Best Water Softener – Buying Guide 2020 & Review

Last updated on January 2nd, 2021 at 12:17 pm

Are you thinking of buying a water softener? Then the main reason will be the hardness of the water. The hard water is formed by the presence of calcium, magnesium and other chemical ions in the water. Any kind of water that contains more than 7 grains per gallon is listed in Hard water.

The solution for the removal of hard water is simply to apply a water softener, but finding the best water softener system is quite a difficult task.

Which is the best water softener that removes the hardness from water?

You can buy any water softener in the market but knowing the types, flow rate, capacity, and weight might help to find the best rated water softener. Furthermore, if you are living in UK then you should visit best water softener UK. In addition, for the people living in India you can visit best water softener India.

List of best water softener 2020

1: AFWFilters Fleck Dual tank

AFWFilters WS-96k-91SXT Fleck 9100SXT Dual tank is a heavy-duty best whole house water softener capable of handling a large family. The reason for being heavy duty is that both of its tanks contain 96000 grains each, and the dual tank provides more and more soft water than the others.

Having 96000 grains this water softener is able to remove hardness for very hard water. There is a metered control on the top that allows you to control the flow rate according to the requirement and provide you a flow rate up to 20 gallons per minute. It is also salt efficient and automatically calculates the amount of salt required.

Being effective on very hard water it also helps you to remove some amount of iron.

Technical features:

2: Aquasana Water Filter Salt free

Aquasana is a type of water softener system that is installed in the supply line and not only soften the water but also make it able to drink and use for other purposes. Its flow rate is 7 GPM, which is very good.

It has a warranty of ten years or 1,000,000-Gallon of water supply. This system weighs 74.8 pounds. It is dual tank and is also known as one of the best water softeners.  It keeps your whole house products safe from rust and iron effects.

This system uses Scale Control Media (SCM) softening technology that helps you scale your water and convert the hard minerals into the crystal structure.

Technical features:

3: ABCwaters built Fleck Carbon filter

ABCwaters built Fleck 5600sxt comes with the fleck digital meter and bypass valve. Having a 5 years fleck warranty for the brine tank as well as the fleck valve used in it.

The filtration system not only removes the chlorine particles from the water but also helps you to remove other contaminated particles present in the water. The carbon upflow method will ease you from the pain of filtration without draining the wastewater.

The average of this system is 48000 grains per 1.5 cubic feet resign, so it also is salt friendly. It is suitable for a family of 2-5 members.

Technical features:

4: Fleck iron pro 2 for Iron Removal

The main reason for the rust on household products is iron and for that this water softener system performs a pretty impressive task in removing iron and softening the water. This also makes it the best well water softener system.

The digital meter helps you to adjust the usage of salt. It has a bypass valve that helps you to provide water even if the system shuts down. It has a 1-inches male connection that helps you to attach it with your water supply.

Technical features:

5: Nuvo H2O Dphb-Home Salt

This softener has a good flow rate and is suggested to use for a residence of 1-2 members. It has a compact design so it can be installed anywhere you want. Although this is not suitable for well water, if you are planning on using it as a well water softener then a filter is required for that purpose.

Technical features:

6: FLECK 5600SXT 48,000 GRAIN

This is the best water softener in the market. The reason for it being the best rated is the use of Ions Exchange method, using this method this water softener removes the calcium and magnesium ions present in the water that is the reason for the hardness.

It provides a flow rate of 12 GPM but it has a peak value that provides you a flow rate up to 28 GPM. This water softener is enough for a family of 6 members. Also, it comes with a digital meter to control salt consumption and a bypass valve.

Technical features:

7: Pentair WS48-56sxt10 For Whole House

While installing this water softener there are some of the plumbing skills required. There are proper instructions present in the package about the installation of the product. It has a 5 years warranty while it has been tested after running continuously for 27 years, is the main reason why it is the most durable Best water softener for house.

This product is a 48000 grains capacity and is suitable for a small family. It works very well on the hard water using the ion-exchange method. Hence improving the life span of the appliance and other plumbing items.

Technical features:

8: AQUIOS FS-234 JUMBO Water Filter

You can use AQUIOS FS-234 JUMBO as the best whole house water filtration and softener system. This system does not require any maintenance, it just has a cartridge which has a life span of 6 months and can be easily replaced.

It has a built-in filtration system that makes your water food grade and removes chlorine and other chemicals. As it removes all unnecessary chemicals from the water so it is also suitable for the well water as well as city water.

Technical features:

9: Tier1 Essential For Hard Water

Tier1 Essential Series 48,000 contains a digital metered valve control system. It also does not require much of a plumbing skill, which means it can be installed on the ¾ inch water line connection. The brine tanks come prefilled which means you just have to install it and you can have the water with no hardness.

