem, make water ‘soft’ by removing unnecessary minerals from water and reduce hair dryness, skin irritation and more.

– You can get smoother skin and hair with these systems. While shower head filters can improve the quality of water, these lack the ability to get rid of the hard minerals that are present. Thus, the hard water can affect the health of your hair and skin. A softener can take care of this problem, make water ‘soft’ by removing unnecessary minerals from water and reduce hair dryness, skin irritation and more. Softer clothes – With softeners, you can get durable and soft clothes that do not get discolored. There will be no stains of hard minerals such as calcium or magnesium. Soap and detergents can get dissolved better and you would require less detergent for washing the same quantity of clothes.

Fleck 5600SXT 64,000 Grain Water Softener (Best Whole House Water Softener)

This water softener is really superior in form, and convenient to use as well, given that it can be navigated easily. You can benefit from the Upgraded Paddle Wheel Meter, which can improve and enhance the dispersion of water. The water softener with 64,000 grain would need around 1 bag salt every month. This is standard for a 4-member family. Around 4 bags are held in the brine tank.

As far as the softener’s grain capacity is concerned, it comes with a wide variety of options from the manufacturer. The choices range between 16,000 and 64,000. It has an informative display, and there are full touchpad controls that can let you regulate the unit’s operations. This makes the entire process of setup a very enjoyable experience for users.

This water softener can be expected do what it is supposed to, and remove the ‘hardness’ from the water that you consume every day. It can be achieved by a process that gets rid of Magnesium and a small amount of Iron. The softener has not been designed to remove iron from water.

Pros

The product comes with a metered control head.

It has a pre-loaded resin, which eliminates your need to attempt and cram things inside the softener tank on your own.

There is high grain capacity, and you can choose a unit that ranges between 16,000 and 64,000 grain.

It is powered by superior technology, and you can benefit from the Fleck 5600sxt Digital and an updated paddle wheel meter.

It is backed by a long warranty period, 10 years on tanks and 5 years on valve.

Cons

The 64,000 grain version has a high price tag. But it is effective and a solid product to use.

It removes only a small amount of iron, and does not remove sulfur nor work as a filter.

It is only 8% resin, while other softeners have 10% resin.

iSpring RCC7AK 6-Stage (Best Under Sink Water Softener)

This unit is a 6-stage home water filter that makes use of the reverse osmosis technology. Its two primary selling features are its alkaline filter and its cost. The softener comes with a fantastic price, and shows wonderful value for a water softener with a reverse osmosis 6-stage system. It is best suited for your under sink and works with under sink water heaters for home.

It has an alkaline filter, and can produce as many as 75 gallons of water each day. These wonderful features can generally be expected with softeners that are more high-grade and have a higher price tag. It is offered with the promise of customer support for a lifetime from a team comprising of certified professionals. The filter helps restore all those minerals that get lost at the time of reverse osmosis. Calcium and magnesium are added back to water after being eliminated. But you can expect no pH monitor here to measure the amount of material that is restored to the water.

The package for the unit also comprises of upgrades like brushed nickels, designer faucets and ceramic valves – which are added at an additional cost.

Pros

Its filters can be replaced at a low cost.

The kit for the product includes water leakage alarm.

Every day, it has a pure water output of 75 gallons.

Its taste is enhanced and the pH level is raised by the re-mineralization filter.

The softener can remove as much as 98% chemicals, and various other contaminants such as sediment, heavy metals and more.

The device has a stylish faucet made completely of metal. It has a brushed nickel European design.

It has a pre-pressurized 4-gallon water storage tank.

There is money-back guarantee for a year and limited warranty of 3 years from the manufacturer.

It comes with customer support for a lifetime.

Cons

The longevity of the filter is shorter as compared to a few other comparable systems.

It does not have a UV light for destroying various microorganisms, including bacteria.

While it gives a gallon of purified water, 3 gallons are wasted.

Aquasana Whole House Well Water Filter System – (Best Well Water Softener)

The softener conforms to NSF standards when it comes to the removal of chlorine. It can remove up to 97% of chlorine from your tap water. It is the most powerful whole house well water filter systems that comes with a higher price tag than most of the filters out there, but also comes with more effectual filtration for your tap water.

