Water Softener Resources

The best way to figure out the amount of hardness in your water is to test the water with a hardness water test. However there are some other ways to figure out approximately how hard your water is.

If you are connected to a municipal water utility you may be able to find the water hardness listed on your local Consumer Confidence ReportConsumer Confidence Report. Not all CCR water quality reports include hardness because it is not a primary health contaminant, but it does appear on some reports.

As a last resort you can get a very rough estimate of water hardness in your area by looking at a water hardness map of the country.

The US Geological Survey has created a water hardness map colored map based on A study from about 2,100 domestic wells across the United States. However two wells in the same geographic region can have very different hardness levels if they are drilled at different depths and the water is being drawn from different aquifers.

No. Using a TDS meter is not an accurate measure of the hardness of water. Hardness minerals are exchanged for sodium ions in the water thus the TDS reading will not change. Using water hardness test strips will give you an accurate measure of the softness of the water.

The only required maintenance is to add salt to the brine tank when it is running low, but if you use well water and do not install the recommended sediment pre-filter it may be necessary to periodically clean the brine line and injector screens.

We also reccomend periodically using resin cleaner, to improve performance and extend the life of your water softener resin, but eventually the water softener resin will need to be replaced. Water softener resin can last 10-15 years, but its life span is significantly shortened by high levels of chlorine / chloramines. A carbon prefilter is recommended before the softener on chlorinated water supplies to get the full life out of your water softener resin.

The system is pre-programmed to regenerate after 1750 gallons of water have passed through the softener. This setting can and should be adjusted according to the hardness of your water. How often the softener should regenerate will thus be based on your water usage.  

The Rengeration lasts for 75 minutes at the factory default settings. 5 minute Backwash, 60 minute Brine, 5 minute Rinse, 5 minute Brine Refill. However the control valve has automatic hardwater bypassing so your water service will not interrupted during this time.

With the default settings the system uses approximately 95 gallons of water during a regeneration, it backwashes and rinses at just over 4 gallon per minute for 5 minutes each, while the brine & slow rinse operates at just under 1 gallon per minute for 60 minutes.

The TIER1-WS-CLNSR-16 water softener cleanser by Tier1 is a softener resin cleaning agent that helps your system maintain top performance. This convenient single-use bottle is applied directly into the brine well or directly into the salt tank without the need for added steps or prolonged exposure to chemicals. Application of this solution to your system helps reduce mineral deposits from forming in your system, breaks down organic compounds that would otherwise cause unpleasant scent and taste, and prolongs the life of your water softener resin.

Tier1 water softeners come with a sediment prefilter to remove dirt and debris from the water which could clog the softener valve and reduce its efficiency.

We recommend changing the prefilter every 6 months, but the frequency that the prefilter needs to be replaced can vary greatly depending on water quality. Replace the filter based on actual filter condition.