Tier1 Essential Series 48,000 removes the calcium and magnesium particles but will keep the useful chemicals in the water. It is compact in design and can be installed anywhere in the house as well as outside the house. Looking at the features and the price this water softener is best in value.

Technical features:

10: Whirlpool Iron Filter

If you have a family of 1-4 person then Whirlpool WHES30E is an ideal option for you. This is known as the best quality water softener for house water as well as the well water. This water softener is very healthy for skin and hair.

It won’t waste water neither the salt, that means if you left the salt in it and use it after some time the amount of salt will remain the same. This system is also good for your appliances and helps them increase performance.

Technical features:

11: ON THE GO OTG4-DBLSOFT (BEST PORTABLE RV)

For an RV or if you have a small residence, it is the best water softener to buy for you. It is compact and will provide a high flow rate. Also, it is very easy to change the salt in it and it will require no electricity to operate.

Most importantly it provides 40% more soft water than the competitor’s products available in the market. It has an inlet shut off valve control that allows you to control the flow rate and improve the quality of water.

Technical features:

12: Eddy Electronic Water Descaler

Eddy Electronic Water Descaler uses electromagnetic waves to remove the hardness of the water. It has two coils rounded and attached to the water supply. Using these coils, the system removes the magnesium and calcium particles that are the main reason for hardness.

It is the best water softener alternative as it is a long-term alternative. The eddy provides 1-year money-back guarantee and a lifetime repair support. So being cheap, it is the most reliable salt free water softener and also very good for hair and skin. It is very easy to install and require not much plumbing skills

Technical features:

13: Watts Water Portable

Watts Water M7002 has a connect and disconnect feature that helps you to attach it to the supple line whenever you need soft water. It uses less amount of table salt to regenerate soft water. It is suitable for 1-2 members and enlisted in one of the best portable water softeners.

Technical features:

14: Spring Whole House Salt-Free Electronic Descaler

Technical features:

Best water softener system Comparison chart

Best water softener– Buying guide 2020

What is the best water softener?

A water softener is a system that converts hard water into soft water. Now let’s discuss soft water first.

According to the Department of health:

“Water naturally has a variety of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Whether a water supply is considered “hard” or “soft” depends on how much of these minerals are in your water. Soft water contains lower levels of calcium and/or magnesium than hard water.”

Why do you need water softener?

The main reason you need a water softener is to remove the hardness from the water. Now the question arises that:

What is the reason of hardness in water?

The hardness is water is a result of calcium, magnesium and other particles dissolved in water. These particles are not suitable for health and can cause diseases. Now let’s discuss some of the hard water problems.

1. The hardness in water affects your dishes and other household appliances. The hard water left spots on the dishes. It makes them less shiny and won’t be able to remove the soap on the dishes properly.
2. Hard water makes your skin dry and also not suitable for hairs, as it makes them dull.
3. The hard water has iron present in it which is the main cause of rust. The appliances used under hard water will get rusty by the time.
4. It will clog the pipes and will disturb the sewerage system of the house.
5. The detergents used with the hard water will not make more foam and will show reduced effect.
6. The shampoos and soaps will not perform accurately.

These are the consumer reports effects of hard water on the common household appliances. On the other hand, you can find here the consumer reports best water softener.

Now let’s discuss why Soft water is important.

Importance of soft water:

• The soap and detergents will show improved performance by using soft water.
• Soft water will help you keep your appliances rust-free, which means there will be no iron present in them.
• Your skin and hair remain healthy and fresh by using Soft water.
• Soft water is also very good for cooking and drinking purposes.
• Using soft water your dishes and kitchen appliances will remain shiny as new and will not show any spots of soap.

Benefits of water softener system:

The best rated water softener system is the one that efficiently converts the hard into soft water as well as removes the calcium and magnesium particles present in the water, which are in spite of the main reasons for the hardness.

This will indeed provide benefits to your skin and hairs, however, you will feel healthy and lightweight after bathing from the soft water.

It is also healthy for drinking and cooking process as there are no extra chemicals that could harm human health are present in the water. And you will find the water as pure and tasty.

The regenerated water from the system will help your household sewerage system to works properly and certainly stop it from clogging.

This helps the soaps and detergents work perfectly, especially will help to generate more foam.

Some best type of water softeners is also very efficient for the well water and also helps to remove the iron to keep the water rust free.

Types of a water softener:

As we discussed earlier that, water softener system is a need of houses where the hard water is found. Furthermore, there are many types of products discussed below.

1. Slat based
2. Salt free
3. Dual tank
4. Electric
5. Portable
6. Softener and filtration system

Salt based

A salt-based water softener system is, in particular, the one that uses salt to remove the hardness of water and convert it into soft water.

