How To Save Money with High-Efficiency Water Softeners
It is such an everyday thing that most of us don’t question how our water use could be hurting our wallets. It’s time for a wakeup call. If you thought you were doing everything to tighten your belt, you should be using high-efficiency softeners that use less salt and water. You probably hadn’t thought about it, but it is possible to save money using less salt and water through the water softening systems in your house. Read on to learn more.
How To Save Money with High-Efficiency Water Softeners
Why do we need water softeners at all?
As water is pulled up from the ground and travels through pipes to your home, it picks up calcium, iron, and magnesium in high amounts. Water that is used without filtering out those elements, such as tap water, is referred to as hard water.
How does hard water affect a household’s budget?
Untreated, hard water is rough on clothes, hair, appliances, and anything it comes in contact with. Calcium deposits in water can build up on household appliances, costing money to clean off the build up. And this build up, if not cleaned off, can cause your appliances to be less efficient. For example, water kettles that boil hard water will eventually contain a coating of calcium and magnesium. This means that it will take longer to boil the water, which will translate into a higher utility bill.
In a study done by the Water Quality Association, an average life span of an electric water heater was 13 years. But if you use untreated water, the lifespan of your appliance will be cut in half. Similarly, washing machines can only expect a life span of 7.7 years, compared to 11 years if you are using a water softener.
What’s the solution?
If you live in a house that already has some kind of water softening system, good for you! For the rest of us, it will take a little research and understanding of terms, but the basics are… Salt! Adding salt to your water tank does a process of swapping out the calcium and magnesium in exchange for its sodium content. That is pretty much all you need to know before looking for a highly efficient water softening system that will take care of this for you.
However, one thing of particular note is that you need to either schedule every 60 to 60 days in your personal calendar to check on the salt levels in the tank, or use something like getting cleaners to check every so often for you.
What water softening system should I purchase?
There are two common types of water softening systems to consider. The first is a single tank water softener, the second a twin tank. A single tank system is compact and takes up less space than the twin tank. But softens less water at a time than a twin tank. So larger families might want to choose the twin tank softening system, and singles or couples the single tank system.
What else should I consider when purchasing a water softening system?
Look for a system that uses less salt to soften water which translates into an overall more efficient system. More salt use = more money out of your wallet. Less salt use = more money saved. So when shopping around, keep an eye out for how much salt each system is purported to use as that will give you an idea of how often you will wind up paying. Also, certain systems include a set-and-forget timer, that allows you to customize times for water softening. When tailored to your needs, such systems will use less salt than if it were un-customized.
Another aspect to consider is how much customer service is available, and whether replacement parts are offered, and for how long. For example, some manufacturers will offer replacement parts for up to 5 years on the softening system that you are purchasing. Each company varies on how they offer to help you maintain the system. Find out if you will be required to replace filters, or if a maintenance staff will be doing regular checkups. The most budget-friendly option, will, of course, be doing all the checks yourself. Do your research so you can be confident the water softening system you chose is the most cost-effective and efficient one for your needs!