This is a high performance water filter with carbon and KDF filtration media. The softener was designed specially for well water contamination to protect again harmful diseases. It works as both a water filter and a water softener. The unit comes with a 5 year water filter system, conditioner and UV. It can be set up at the entry point of water supply to the home. As compared to point of use systems that are generally designed to be set up at a particular output – such as beneath the sink or at the faucet, it can have water purified at each point of output in home. Thus, it can be easy to get softened water for cooking, drinking and bathing in the family. You can have better hair, skin, digestive system and overall health.

With this unit, you don’t need back-flushing or draining. All you need do is replace the pre and post filters every 3 months. Other than removing chlorine, it can reduce the amount of other heavy contaminants like industrial solvents, organic chemicals and heavy metals such as mercury and lead. The softener can offer as much as 500,000 gallons and last for as long time as 5 years.

Pros

It can clean all water from home.

The unit can be maintained with ease.

It is especially effectual at reducing the level of chlorine from water.

It can maintain steady water pressure.

The filters are cheap to buy, and can easily be changed.

It is perfect for city and well water, and has a flow rate of 7 gallons per 26.5 liters every minute.

The softener can remove as much as 97% chlorine, and can get rid of solvents, heavy metals, rust, sediment, silt, pesticides, herbicides and more.

It surpasses NSF standards.

It is backed by a warranty period of 10 years.

Cons

It is not as effectual in performance as softeners that work with the reverse osmosis technology.

It has to be set up by a professional installer, so that the warranty remains intact.

The unit comes with a high price tag.

The unit is a modernized and innovative water conditioner that does not use any salt, synthetic substance or filter cartridges for draining minerals in the hard water that may result in Limescale. Its operations are based on proven and tested scientific principles. Its descalers ensure that all hard water issues can be resolved with no chemical or salt.

The working is very simple. Here, two thin wire coils wrap around the incoming water pipe of your house and produce EM waves that let minerals remain suspended in hard water, thus keeping limescale from accumulating in pipes.

This is a heavy duty unit and can fit almost any well or whole house in general. It helps treat the water supply of your entire house and treat it for hardness as much as 25 grains for every gallon. The unit needs only small amount of maintenance, as there is no need to deal with consistent increases in salt. Unlike other softeners, it does not require cartridge substitutions. It can soften hard water with ease. The unit solves hard water issues with no need for maintenance, salt or synthetic compounds. This prevents water with too many minerals from leaving scaly deposits on daily utensils.

Pros

There is no more deposit of limescale. It can condition your whole water structure and prevent any limescale development. It also works well enough with tankless water heaters.

The installation of this unit needs a small amount of space. You do not have to set up lots of connecting pipes that need lots of space.

It can increase the longevity of your devices. The softener has been designed to work in areas with hard water – 10 to 19 grains. It can keep the vitality of your devices intact, and extend their longevity.

The unit is safe to use, and ideal to use for your house and the overall ambience. It has been designed to help those who are trying to protect their hair and skin from the minerals that are present in hard water.

Cons

It has been designed to only work with water with lower level of hardness.

On The Go OTG4-DBLSOFT (Best RV Water Softener)

This unit works as a water conditioner as well as a water softener. It is one of the most portable and among the largest RV (Recreational Vehicle) water softener devices to be found today. It is quite large and can produce twice (or 40%) as much soft water as can be produced by regular water softeners today. This is a 16,000 grain softener, which makes it perfect for RVs.

The softener can regenerate water fast, and within as less time as 30 minutes with the help of common table salt. When compared to other similar units, it has a higher rate of production. Thus, you can get more flexible supply of water even when you are moving. Its full cradle base is highly stable, and makes sure that the system has better safety even in high-traffic areas.

Pros

This unit serves in two ways, working as a conditioner as well as a water softener.

It has a space-saving and portable design, and can even be set up in tight spaces.

It ensures high flow rates, and is possible even with low drops in pressure.

There is a large opening, which lets you add salt in an easy and hassle-free way.

It has a big aperture, which makes it easier for you to add salt.

It can be regenerated quickly.

The unit can generate as much as 40% more soft water as compared to other comparable units.

