PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post - Water softener for house; what type or brand?

Diseasel300 · #3 12-08-2018, 10:41 PM

Don't waste your time with the salt-less designs. If you want the water softened, the ion-exchange (salt) softeners are the only way to go.

Does your house have hookups for a water softener already? If not, are you handy enough with plumbing to add in the connection? If not, count on paying a plumber big bucks to add in the hookup.

If you're on municipal water, contact your supplier for a hardness rating. Hardness can be rated in grains per gallon or ppm. How hard your water is and how many people live in your house dictates how much capacity you need in a softener. Harder water + more people = bigger softener.

If the dishwasher is the only place you're seeing scaling, make sure your water heater is turned up to 140˚. If it's running low, the soap won't dissolve and will coat everything inside with a white chalk, especially the strainer in the bottom and the heating element.

Our water here is hard enough to sink your teeth into. My neighborhood is fed from a well, we have water hardness here of 32 grains per gallon (547ppm). A softener is pretty much a requirement unless you like rock formations on any sort of plumbing fixture.