Best softeners for well water

Well water contains many minerals that can cause harm to your skin, water pipes, and respiratory system. This review of the best softeners for well waters is your ideal guide in finding something suitable for your home.

Their situations you find yourself where the only source of water is well water. This kind of water contains considerable amounts of minerals like magnesium, iron, and calcium that may interfere with your water piping systems, skin, and ability to wash your clothes. Well water is not suitable for consumption in its raw form; you need to treat it with a softener.

Water softeners are home applications that are attached to existing water systems to remove the hardness from well water. This makes it safe for domestic use. If you have recently moved to a new place with well water then you need right water softener. In this review, we examine some of the best softeners for well water in the market and tell you which one to go for.

How well water softeners compare against each other

Model	Dimensions (inches)	Weight (pounds)	Flow rate (GPM)	Buy on Amazon
Pentair WS48-56sxt	10 X 10 X 54	130	14	Buy Here
Spring Well Futuresoft	33 X 18 X 13	147	20	Buy Here
On the Go OTG4-DBLSOFT	22 X 9.5 X 9.5	32	4.5	Buy Here
AFW Filters 48k 5600sxt	18 X 30 X 62	95	12	Buy Here
ABCwaters Triple Combo	10 X 10 X54	148	12	Buy here

Pentair WS48-56sxt

This high quality well softener is what you need to eliminate calcium and magnesium from your water system. Control is through a specially designed and intuitive LCD screen that provides you with all the information you need to control your water supply. Control is through touchpad buttons and you have an innovative meter based regeneration feature that calculates your water consumption and starts the regeneration process before you know it.

To keep your piping system well protected, the Pentair will eliminate any scale buildup and deposits hence keeping your piping system well flowing. The water produced by the softener is suitable for all home applications including cooking, drinking and washing clothes.

During purchase you will also get mineral tank, standard brine, bypass valve, and adapter. The Pentair kit is pretty easy to install and you do not need an expert for it. The system is made from durable materials so expect it to last long. Lastly, the Pentair comes with a 48-hour internal power backup system.

Pros

• Easy to install
• Intuitive LCD screen with touchpad controls
• Meter based regeneration system
• Provides long lasting reliable water

Cons

• May experience issues with the discharge pipe

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Spring Well Futuresoft water softener

When it comes to softeners most will remove calcium and magnesium but few eliminate iron traces. The Spring Well does just that and more. The water filtering process is so refined it turns out to be better than your bottled water. The water softener will remove 99.6% of chlorine giving your water an odorless taste. Besides, you get to enjoy softer skin and hair due to the elimination of contaminants.

The Spring Well softener comes with a proprietary ACTIVFLO technology that allows the maximum contact between your water and the filtration system. At each stage of the filtering process more contaminants are eliminated. In addition, the system removes low levels of clear iron stains. The system helps unclog your water drainage systems from scale buildup and this prolongs the lifespan of your water systems.

The Spring Well is available in various variants. Some are good at eliminating calcium and magnesium while others will also remove iron and sulfur. The installation kit is easy to install and comes with sediment filter, pre-filtering housing, mounting bracket, spanner wrench and bypass valve.

Pros

• ACTIVFLO technology ensures maximum contact for water and filtration system
• Prevents scale buildup in water systems
• Good at elimination of most contaminants like iron, sulfur, and chlorine
• Gives your water an odorless, clean taste

Cons

• Lacks an LCD screen

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On the Go OTG4-DBLSOFT

This is one of the best RV/marine water softener in the market. It comes in a compact design that makes it ideal for very small spaces. What is impressive is that it comes with two salt boxes that are capable of delivering up to 1600 gallons of clean, soft water. This should take you an average of 40 days. The regeneration time is at 30 minutes. When you are traveling and you find yourself in a situation where the only source of water is a shallow well then you will be glad you carried this portable water softener with you. It is compact design means you can install it anywhere. The installation process is simple and basic. It also comes with handles for enhanced portability.

The water softener comes with large salt mouth opening and offers quick regeneration times. When compared to other similar models in the market, the On the Go offers up to 40% more soft water. You do not require electricity or any tools to operate the On the Go as it utilizes your normal garden hose for the connection between your RV and park faucet.

The unit does an amazing job of removing contaminants from your water while also improving the smell and taste. It will also keep any of your water piping systems from scale buildup or rust.

Pros

• Offers up to 40% more soft water than competitors
• Fast regeneration time of 30 minutes
• Compact design makes it easy to carry around
• Enhances the water taste

Cons

• Slow flow rate

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AFW Filters 48k 5600sxt water softener

Fleck is known for manufacturing high quality water softeners and this one is no exception. It is able to handle up to 50 grains of minerals per gallon and this makes it perfect for filtering most of your hard water. The Flex 56sxt has a 48,000-grain capacity, which makes it ideal for meeting most household water needs. The softener leaves you with odorless clean water that is free from sulfur and even iron.