It has efficient and fast regeneration that makes sure you can have continuous flow of water with just half-hour interruptions, which is manageable enough.

It is light and compact in size, which makes it portable.

The head has a 1 year warranty and the tanks have a 5-year warranty.

Cons

The manual instructions are not very clear.

Its shut off valve is composed of plastic, which is not too strong and begin to leak at any moment. But you can replace plastic valves with brass fittings, which can ensure more stability of the system.

With this unit around, there is no need to spend a lot of money to be assured of getting soft and pure water for your house. The in-built VORTEX drain line flow restrictor helps regenerate salt and even ensures more efficiency in the process. It raises the capacity by up to 55%. You can get higher amount of clean water with minimal effort. You can also increase the longevity of your water softening unit by a large measure.

The flow rate is high, which makes the RV Pro-1000 perfect for homes that need soft and clean water very badly. It can offer 4 gallons per minute flow rate, with extremely small reduction in pressure.

Pros

It is just 24 pounds in weight, and has small dimensions.

Even if you are a first-time purchaser, you would find it easy to carry to home and install it. It can be transported with a lot of ease.

It is also low-cost to operate, given that you can get the option to choose from either Table Salt or Pellet Salt for running this system.

This is an efficient system and can achieve water softening at a low cost. You can get superior quality for the price.

It is affordable and is a fantastic solution for anyone who does not wish to spend a lot on a water softener but still have the same superior results.

The manufacturer has offered it with a long warranty of 10 years, which is a notable feature. This can remove the need for buying another softener again. You can also be assured that it can serve you for long.

Cons

As it is small and portable, the unit is perfect only for small families and small-sized homes.

Its hose fitting is not rotatable. Thus, fixing the hose can be quite difficult for you unless you lubricate its pipe first.

This system solely works on manual regeneration and needs more effort for it to be workable. But the operational expense is very low, which gives some solace.

Triple Action Poly (Best No Salt Water Softener)

This water softener consists of a screen filter and polyphosphate. It can fully remove calcium carbonate from water while keeping calcium intact. Its salt-free technology makes it ideal against limescale, and you can have softer water. For instant results, you can have all the faucets properly cleaned at the time of installation.

The unit is set up after a 5-micron sediment filter, to ensure optimal efficiency. It can be set up outdoors, but freezing cold temperatures can be a problem. As long as you make sure that the outside temperature is not freezing cold, you can mount the unit at any spot that you like.

It is not hard to spot the replacement aragonite crystals. The unit has solid properties, which make it an ideal water softener. The combination of polyphosphate and the 5-micron sediment filter make this an amazing softener.

Pros

It is powered by salt-free softening technology, and there is no cubic feet calculation or resin.

It has a plastic body that is free of BPA, which makes water safer to drink from this unit.

As long as water does not freeze, this softener can be installed at any spot.

It can eliminate calcium carbonate, although the beneficial mineral calcium is not eliminated. You can get soft water although with all the good elements intact.

The unit can be set up outdoors. The installation process can be accelerated with mounting brackets.

It ensures salt-free softening and comes with NSF certification. This is an environment friendly solution.

It has a compact shape and is portable.

The softener helps in areas with hard enough water to lead to a buildup of limescale.

The product comes with a warranty of 6 months, and all the components have a 5-year warranty.

Cons

It is not a filtration unit and does not remove chloramine and iron.

It has inlets with a diameter of 1-inch, and there is need for connectors.

The softener does not remove chloramine and iron from water.

This water softener has a digital meter, and can be found in varied sizes to match the water softening requirements of any home. It comes in varied grain capacities – ranging from 16,000 to 64,000. Its range works on the ion exchange principle, and the unnecessary minerals that can lead to hard water and cause harm to your filter and utensils can be substituted with beneficial sodium ions. Water can be made softer with the removal of magnesium and calcium particles.

The unit ensures that your skin will not be as dry and you will need less soap while bathing or washing. Toilets and showers will remain cleaner for more time. It uses an ion exchange method that can make your water last longer with the help of plumbing system and appliances. As this softener is metered on demand, it can measure your use of water.

Pros

It has a meter regenerated system that can easily be operated and maintained. It can regenerate water based on its use. At the time of low or high water usage, it can work at a proper level and reduce the operational expenses.

