If the potential costs of maintaining a water softener or filter are holding you back from treating your home’s water problems, you’re not alone. In this struggling economy individuals and families are watching their budgets like never before. The price of salt (about $12 per 50 pounds) for regenerating a water softener might make it seem like a luxury item to some.

But there is good news for homeowners: it is not necessary to live with rust stains on your fixtures or clothing… in fact, continuing to use problem water is costing you money in clothes wearing out 30% sooner than clothes washed in soft water, increased soap and cleaning products necessary when your water is rusty, and damage to fixtures and your water heater. You can afford to maintain a water softener, and there are ways to ensure that you are not spending more on salt than necessary.

TIPS FOR AN ECONOMICAL WATER SOFTENER:

Make sure you rent or buy a water softener for your home that uses high efficiency resins (the media inside the softener that removes the iron and other minerals from the water via ion exchange). The high efficiency resins require significantly lower salt usage because they need to regenerate less often than softeners that use a lesser grade of resin.

Choose a water softener that uses a water meter to trigger regeneration, instead of a timer. Water softeners that have a timer control are programmed to regenerate at regular intervals, whether the unit needs regeneration or not. Water softeners with metered controls only trigger the regeneration cycle (and use salt to recharge the resins) when it actually needs to be regenerated. This adds up to significant savings on salt usage – at least 50% less than a softener with a timer control.

Bypass water lines that don’t need to have treated water. This means that the water going to certain water lines will not go through the water softener. Often homeowners choose to have the water softener installer bypass the water taps on the outside of their home, and/or their sprinkler system, since it is not necessary to water the lawn with treated water. However, be sure your sprinklers aren’t going to spray a wall of nice white siding or a new, clean concrete driveway if your untreated water has a high iron content! If you are able to bypass the outside water supplies, you will be able to reap further savings on salt usage with your water softener.

Maher Water Corporation, a Stevens Point-based company with a store in Minocqua and routes servicing all parts of the Northwoods, has 60 years of experience treating every variety of water problem. They are a 3rd generation family-owned business and understand the need to be economical in providing clean water for a healthy home. They will work with you to install an efficient water treatment system, and will even drain your water heater (flushing out accumulated rust and other sediment) so it will operate more efficiently as you begin to enjoy your clean, conditioned water.