Operation of the Fleck is through a small LCD display. This allows you to make basic settings for the water system and to check error codes. Through its control valve you can accurately estimate how much grains per gallon in your water is needed then program the unit to automatically regenerate itself. This ensures you never run out of clean water. The Fleck will filter your water by removing hardness by up to 50 gpg, hydrogen sulfide by 2 ppm and iron at 4 ppm or mg/l.

When it comes to the filtering process you have the KDF-85 Mediguard for removal of manganese and sulfur while the fine mesh resin filter in the eradicator 2000 is used to filter out iron. The unit is easy to install and comes equipped with all the accessories you will need for efficient well water filtering. It comes with a 5-year warranty for the control head and 10 –year warranty for the brine tanks and resin.

Pros

• Programmable automatic regeneration
• Filters iron and sulfur
• LCD display
• Made from durable materials

Cons

• The grain filtering capacity is low

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ABCwaters Triple Combo whole house

The reason it’s called a triple combo is because it combines a whole house water softening system, carbon filtration system, and RO water system. To provide you an effective filtration process the up flow carbon tank doesn’t need backwash. You can use the system with not electric connection.

If you are living in those remote areas where access to city water is an impossibility then your options are relegated to well water. However, this water contains a considerable amount of iron. Iron, magnesium and calcium discolor your drainage pipes, clothes and cause skin rashes. The ABC comes with an iron mesh for filtering iron from well water. You also get Fleck 5600svt control valves that monitor the amount of water flowing through your resin so that it can activate an automatic regeneration cycle. In this case the ABC has a grain capacity of 65,000.

The ABC has a large grain filtering capacity that makes it ideal for use in large homes with up to 7 people. It also has the capacity to provide your family with 13 gallons of iron free soft water per minute. For RO drinking water system, the ABC comes with a 5-stage filtration system. This involves sediment filter, thin film composite, activated carbon and post inline carbon filters. This system works together to ensure your water is free from sediments and is odor free. To help in removing bacteria, viruses, chromium, chlorine, lead and heavy metals you have an up flow carbon filtration system.

Part of the installation kit is installation guides that give you step by step procedures to install the device at home. All the parts used in making the water distillation kit are NSF approved and of the highest quality.

Pros

• High water capacity that can handle up to 7 family members
• 5-stage reverse osmosis drinking system
• Iron mesh filter
• Company offers excellent technical support

Cons

• Not easy to install

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Buying Guide

Hard water is a common feature when you are living in areas where there is no access to tap water. In this section, we examine some top factors you need to consider before purchasing a water softener for hard water.

Grain rating

If you take a close observation of the water softeners in the market you will realize that they are categorized based on grain. This is an indication of how much minerals like calcium and magnesium it can remove. You choice of the grain rating is determined by how much minerals your hard water has. Well water tends to have more than other sources of water. The grain rating will also be determined by how many people consume your water. To get an estimate of what rating to go for, make an estimate of how many gallons of water you consume in your household. If you consume 20,000 gallons then look for a water softener of a grain rating of over 20,000.

Components of well water softeners

Most of the well water softeners in the market will have at least three main components:

Control valve: This smart water controller that checks out how much gallons of water you consume then it automatically starts the regeneration process. The best well water softeners will come armed with the Fleck 5600sxt. The control valve is an intuitive device that informs you the right time to clean up your resin beads.

Brine tank: It is here that the hard water is transformed into soft water as it passes through a solution of sodium or salt. Sometimes you will have the brine tank filled with potassium but it is not commonly used due to its price. The problem is the filtering process is not completely error free and you may find some traces of sodium in your water.

Resin tank: This contains small resin beads that help turn hard water into soft. Magnesium and calcium are the primarily minerals that cause water to become hard. In the resin tank a process of ionization takes place. The resin beads in the tank contain sodium ions which replace the calcium and magnesium ions. As the water softening process continues you will be left with a resin tank full of hardness ions while the softened water contains sodium ions.

Iron Presence

Iron minerals present in hard water can stain your kitchen dishes and discolor your water systems. If you suspect your well water has a high iron content then identify a softener to remove it.

Water flow rate

You will need to know how much water your household consumes to get the right gallons per minute rate (GPM). A good flow rate ensures that every part of your house is well supplied with water. Check for units with more than 10 GPM.

Conclusion

Hard water contains a considerable amount of calcium, magnesium, and iron. This decolorizes your kitchen appliances, clothes, and water systems. Hard water from a well also contains bacteria and viruses that make it unsafe for drinking. Having a well water softener ensures that your household is well supplied with clean water.