You must first ensure that the water softener size you choose is appropriate for the number of people living in your home, read more.
The size of the water softener should depend on its potential capacity and how many people it will be used by. This will ensure there is always soft water and that the softener does not run out before regeneration can be initiated.
A softener that is sized to your dwelling can also be a selling point in the event you decide to sell the house and leave the softener in place. Many people have become so used that they will use the existing softener in their new house even if it does not come with softener. You can modify the capacity of a softener to fit your specific needs if it is too big.
The average person consumes 160 litres of water daily. Knowing the capacity for the softener will allow you to estimate how many people or the size of your home it can support and determine whether it is adequate. It is normal for regenerations to take at most 2 days. The UK’s water hardness is approximately 20 degrees Clarke. Therefore, a 10L softener would have an approximate 1500 litre capacity and be suitable to serve a family with 4.
An 18-litre softener would provide enough water for approximately 8 people or be sufficient to fill a 4 bed house.
The domestic water softener’s capacity must be reached before it can be renewed. This involves flushing the resin with a salt water solution. The resin is then removed from the supply water using the sodium. It is important that you consider the time interval between each subsequent softener regeneration.
A timer controlled valve will be the most economical. Programming the softener allows it to perform a specific regeneration schedule, such that it will cycle through water at a set time. On the second or the third day, regardless of how much water it is being used. If the water usage and number of residents is fairly constant, and it is possible to calculate the time between regenerations, then you can use timer control.
This can lead to resin exhaustion and hardening. Also, if there isn’t enough water, the unit may not regenerate at the set time, unless it is programmed again. However, this will lead to an unnecessary use of salt. It will not affect the softener.
A meter controlled valve, which is the second most preferred option in the domestic marketplace, is the best. This type of valve is pre-set with a reserve and a capacity. It will activate a recovery when the preset time has expired. These units work well when water usage is irregular or if there are long periods of low or no water use. It is a holiday home. A meter controlled softener is more flexible and can provide the best salt use.