Before buying or leasing a water softener, do your homework. Test your water to find out how hard it really is hardness is measured in grains per gallon (GPG).
Water that measures more than 3 GPG is considered hard, and water that measures more than 10 GPG is excessively hard.
Testing can be done through your local water company, an independent water-testing lab, or a water-conditioning company. Knowing the GPG of your water supply will help you choose a water softener of the right capacity and size.
Water softeners come in small (rated from about 12,000 to 16,000 grains), medium (rated from 20,000 to 40,000 grains), and large (rated more than 40,000 grains) capacities. Dual-tank versions are available for those with large families or extremely hard water.
Typical softeners work through ion exchange, replacing hard minerals with sodium chloride. Water flows through a bead-like material called "resin," which attracts the mineral ions of hard water while giving off sodium ions.
Controls recharge these units with salt water at regular intervals. Water softeners can come with many types of controls, but the two main kinds are time controls, which recharge the unit at an unvarying preset time, and demand regeneration (DIR) controls, which only recharge the unit when necessary.
There are also salt-free models available, which use a potassium chloride salt substitute, for those looking to avoid excessive sodium in their diets. Electronic or magnetic water softeners, which attach to incoming water pipes, are another sodium-free option, but independent testing of these devices has led to questions about their effectiveness.
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