Water softeners are an increasingly popular solution for people who want to enjoy the many benefits of soft water. However, there is one question that many potential users may ask themselves: how much are the monthly costs of running a water softener? In this article I will try to answer this question.
Basic water softener operating cost factors
The monthly running costs of a water softener are largely dependent on the water consumption of a given household. On a monthly basis, the user will bear the costs of water and salt used for regeneration.
For example, for a family of 4 whose water softener has 20 liters of ion exchange resin and a water hardness of 321 mg CaCO₃/l, some calculations can be made.
How much does deposit regeneration cost?
Based on the data relating to water hardness and resin capacity, we can calculate that the bed will be regenerated after filtering 3 - 4 cubic meters of water. Assuming that each household member uses about 3 cubic meters per month, we know that the water softener will regenerate the bed three times.
A water softener of this size will use approximately 120 – 170 liters of water for regeneration. For example, the Ecoperla Toro 24 water softener uses approximately 130 liters of water for regeneration and 2.9 kg of salt. In other models, salt consumption can reach up to 4 kilograms.
Monthly operating costs
Thus, in a month, the water softener will take from 360 to 510 liters of water and from 7 to 12 kilograms of salt. A kilogram of tableted salt costs about PLN 2 (depending on the store), so we will pay about PLN 15 to PLN 24 per month. Water bills, depending on the region of the country, may increase by PLN 5 to PLN 7. The maximum cost of using a water softener should therefore not exceed PLN 30.
Water softener energy cost
As for the costs of power consumption for the operation of the control head, they are really negligible and will not burden our pocket. Monthly energy costs will probably not even exceed a zloty.
Ways to reduce costs
If we want our water softener to cost even less, it is worth choosing models with shortened regeneration cycles and the Ecoperla Perfect system, which ensures optimization of salt and water consumption during regeneration.
Additional running costs for the water softener
The cost of using a water softener should also include annual or biennial service. The cost of such a service with travel and materials is about PLN 250 - 300. The ion exchange resin is usually replaced after 7-10 years, which is an additional, though infrequent, expense.
Is it worth entering the costs of running a water softener?
As you can see, the operating costs of a water softener are not high and fully compensate for the benefits of using soft water. They help keep our skin healthy, improve the taste of coffee and tea, and extend the life of home appliances that use water. So is it worth investing in a water softener? Undoubtedly, the answer is yes!
