If you live in an area with hard water, your skin, hair, clothes and water-using appliances will thank you if you employ the use of a water softener. Having lived in cities with particularly hard water with and without a water softener, I can tell you that you do notice a difference in water quality. While a water softener is an investment, it will pay off immediately in my experience.
A salt-based water softener typically costs between $1,900 and $3,000 installed which includes the price of the softener itself. A rented water softener costs $25 – $35/month. Salt usage for a family of four is about 40 lbs per month at a cost of around $10 per bag.
How much does a water softener cost?
Here are costs for both salt-based water softeners (the most commonly known type) as well as other options. The wide price range is due to water capacity, product brand and other aspects.
Salt-based (ion exchange) water softener: $300 – $2,000 per unit.
Salt-free water softener: $500 – $3,000 per unit.
Reverse osmosis system: $100 – $1,800 per unit.
Showerhead water softener: $30 – $60 per unit, self installed.
To install an average water softener is around $400 – $1,000 on top of the unit cost depending on the type of unit and any specific issues your home might have that could increase the price. Some models and types may cost more.
Major manufacturers of quality water softeners include Fleck Systems, SpringWell, Filtersmart, SoftPro, Watts Water Technologies and 3M among others.
What is a water softener used for?
A water softener is a whole-house filtration system installed into your home water supply that adds salt to water before you use it to remove hard minerals like calcium and magnesium. The result is softer, silkier water which is easier on your skin, clothes and water-using appliances.
Water softeners operate using a process called ion exchange whereby they add salt to the water on the one hand and eliminate calcium and magnesium from the water and strip the hardness from the water on the other.
A water softener removes minerals such as calcium and magnesium from the water that you use. The system collects these minerals and stores them inside a tank so that the water is free of them. So on a regular basis, these minerals need to be flushed from the system with a process called regeneration. The water softener regenerates by removing the collected minerals from your system on a schedule that depends on the design of your water softener.
This is a simplified view of what a water softener does and suffice it to say, the actual water softening process
is far more scientific and technical.
Parts of a water softener
Your water softener usually consists of three main components:
Control valve
This is the brains of the water softener system. Depending on the design of your chosen water softener, the control valve is responsible for flushing and recharging the system on a schedule. So if you set the timer to regenerate once every week, it will regenerate at that time regardless of how much soft water is being used.
More sophisticated softeners utilize a computer to monitor how much soft water is used and to regenerate based on that which is more efficient than one that regenerates on time since it’ll regenerate even if you’re on vacation and no water is being used.
Other softeners regenerate based on measured water usage through use of a mechanical water meter.
Mineral tank
This is the closed tank where the water is actually softened. It’s usually of a long thin design and has the control valve attached at the top. The tank is filled with resin beads that are usually made from polystyrene and are charged with a sodium ion that is supplied by the brine tank which we’ll discuss below. The beads are very small and depending on the size of your mineral tank, you will fill it with an amount of beads recommended by the tank manufacturer.
While the beads may never need to be replaced during the lifespan of the tank, it’s possible that the beads wear out and gum up the system and need to be removed and replaced with new beads, something I experienced when our water softener was around 11 years old. More on that below.
Brine tank
This is the larger but shorter plastic tank that holds the salt. You can typically fill a decent sized brine tank with 3 or more 40 lb bags of salt pellets. The tank fills partially with water so that the bottom part of the tank has salt pellets that are constantly submerged with water. The brine tank holds a very concentrated form of salt water that is drawn from the brine tank to the mineral tank when water softener regeneration occurs. This transfer of salt water to the mineral tank helps to recharge the sodium ions among the resin beads.
Don’t let the brine tank ever run out of salt because at that point, you will be regenerating with regular (unsalted) water so no soft water will be produced.
Hard versus soft water
What is hard water? What is soft water? Why should you care either way?
Hard water is water that has a high level of dissolved calcium and magnesium. Soft water has a lower concentration of calcium and magnesium and tends to have a higher salt content instead.
Many jurisdictions have very hard water. In your local area, you might find that your home has harder water that surrounding areas if it draws water from a different source.
While the human body can utilize both calcium and magnesium found in hard water, the real problem with hard water is more what it does to the pipes, faucets and other water-carrying components in your home and possibly to your hair and body when you shower and wash with it.
The main problem with hard water inside your pipes is the delivery of hot, heated water. When water is hot, some of it evaporates and minerals like calcium and magnesium become solid and stick to the inside of the pipes. Over time they can clog pipes and negatively affect water pressure.
Hard water also leaves calcium deposits on your faucets and taps so if you find yourself needing to scrub them to remove the unsightly film, that’s what you’re removing. It can also cause mineral build up inside your water heater.
