The output of a water softener system should be close to 0 ppm.
Adjusting the water softener settings for optimal performance is a relatively simple procedure. Unfortunately, simple does not mean quick and easy and it will be a very time consuming operation. You will need to do some water testing with a hardness indicator and taste tests for salt content. Proper setup of your water softener will increase its efficiency and reduce your maintenance needs. You can expect many years of trouble-free service from your water conditioner if you use the proper settings.
The first thing you need is a testing method to determine the hardness of your water. Test strips are the easiest and fastest to use. They should measure hardness or alkalinity in parts per million (ppm). See your local hardware or water softener system supplier for these products. You may want to take notes on your activities, recording initial settings, hardness readings, and changes made.
You should read your owner’s manual for the proper method of making adjustments to your system. This may vary from unit to unit. If your system is a Demand Initiated Regeneration (DIR) type, setting the timer will not be a problem.
The first step will be to measure the hardness of the water before it enters the water conditioner, to establish a baseline. Municipal water supplies will typically be around 8 ppm, and well water in most places will be 22 to 26 ppm. Your system output should be close to 0 ppm. If your system has recently cycled and your output is not at 0 ppm, you will need to increase your salt input. Divide the output hardness by the baseline to get the percentage by which you need to increase the salt input.
If your water softener was set up by a professional installer, you are probably using more salt than you need and should reduce your salt intake in small steps. You should wait for a regeneration cycle to occur as scheduled, instead of forcing the regeneration right away. The previous salt load will not be completely expelled. Do this until you register the water hardness above 0ppm at your outlet and increase the salt levels to the previous setting. You can now force regeneration if you wish.
You can reduce the rinse time as you reduce the salt input, or you can wait and do this after the salt adjustment is complete. Once again, use small steps. When you can taste the salt in the water, you’ve gone too far. Regeneration should not be necessary. Taking a shower or doing the dishes will likely remove excess salt, but be sure to increase the rinse time to the previous setting to avoid this in the future.
If you have an electronic DIR system, you’re all set. If you have a timer system or a system based on the use of DIR, you can try increasing the time between regenerations to suit the needs of your household. For a timer system this can be tricky because home use can be variable. If laundry, dishwashing, and bathing are done at a set time, you can get the most efficient use of the water softener setting. If these tasks have a varied schedule, it may be necessary to let the system run more often than necessary to cover all situations.
After increasing your regeneration cycle time, you will need to check your water hardness. You can wait how many days the regeneration has taken place before making the adjustment. Check the water hardness after that number of days. Keep increasing the regeneration time until you get a water hardness reading greater than 0ppm and return to the previous setting.
