The Hard Truth: Kenmore Water Softener Buying Guide
Have your faucets and showerheads developed a chalky, white build-up? Does your skin feel tight and itchy post-shower? Chances are, you have a hard water problem.
But what causes hard water and is it harmful to our home or to us?
The Hard Truth…
Hard water’s high mineral count comes from groundwater moving through limestone and picking up calcium and magnesium particles along the way. While those minerals are harmless to drink, they can do some serious damage to your plumbing, skin, and appliances that use water. That’s where our Kenmore Water Softeners come in!
But which one is right for you? Use this handy buy guide to find the ideal water softener for your home:
Calculate your softening requirement
This is important because too high or low of a grain count can lead to inefficient softening and an expensive water bill. The key here is to calculate exactly how many grains you’ll need filtered from your water every month.
While you should contact your municipality for a water test kit to get the exact hardness number of your water, we’ve provided you with a few averages to help you find the ideal water softener for your home:
Breakdown
Daily Water Usage
75 gallons x 5 people = 375 gallons per day
Daily Softening Requirement
375 gallons per day x 10 grains per gallon (average hardness number*) = 3,750 gpg
DSR x 7 days a week = 26,250 grains ← Keep this number in mind when shopping for a water softener.
Consider the controls
Salt-based water softeners, like all Kenmore Water Softeners, perform a regeneration cycle to remove all of the mineral brine built up after the ion exchange takes place.
Most modern, residential water softeners come equipped with one of two types of regeneration cycle controls:
- Clock-Timer Controls: These models come with a timer for you to manually set the day and time you want the softener to regenerate. This is a fixed date and will regenerate regardless of how much water you’ve used the past week.
- Demand-Initiated Regeneration Controls: All Kenmore Water Softeners use DIR controls that sense when the resin tank needs to be regenerated — using a meter and calculating the exact usage. This saves salt and regeneration water because it only regenerates when necessary.
Make sure it’s certified
Water Softeners can be certified by the National Sanitation Foundation — meaning they’ve passed industry tests and their claims have been validated.
Every Kenmore Water Softener is NSF Certified. So when we say our Kenmore 350 with IntelliSoft™ Technology reduces hard water minerals and clear water iron, or that our Kenmore Elite 520 Softener + Filter reduces common contaminants such as large sediment and chlorine taste and odor, we mean it.
The Kenmore brand represents 100 years of trusted performance, backed by exclusive features and innovations that no other brand can bring to the table. We’re always evolving to ensure day-to-day tasks are taken care of with faster cooking, better cleaning, and more living throughout the home.
Kenmore
The Kenmore brand represents 100 years of trusted performance, backed by exclusive features and innovations that no other brand can bring to the table. We’re always evolving to ensure day-to-day tasks are taken care of with faster cooking, better cleaning and more living throughout the home.
