High-efficiency water softeners are specially engineered to provide as many gallons of soft water with as little salt as possible. They typically use half the amount of salt and water per regeneration than standard on-demand water softeners. The incredible technology that comes with high-efficiency water softeners is referred to as ‘’up-flow’’ or ‘’counter-current’’ regeneration.

Upflow - Up-flow systems direct the water in the up-flow direction of the system. Any water that comes into the water tank flows through an upper basket, and then down a riser tube that’s based in the middle of the tank. Once the water reaches the bottom of the riser tube, it’s then distributed through a lower basket which is attached to the riser tube. The water then flows from the bottom of the tank, through the filter media in a swirling motion which is created by the reaction of the water coming out of the lower basket. This lower basket comes into contact with the bottom of the filter tank, which can be either rounded or curved. An up-flow design eliminates the need for backwashing due to the filter media being continuously fluffed each time the water flows through the tank.

Counter-current - During counter-current regeneration, cleaning efforts flow in the opposite direction of the service flow (hence the name). The least depleted portion of the resin bed near the service exit receives the first brine, and the brine continues to exit near the service water entrance. This means that concentrated waves of displaced hardness ions travel backwards through the bed, as the regeneration progresses to completion. The main zone in counter-current regeneration is the entrance to the bed as it’s the zone experiencing the strongest concentration of hardness ions and the last of the brine.

High-efficiency water softeners are known to be more convenient, and more economical to operate. You’ll feel amazing when using smart technology, especially one that saves you 1000’s gallons of water every year.

By investing in a high-efficiency water softener, you’ll reap the rewards of the following benefits:

You’re able to customize your water softness settings so that your water never feels too soft or too hard.
With an integrated tracking system, you’ll always be aware of how long your salt with last.
You can control your high-efficiency water softener from anywhere in the house.
You’ll have the beauty of soft water flowing through your house.
Instantly, you’ll notice dramatically lower monthly water, salt, and electricity costs.
You’ll receive automated service notifications.
Makes all of your household appliances last much longer.

High-efficiency water softeners are patented with smart technology. The proportional brining within them allows your softener to only regenerate parts of the resin bed that have already been exhausted, which ultimately reduces salt usage. Not only that, but the automatic bypass valve provides the convenience of bypassing the water softener from the softener itself, or the remote display.

As you can see, high-efficiency water softeners come with a world of benefits, hence why people all over the U.S. are installing them into their homes.

High Grain Water Softener

All over the world, the internet, in every water treatment store, you’ll find items called ‘’high grain water softeners’’. These, are water softeners described by their grains capacity. To those who aren’t in the water softener industry, the ‘’high grain’’ term is perceived as a foreign one. And, often, it’s quickly glossed over by salespeople who don’t really understand the implications in choosing high grain water softeners that are sized correctly for their customers.

To try and explain simply - the grains capacity in high grain water softeners is the amount of hardness that can be removed by water softeners before it must be regenerated. Water softeners are an ion exchange technology. The hardness from ions of calcium and magnesium (aka ‘hardness’) are held on to by the water softener, and usually exchanged for ions of sodium. The grains capacity of a water softener refers to the weight of magnesium and calcium compounds that can be removed from the water before the softener is saturated and must be regenerated.

To put it into context, a ‘grain’ is defined as approximately 65mg - around the weight of a cereal grain such as rye or wheat. Water hardness is measured as grains per U.S gallon (1 grain = 17.1 milligrams per litre).

Now, let’s calculate your daily harness removal requirements so you can make the best decision in your water softener purchase.

Use this full formula in order to calculate your daily hardness removal requirements:

The number of people in your home X average indoor daily water consumption per person X grains of hardness in your water = grains of hardness to be removed daily.

Use the table below to find out your suggested softener size based on the answer to the question above.

Daily Grain Removal Requirements
Suggested Softener Size
0 – 3,500 grains per day
24,000-grain capacity
3,501 – 4,500 grains per day
32,000-grain capacity
4,501 – 5,750 grains per day
40,000-grain capacity
5,751 – 6,850 grains per day
48,000-grain capacity

Water Softener for Hard Water

As stated many times in this article, water can be classified as ‘’hard’’. Hard water usually contains at least 60mg of dissolved calcium and magnesium. In some areas, this number can go as high as 180mg.

A water softener for hard water is a device that is much needed for a lot of households across the globe. Everything in your home, from your health to your appliances is affected by the water running through your pipes. Municipal water, in general, contains a number of minerals that render water to be hard and can lead to a number of domestic inconveniences.

By using Filter Smart water softeners, you’ll find that the set up to remove hard water is easy, and the rewards are simply great. You’ll only need to use one of our cool devices, and all the problems you’re facing with ashy skin, stained dishes, and spotty laundry will be a thing of the past.