Hard water characteristics and soft water benefits
Why use a water softener? If you’ve never had one before you might wonder what the fuss is about. The table below describes the actual benefits that you might notice in terms of bathing, showering and washing. The water-reliant components of your home will also benefit including the pipes and appliances such as your washer and dishwasher.
| Hard water characteristics | Soft water benefits |
| Leaves a soapy film on your hands after washing. | Leaves a silky feeling on your skin after washing. |
| Can dry out skin and hair with frequent washing. | Tends to be softer on skin and hair and leaves a silky feeling. |
| Requires regular use of detergents and possibly stain removal products to better clean your clothes. | Tends to require less use of detergents and stain removers. Soft water tends to remove stains better than warmer water or increased detergent usage. |
| Can leave mineral stains on clothes after washing. | No mineral stains on clothing as water is softer and more gentle. |
| Less water pressure in your home as the inside of pipes can collect mineral deposits. | Water pressure generally unaffected. Plus you won’t get calcium stains on faucets or soap scum build up. |
| Higher levels of calcium and magnesium do positively contribute to your daily intake of these minerals. | Slight sodium taste in water although you may not notice. You can also set up the water softener to avoid softening drinking water supply. |
Is it safe to drink soft water from a water softener?
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is you don’t have to.
While it’s generally safe to drink water softened through a water softener, you can and should install your water softener with a water bypass that enables you to have fresh drinking water in your kitchen faucet with unsoftened water.
You should have at least one water source – your kitchen faucet – that produces unsoftened, hard water that you will use for drinking and cooking. Modern water softening systems come with a water bypass built in for this purpose but check with your water softener installer ahead of time to be safe.
The other good thing about having a manual water bypass valve is that if you have a problem with your water softener, you can use the bypass valve to produce water without the water softener. This way, if there is an issue with your water softener (we’ll discuss those below) you can still produce water in your home as needed while you get the problem sorted out.
Now that we’ve discussed benefits and characteristics of soft water, let’s talk about the actual options available for water softening products for your home.
Types of water softeners
There are several main styles of water softeners that you will typically find on the market depending on your budget and needs.
Salt-based water softener
The one that many people are familiar with and is described above, this water softener utilizes a control valve, mineral tank and brine tank in conjunction with one another. As the name suggests, salt (pellets) are added to the system (brine tank specifically) to soften the water inside the mineral tank which is then released throughout your home.
In that regard, this salt-based system is often referred to as a whole-house system since it supplies softened water throughout the entire home. You may also see it referred to as an ion-exchange system.
Salt-free water softener
A salt-free water softener system typically uses a water filter that needs to be replaced along with resin beads that also need to be replaced over time. As the name suggests, it doesn’t use salt. These systems can be expensive to buy and install but may end up cheaper in the long run since you aren’t constantly buying bags of salt.
While this sort of system doesn’t remove minerals – it neutralizes them – it can also remove impurities and bacteria from water through its multi-filtration process.
Reverse osmosis water softener
Reverse osmosis (R.O.) water softeners may or may not actually be referred to as a water softener per se but are often used in place of one. They are often installed under your kitchen sink to filter and remove impurities from just that one faucet to provide cleaner drinking water.
Reverse osmosis systems force water through a filter at a high pressure to remove impurities and various minerals like calcium and magnesium. Again though, they are generally set up on one faucet and thus can’t be considered a whole-house system like the aforementioned salt-based water softener.
Does a reverse osmosis system replace a whole-house water softener? No, as it tends to be installed on one faucet only which means you only have softened, filtered water on that one tap. Some people choose to install both a true whole-house water softener and an R.O. system underneath the kitchen faucet to supply filtered drinking water and water to your fridge and automatic ice maker if you have one.
But if all you desire is filtered water for drinking and don’t want to buy filtered water or bottled water, an R.O. system might suffice on its own.
Showerhead water softener
As the name suggests, a showerhead water softener is one that attaches to your showerhead and utilizing a replaceable cartridge to filter out minerals to produce softer water for showering and bathing.
If you rent your property or are just looking for a quick and cheap water softening solution for bathing purposes this may suffice. Again, it’s a cheap and quick solution but is only for the showerhead.
Other water softeners
You may also read about magnetic water softeners, portable water softeners and other products. The ones listed above though are the ones most proven and most commonly found.
Important water softener features
Capacity
What size water softener capacity do you need? It depends on the number of people in your house, the amount of water each uses per day, the hardness of water in your local water supply and a few other details. While you can access various online calculators to figure this out yourself, you might not be that motivated or simply don’t know the answers.
