Water Softeners

Our Fleck 5600SXT softeners are $1,495 (32,000 grain), $1,995 (48,000, the size most homes need), $2,195 (64,000) and $2,495 (80,000). The higher-flow 2510SXT 64,000 is $2,495, and the twin tanks are $2,695 and $2,995. Shipping is free to the lower 48 states. A licensed plumber typically charges about $700 to $800 to install one. After that, salt runs about $8 a month.

For most families of four, the 48,000 grain. Size on your hardness in grains per gallon and the number of people: each person uses about 75 to 100 gallons a day. A family of four at 15 grains uses up about 4,500 to 6,000 grains a day, so a 48,000 grain softener regenerates about every 8 to 11 days. With five or more people, or water above about 15 grains, go to the 64,000. On a well, count each 1 ppm of iron as 5 more grains of hardness. Text Aidan your hardness and he will confirm the size, free.

If your water is above about 7 grains per gallon and you see scale, spots or soap that won't lather, yes. Scale shortens the life of water heaters, dishwashers and washers and builds up on every fixture. Below about 7 grains, Aidan's advice is that you can skip it. Send us your water test; if you don't need a softener, we'll tell you.

You add salt, about one 40 lb bag every 30 to 45 days. It needs a drain for the regeneration rinse and an outlet for the valve. And it adds a small amount of sodium as it swaps out the hardness, but it does not put salt in your water. If you watch sodium, an under-sink reverse osmosis system removes it at the kitchen tap. If softened water ever tastes salty, see why softened water tastes salty.

We recommend a licensed plumber. A single-tank softener usually takes 2 to 3 hours, often about $700 to $800. The tank ships empty with the control valve, its bypass valve and the brine tank; the resin comes in separate bags and is loaded at install. Your plumber supplies the pipe, the fittings and 1/2 inch drain tubing, which is not included. Aidan helps your plumber by phone at 800-460-5810.

Only a little. A softener can take out some clear-water iron, but over about 1 ppm we recommend a dedicated iron filter ahead of it, because iron shortens the life of the resin. The order is sediment filter, then iron filter, then softener. A softener does not treat a rotten-egg (sulfur) smell either. If you see rust-orange stains, start with our iron filters and we'll size both together.

A salt-based softener, installed after you test the water and treat any iron, sulfur or low pH. Wells often stack iron, low pH and sediment on top of hardness, and each needs its own filter in the right order, with the softener last. Aidan sets the order from your test. For our picks, see the best water softener for well water guide.

They prevent scale, but they do not soften. A salt-free conditioner turns the hardness into crystals that do not stick to pipes, so the water stays hard and you do not get the soft-water feel. It works up to about 25 grains and not with iron, and its media is replaced about every 3 years for roughly $1,200 to $1,400. Aidan recommends a salt-based softener for most homes; salt-free fits a home with no drain or a sodium concern. More in our salt-free vs salt-based guide.

The tank carries a 10-year warranty and the Fleck valve 5 years, against defects. The resin rarely needs replacing: in Aidan's service work, 10% crosslink resin has lasted 30 to 40 years. What shortens its life is iron above about 1 ppm, which is why an iron filter goes ahead of the softener on those wells.