Compare Water Softener Costs And How Hard Water Is Destructive
Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Did your water softener increase the spout due to hard water or a leaking resin bed tank?
Compare water softener prices, and learn what hard water is and how a water softener can help!
Hard and Soft Water: Using A Water Softener
I was slightly annoyed when I discovered our water softener had gone up the spout because of a leaking resin bed tank (the inner tank).
Through research, I found that a water softener leaking from the top and bottom was a common problem next to technology failure.
This is when the emergency savings fund or our home maintenance projected expenses will come in handy and why it’s essential to budget for home repairs.
Mrs. CBB and I did a little price comparison from various online sources and found the prices of a water softener were similar in Canada.
Sorry, I can’t find you ridiculous savings on a new softener, but I can tell you what I discovered while researching a new one.
Basics About Hard Water
What is hard water, and what does a water softener do?
Depending on where your city/region sources your main water supply, you will be blessed with soft water or cursed with hard water.
How Do I Know If I Have Hard Water?
You can tell if you have hard or soft water simply by the calcium carbonate deposits around faucets, commonly seen as a buildup of white crust.
What Is A Water Softener?
So, if you need a water softener, what exactly does it do?
I won’t bore you with the science, a) because you’ll fall asleep, and b) I was utterly useless at chemistry.
The water softener uses a bed of resin beads in which an ion exchange removes the calcium carbonate from the water as it hangs on to the resin beads.
Suppose you are wondering how often a water softener regenerates.
Once the resin beads become loaded, a regeneration cycle happens, which cleans the resin beads, where your salt or brine solution comes into effect.
The brine solution washes the beads, so to speak, and lets the water softener resume regular service.
Water Softener Inspection
How to tell if your water softener is working correctly or not?
Inspect your unit, appliances, valves, faucets, etc. at least once a month.
If you see a white crust buildup, this may indicate that your current water softener perhaps has a problem.
Calcium carbonate or CaCo3 in water is a natural occurrence due to water seeping through rocks. This causes groundwater to contain this calcium carbonate in suspension/dilution.
Not every area of Canada will suffer from hard water; it depends on the geological factors affecting the groundwater supply.
Water softeners are required to control the effects of hard water and the damage it can incur, and in southwestern Ontario, they are a particular necessity.
Do Your Water Softener Research
I looked at all the comparables, features, and extra bells and whistles and settled on a good-quality, average-quality water softener unit.
Our new water softener unit does the job without being over the top for no reason other than looking good.
This is another good reason to go online and read reviews on products, especially when you plan to spend a fair amount of money.
Before picking up the unit, I thought I’d be proactive and dig into settings, features, and plumbing requirements.
I will install the unit myself as I’ve installed them with no problems, saving myself $175 + Tax (Sears) install cost.
I’ll also pick up the new softener to save $45 + Tax on delivery charges.
To set the hardness level on the unit, I need to know what the hardness of water is in my area.
You can buy a water quality test kit from Home Hardware for $13.99, but being as frugal as I am, why not use information you’ve already paid for?
The city will post water quality reports online; they’re large, and you must find the necessary information.
I found this page at Aquatell that shares water hardness levels in each Canadian city.
In the Greater Toronto Area, we live below the water hardness level as of 2023.
| Toronto | ON | 117 | 6.8 | Source |
The first number is the hardness/mg/L, and the second is the hardness grains per gallon.
Hard Water Calculations
CaCO3 (Calcium Carbonate) and Iron levels are the two pieces of data you need.
Take or work out the average between the lowest and highest readings taken.
For example, the average was 450 mg/L, which might not mean much, so you must convert it to “grains of hardness.”
Every 17.1 mg/L of CaCO3 is equal to 1 grain.
On the same report, you should be able to find the Iron readings in either mg/L or ppm; as an example, we’ll use 0.5 mg/L.
Here comes the math…
450 mg/L divided by 17.1 mg/L = 26.315879 Grains or 26 Grains
It sounds easy, but now you’ve got to add in the Iron calculation…..
0.5 mg/L is essentially the same as 0.5 ppm, so take this figure and times it by 5 = 0.5 x 5 = 2.5
Now add the two figures together…..
26.315879 + 2.5 = 28.815879 or 29 Grains, so you must set your hardness level at 29.
I know our old water softener was set at 20 from the day we bought the house, and I assumed that’s what it was supposed to be as it had been like that for 13 years.
My setting should have been at 26, so never assume anything.
Benefits Of Checking Water Softener Math
If your setting is too high, you’re just wasting salt. If it’s too low, you’re feeding hard water to all your appliances that use water.
That’ll explain the scale buildup around the old faucets, why I’ve replaced two faucets already and one seal kit, and why both shower valves are getting closer to their useful life.
Hopefully, this information will help you and your household save money by buying less water softener salt or keeping your appliances in better shape for longer.
I didn’t know this until afterward, but Sears will do a free hard water test if you take a sample, as well as Home Hardware,
New Water Softener Installation Costs and Savings
The unit in question is the Kenmore®/MD 400* Water Softener with Ultra Cleanse Feature from Sears at a regular cost of $999.99 but bought on a 3-day sale for $899.99.
We bought it with our Sears MasterCard as we had a coupon worth $20 in Sears points, plus we earned almost $20 in points because of the purchase.
Canadian Tire money earned on the purchase would have only amounted to about $10 if I used my Canadian Tire MasterCard for rewards points.
The bonus of buying with the Sears MasterCard is that we have a month’s price adjustment if they sell it cheaper.
Our water softener unit also had a Windsor System Saver Pellets sample and a money-saving coupon booklet.
Water Softener Savings Broken Down
So far, I’ve saved us:
- $175 + 13% Tax = $197.75 water softener installation cost
- $13.99 + 13% Tax = $15.81 for a hard water test
- $100 + 13% Tax = $113 for waiting a few days for the sale
- $45+ 13% Tax = $50.85 for picking the unit up and not having it delivered
- $40 bonus points
- Grand Total Savings of $417.41.
I’m not suggesting you can save hundreds on all your purchases; consider the extras you pay for and how expensive they can get.
It’s always easier to say yes to get it installed or delivered, but how long would it take you to earn $417.41?
I’m proud to say our water softener is up and running, and the money is better left in the bank.
Discussion: What problem are you having with your water softener? Please leave your comments below.
Thanks for reading,
Mr. CBB
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