Your best bet? Visit or speak with your local water softener providers and give them your specifics and let them help you pick a model that suits your lifestyle and needs. They should also know your local water hardness even if you (probably) don’t!
Space required
How much space do you have to fit your water softener in? In our house that we bought resale, it came with a water softener installed in the same area as the furnace. It was a finished basement so the area was pretty tight: The brine tank was to the left of the furnace and the mineral tank was on the right side of the furnace a few feet away. Your installer might alternatively put both units next to each other like they did at my parents’ place.
Bypass valve
The bypass valve is an important feature as I found out when our previously mentioned water softener clogged up and stopped working. The resin beads basically clogged the system due to being worn out and blocked the water supply to the house. By switching the bypass valve on, water bypassed the water softener and we were able to use hard water until I bought new resin from a local supplier. I then disconnected the mineral tank, emptied out the old resin, hosed out the remainder, added the new resin and then reinstalled the mineral tank. The system regenerated and when I shut the bypass valve off, soft water was able to flow again.
I learned all of this by watching a YouTube video for my water softener make and model and figuring that I could do the work myself.
Important note: Make sure your water softener company includes the bypass valve feature when doing your install!
Regeneration
Regeneration is the process whereby your water softener flushes out your mineral tank to rid itself of the calcium and magnesium it has collected and removed from your (hard) water since the last regeneration. It then refills the mineral tank with salt water from the brine tank and the process of supplying soft water to your home begins again.
Depending on your water softener system, your regeneration will be on a simple timer (ie. it regenerates every X number of days), or when a certain amount of soft water has been used.
Potential water softener problems
I personally experienced the resin bead replacement problem but that was relatively simple for me to rectify. If you don’t want to do this work yourself, your local water softener company could probably do the job for you.
While a decent water softener may last 10-15 years, eventually if you live in the home long enough, it will need replacement. Signs to look for:
- The timer stops working.
- Other components break and are not worth fixing.
- Regeneration keeps occurring or not at all.
- You see sand or other particles in your water.
- You stop noticing benefits of soft water ie. spots on dishes, clothes don’t wash correctly, soap scum on the bath or shower, etc.
- The taste of your water changes.
- You start noticing calcium and other buildup on taps, faucets, etc.
As soon as you hit the 10 year mark, you should do an inventory to see if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms. After 10 years, water softener technology will be markedly better and you might benefit from a new, modern system for that reason alone.
Rental water softener versus owned unit
A good quality water softener may last 10-15 years. In that regard, it may make more sense to buy one if you’re planning on having it for the long term and aren’t planning on moving as the rental cost of $25 – $35/month adds up.
Here’s a comparison between buying and renting a water softener.
| Rental water softener | Owned water softener |
| No upfront sunk cost. | Sunk cost but you own the unit. |
| More expensive over time. | Lower cost in the long run. |
| Repairs and replacement are at rental company’s expense. | Repairs and replacement are at your expense. |
| Better if you are planning on moving or may want an upgraded system over time. | Better if you’re planning on keeping the unit for 10-15 years, the typical lifespan. |
| May be stuck choosing the models that are available to rent. | Can choose whatever model you like and spend as much or little as desired. |
| Can potentially get a new unit on a schedule when the old one is obsolete. | Can get a new modern unit anytime you like but at your personal expense. |
Best water softener pellets
A 40 lb bag of water softener pellets ranges in price from about $5 at the low end an $25 at the high end. On average you’ll pay $8 – $10 for a good quality bag. More expensive bags may be higher in pure salt content.
Depending on the brand you choose, the bag may say sodium or potassium chloride on it. Be careful when lifting a bag of pellets as it’s heavy and you can throw your back out if you’re not careful. If you can’t lift the bag, consider using a scoop to manually add the salt in slowly.
You should follow the instructions from your water softener manufacturer in terms of which brand you use. Do not use table salt or dicing salt though. Stick with sodium or potassium chloride. The pellets are best as they dissolve better than other forms.
Water softener system bans
Before you buy a water softener be aware that an increasing number of jurisdictions particularly in California are banning salt-based water softener systems.
In fact dozens of municipalities in many US states have banned the new installation of various salt-based water softeners due to the introduction of salt water runoff into their sewage systems. Some have even banned salt systems on properties that use private septic systems.
Every time a salt-based system regenerates, it empties the mineral tank of its highly concentrated salt solution into the sewage system. Some systems may empty over 100 gallons of water into the system each week depending on how often it regenerates.
What can do you? Investigate your local area to see if there is a ban on salt-based ion exchange water softeners. If so, you will have to choose another method. Check with local companies in this case to see what option(s) are available.
Want to learn more about salt water softeners? Check out my article on 10 questions and answers to keep learning.