Do I Need a Water Softener?

How hard is your water?

Hardness is measured in grains per gallon (gpg) or milligrams per liter. One grain per gallon is about 17 mg/L.

On city water, your utility's annual water quality report usually lists hardness. On a well, you have to test. Test strips are fine for a quick read; for a decision that costs a couple of thousand dollars, use a state-certified lab and ask for hardness and iron together. Penn State also recommends an independent lab test before you buy. Our home hardness testing guide covers the options.

Signs you'd benefit from soft water

You probably don't need a test to suspect hard water. These are the usual clues:

• Scale on pots and kettles, and white crust on faucets and showerheads.
• Scale building up in the water heater, which shortens its life.
• Soap film on your skin and in the tub.
• Detergent curds in the washer or tub.
• Spots on glasses out of the dishwasher.

If you see two or three of these and the test comes back above 7 gpg, the level Penn State says is where major scaling and soap film become likely, a softener is worth pricing out. Our hard water guide covers the signs in more detail.

Water softener pros and cons

Pros:

• Less scale on fixtures, in pipes and in the water heater.
• Less soap film and less cleaning time.
• Cleaner glassware and fewer spots on shower glass.

Cons:

• Cost. HomeGuide puts a typical installed softener at $1,200 to $3,800. Salt adds $50 to $150 a year.
• Sodium. Softening adds about 7.5 mg of sodium per quart for every grain per gallon removed. Penn State flags that for people on low-sodium diets. A reverse osmosis faucet at the kitchen sink is the usual fix.
• Water and drain load. Each regeneration sends about 50 gallons to the drain. On a septic system, that's worth a conversation with whoever services your tank.
• Upkeep. Somebody has to buy and haul salt and break up the occasional bridge.

Softening doesn't make unsafe water safe. A softener removes hardness and some dissolved iron, and it doesn't necessarily touch the contaminants that make water unsafe. Test for those separately.

What about salt-free systems?

Salt-free conditioners don't remove hardness. Kinetico, which sells both kinds, says the minerals stay in the water in a form that's less likely to form scale. Kinetico says they "may work" for slightly hard water, but a salt softener is the better choice in most cases. If your water is hard or very hard and you want truly soft water, get a salt softener. Compare the two on our salt-free vs salt softener page.

What size do you need?

Size comes from hardness and water use. HomeGuide's method multiplies daily water use by hardness in gpg, then by the number of days you want between regenerations. Its example: 400 gallons a day at 20 gpg with a regeneration every 4 days calls for a 32,000-grain softener. Our sizing guide walks through it with typical household numbers.

What to do next

1. Test your water for hardness and iron.
2. If it's under 7 gpg, live with it or treat only the problem spots.
3. If it's over that, price a softener and decide whether to plumb outdoor taps and toilets around it. Penn State notes those can be left on hard water.
4. Read how a water softener works and our water softener cost guide before you call anyone for a quote.