The softener can be set up easily. If you possess some simple plumbing capabilities, you can carry out the installation on your own and manage to save money.

Its control panel can easily be used. The LCD backlit display has stylish touch-pad controls that can easily be maneuvered.

It can be used to soften water of varying levels of hardness.

The resin is pre-loaded here.

It has a large enough grain capacity, which ranges between 16,000 and 64,000.

Its smart regeneration feature allows it to reduce the wastage of water and salt.

Cons

It is heavy in size and shape, and is a fit only for homes with enough space. You need two or more people for moving and installing it.

You have to maintain the salt levels. As this is a salt-based system, you have to get the salt pellets replaced every now and then to make your water soft constantly.

Eddy Electronic Water Descaler (Best Electronic Water Softener)

The Eddy Electronic Water Descaler is a salt-free solution to limescale issues. It makes use magnetic field to soften water, which makes it varied from other softener units. Thus, there is no change in the chemical composition of water. It changes the way water reacts with pipes and appliances.

Unlike softeners that use sodium, this descaler makes use of electromagnetic waves for reducing the scaling impact of manganese, magnesium and calcium salts that are present in hard water. Such minerals stick to the interior of pipes, and form limescale deposits. These minerals reduce the flow of water and the longevity of plumbing fixtueres and washing machines, water heaters and other home appliances. The Eddy Electronic takes care of this issue by dissolving existing deposits and preventing the development of scales.

The descaler can work equally well on tap water and well water, and is effectual on any type of pipe – other than galvanized pipes and iron pipes. This unit does not bring about a change in water’s TDS, and serves only as a water softener. This ensures that the healthy minerals are not removed from water. Minerals like Magnesium and Calcium are beneficial for health, and these are removed to only the extent that they cannot result in the formation of limescale.

Pros

This is a wonderful device for customers who have a short budget. The softener has a significantly less expense than conventional salt-based water softeners.

There is no need for additives such as salt.

It can be maintained easily, and can reduce your overall costs for hard water treatment.

This is an eco-friendly softener, given that magnetic fields do not have any possible negative impact on nature.

It uses very low amount of power of only 110V, which can be energy-saving.

You do not have to dispose of brine.

It can be set up very easily.

Cons

It does not actually soften water, but de-scales it.

It has limited 10GPG capacity.

Calgon Liquid Water Softener (Best Liquid Water Softener)

Soap scum may leave hard residues over clothes, cause damage to the fabric and get dirt trapped within the same. When soft water is used, wear and tear of apparels can be reduced and you can get cleaner linen. The Calgon liquid water softener makes this easily possible. It is similar to n additive for washers.

It does not act as a substitute for your standard cleaning solutions. However, similar to a fabric softener, you may add it to the wash cycle of your washing machine. You can use half cup of this solution with your detergent and ensure there is no buildup of hard water or smell of minerals in the water that is to be used for consumption.

The unit can work well with heavy duty washing machines, RV waste tanks and dishwashers. It works effectively to clear the accumulation of hard water. The liquid softener can ensure deep-cleaning. It readily dissolves into water and can remove hard water problems very easily. Its use makes towels more absorbent and softer in nature. Clothes can be cleaned up with less amount of this laundry detergent.

Pros

This is a versatile softener and can be used for varied purposes.

The softener is effective in form, and can prevent the formation of residues within the washer. It reduces the amount of wear and tear on the components.

It prevents the formation of limescale within the plumbing system each time you make use of the washer.

In case you have sensitive type of skin, soap scum may cause irritation. This can be prevented with the help of water softener.

Soft water can help create soap lather for washing laundry. Even with less detergent, you can get cleaner clothing.

It comes with a measuring cap that makes it easy to know how much of the softener has been used.

It is cheap to buy.

Cons

It contains some fragrance that can cause skin irritation and probably worsen allergies is some people.

Verdict

When it comes to which one is the best, the answer varies across customers. The one that is ‘best’ is one that is most appropriate for your situation and needs. You have to take various factors into account – such as the softening technology that is used, the water flow rate, method of water regeneration, certification, warranty, features, brand name and cost – in order to determine which softener will suit you the best and can serve your needs for a long time to come.

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