It, by all means, removes the unnecessary particles present in the water using the ion-exchange method.

Such chemicals as calcium and magnesium which certainly are the cause of the hardness in water are removed by the best rated water softener system.

Salt Free

A best water softener salt free is the one that removes the hardness in water as well as removes extra particles truly present in the water without the help of any kind of salt in it.

The water regenerated from this, as a matter of fact, will have no taste of salt in it and the actual taste of water remains the same.

The main purpose of the saltless system is to rescale the water and on the positive side modify the PH level of water which makes the water softening.

Dual Tank

A dual tank water softener system also knows as a twin tank and is basically a saltless system that uses no salt.

Majorly it helps to rescale the water to make it softer and remove the hardness. It consists of two tanks that work simultaneously, the water travels from one tank to others and then get rescaled using filter mechanisms.

Electric

An Electric water softener system is the one that uses electricity to remove the calcium and magnesium particles from the water. These are the tankless system and are only applicable within a specific range after that range the regenerated water regain the hardness that is removed from them.

The electric water softeners are the best long-term solutions for removing the hardness, especially for cleaning purposes.

Portable

If you are always traveling or in need of a small amount of softening water then the portable water seems to be the best water softener for that purpose. They are compact and are easily adjustable in small places, especially for an RV.

It is salt-based but uses a low amount of salt than the usual salt-based systems used in household purposes.

Softener and filtration system

The water softener which removes the hardness from the water and also filters the water is counted in the softener and filtration system. These systems soften the water as well as filter the water so that it can be easily used for drinking and cooking purposes.

How to choose water softener?

Choosing a water softener that significantly fulfills your requirements is a difficult task knowing a lot of products in the market.

But some highlighted features can make it easy for you to decide which system you should be spending money on.

1. Flow rate
2. Number of grains
3. Installation space
4. Controlling valve

Flow rate

The flow rate, however, is the amount at which the water softener system provides you the regenerated water.

Even though keeping in mind the flow rate of each product will help you to decide which system suits your required desires.

Number of grains

The number of grains surely defines the capacity of the system to regenerate the soft water. However, the amount of grains a water softener regenerates is its capacity.

So, you can easily decide by the number of grains it regenerates that which product is suitable for your family.

Installation space

Before buying a water softener you have already decided the place where you want to place your water softener. So, given the dimensions and weight of the water softener will give you a plus point during the search of the system.

Controlling valve

However not all water softener comes with the bypass valve. The function of the bypass valve if to control whether you want to soft water or not. For some purposes where you don’t want soft water but the softener is attached to the main line, the bypass valve simply lets you regenerate the water without removing the hardness.

Such as you might not want soft water if you want to fill a pool, so the bypass valve will simply give you the normal water coming from the main supply line.

Working of a water softener system

Salt based

The salt-based water softener as the word explicitly defines that they use salt to remove the hardness from water. It as a matter of fact applies the ions-exchange method. In this method, the salt used in the system removes the metal particles from the water hence removing the hardness.

Whereas these systems do not filter the water they just provide you the soft water. The hard water is in case passed through the brine tank and the salt in the brine tank collects the particles. The brine tank is cleaned from time to time depending on the use.

Salt free

These systems specifically are not water softeners. They magnetize the metal particles in the water hence making them repellent. These particles then get prevented to attach on skin or hair.

The main purpose of these systems is to descale the water and remove particles such as chlorine.

Electric

These are the tankless water softener systems and they are also salt-less. They contain coils around the pipes, in general, helps the water to remove hardness. These salt-less systems work within a range specifically provided by the brand you are using.

For further information for How a Water Softener Works, visit

Popular Mechanics

Installing a water softener

Before installing a water softener first, you have to decide that where in your house you want to attach the system and shut off the main line.

• First, find the main line coming into the house.
• Cut the line exactly after the line enters the house.
• There are three valves present:
  1. First for entering the water.
  2. Second for exiting the water.
  3. Third is a bypass valve.

• Connect the pipes using a fitting tool kit.
• Clamp the pipes and provide a space to drain.
• Attach the brine tank with the resign tank using the instruction given in the manual.
• Adjust the bypass valve.

Frequently asked questions

There are some, in brief, most commonly consumers asked questions that which water softener is the best.

What are the top 10 water softeners?

In addition, there are to 10 water softeners given below:

Conclusion

All things considered, there are thousands of options are available in the market. While choosing the best water softener system now you have almost every information that is required to buy. So, keeping in mind the qualities of the water softener such as the grain capacity, the flow rate, the bypass valve option. Also knowing the types of water softener, you might be able to make a solid decision and hope you choose the best water softener that fulfills your needs.