Month: September 2024

Toronto is one of the most populated cities in Canada, with 9 million people living in it, having highly dense trees, and people from more than 200 ethnicities in it.
With rich demographics, and having more than 25000 lakes, rivers, and water streams, the whole city is supplied with water from Lake Ontario.

Though the Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks maintains the water quality, the lake’s water is pulled through a thick network of pipes, treated, and added with chlorine, fluorides, ammonia, and other cleaners to remove contaminants and improve overall quality. But is it safe to drink tap water in Toronto?

Whether you’re new to Toronto or a lifelong resident, the question often arises: Is tap water in Toronto safe to drink? In this discussion, we’ll explore the water quality, potential impurities, health risks, and the financial costs associated with drinking tap water in Toronto.

What Is Toronto Water Quality, And Is It Safe To Drink Tap Water?

The water quality of Toronto is declared safe by the Water Regulating Authorities. The water is tested every six hours, added with chlorine, fluoride, and phosphoric acid, and then sent to multiple water stations, pressure pumps, pipes and other resources to be used.
However, the water isn’t routinely checked for hardness or microplastics, and increased levels of lead in older plumbing systems can pose significant health risks. Since Toronto’s water comes from Lake Ontario, it’s important to understand the lake’s water quality, how it’s treated, and what tests are performed before the water is deemed suitable for consumption.

While Toronto tap water meets safety standards, the potential presence of impurities like microplastics and lead suggests that additional precautions, like home filtration, may benefit some households.

Where Does Toronto Get Its Water From?

Though Toronto has more than 25,000 natural water resources, including waterfalls, rivers, canals, and lakes, only Ontiaro’s water is used to provide drinkable water in taps. Since such a populated city uses water from one lake only, it is important to know what characteristics it has.

Toronto Public Health ensures that the necessary tests are conducted to maintain healthy water quality. The water from Lake Ontario is pumped directly to four water treatment plants, which then supply 18 pumping stations and 11 underground reservoirs. These facilities filter and treat about 1 billion litres of water per day, operating 24/7 to meet the city’s needs.

Additionally, Toronto has four elevated storage tanks and over 5,000 km of water mains that deliver treated water to residential, commercial, and industrial areas across the city.

What is the Water Treatment Process in Toronto

When you are figuring out all the pros and cons of Toronto’s tap water, it is important to know the water treatments the tap water goes through and what is the frequency of these tests. As the quality of water keeps changing from time to time, seasonal factors, algae, and other environmental factors change the chemistry of water.

• Firstly, large pipes, 1 to 5 kilometres far away from the shores collect the water from the lake.
• The lake water is passed through screens to check everything about its chemical composition, impurities present, and the amount of different elements in it. Then large debris particles are collected and the water is disinfected either through chlorine or ozone.
• Then the floc(accumulation of large particles) is collected by adding alum or polyaluminium chloride.
• Afterwards, the water is passed through settling basins, where larger particles (if any) then it is passed a series of gravel, sand, and carbon, which is useful in removing impurities and micro-organisms.
• Before supplying this water to your household, chlorine, fluoride, phosphoric acid, and ammonia are added for disinfection, bone and teeth health, corrosion control, and balancing the chlorine respectively.
• The water is then sent to substations, to pump through the pipelines to your homes.

Though this water fulfils the health standards of Canada, it is not tested for its hardness and microplastics, and no post-filtration testing is done. Whatever amount of microplastics Toronto water has, it is deemed to be safe as there is no technology available to check microplastic levels in tap water. You get drinkable water with unknown amounts of nutrients, hardness levels, and any present contaminants (unfiltered).

How Often Is Toronto Water Tested?

Ontario’s lake water is tested every six hours in labs for its detrimental effects.
Moreover, 20,000 tests are conducted in labs at different water filtration plants and 15,000 tests for different types of bacteria. Thus, more than 410,000 tests are performed during one year.

Can You Drink Toronto Tap Water?

Is tapwater drinkbale in Toronto? This question is still relative. Water chemistry changes daily, and the safety limits too. Some contaminants are banned in Europe, but not in Canada. So drinking tap water can bring you ailments like hepatitis, liver damage, and stomach issues in case your water is contaminated and not tested before use.
Normally water supplied at your tap is safe to drink, the main culprit might be the pipeline that brings filtered water to your tap. It may contain rust, lead, chlorine by-products that reside in pipes, unregulated microplastics, and PFAS.

Although tests are regularly performed and various measures are taken to clean the water sourced from Lake Ontario, it’s important to understand just how polluted the lake can be and whether these treatments are sufficient to ensure safe drinking water.
Contaminants such as industrial discharge, agricultural runoff, and plastic waste continue to impact the lake’s water quality. While municipal authorities test and treat the water for many pollutants, questions remain about whether these tests fully address the presence of microplastics, lead, E. coli, and other harmful substances.
Let’s explore more about the quality of Lake Ontario’s water and the effectiveness of these purification processes.

Why is Lake Ontario Polluted?

Lake Ontario is polluted because it accumulates contaminants from other lakes including agricultural runoff, industrial discharge, and commercial wastage.

Plastic And Trash

Many factors contribute to the rise in plastic and trash in Ontario Lake. These include local improper disposal of bottles, disposable plastic crockery at beaches and other waste material, and direct littering of the water.

Storm Water And Sewage Mixing

Rainwater washes debris, dirt, plastic, and trash from the streets, roads, and walkways, that directly run off to the storm drains and rivers, ending up into Lake Ontario. If the sewage water gets mixed with rainwater runoff, it also adds up to lake water.

Lead Risks In Aging Plumbing

Even if the water at your faucets is filtered and cleaned through your municipality authorities, old pipes may increase the lead %age in your drinking water. The industrial run-offs illegally added to the lake, or via improper disposal may also increase lead amounts in lake water, which also adds up to your tap water.

Lake Ontario Beach E. Coli Concerns

E.Coli is a bacteria living in the intestines of warm-blooded organisms, including humans. It originally stems from the gut system. Usually, it is your gut bacteria that keep you healthy, but the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) bacterium, causes food-borne health concerns like UTI, pneumonia, diarrhoea, and some serious ailments in severe exposure.
E.Coli adds up to Lake Ontario either from stormwater, rainwater runoff, improper disposal of hospital waste, or fecal matter directly to waterways, rivers, and lakes leading to Lake Ontario.

Risks Of Chlorine Byproducts

Though the water is cleaned at government water stations before supplying to your taps, it may have indirect pollutants. The chlorine often reacts with microplastics (which are neither checked nor regulated )

Localized Contamination

In many places, locals add their disposals to Ontario Lake. Though this is illegal and Canada’s government has made strict policies against such individuals, there are sites where proper regulation is not possible because of geographical barriers. Such contaminations add up to the overall pollution of lake water.

Needles And Other Debris

Illegal dumping or improper disposal of syringes may add up to waterways. These waters ultimately fall into Lake Ontario, causing higher pollution to aquatic life and human water ingestion.

Agricultural Runoff

It is the wastewater from agricultural land flowing to the nearby water bodies like rivers or lakes, that ultimately add the highest levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and fertilizers to the lake’s water.

Dead Fishes Across Lake Ontario

When a large number of fish die in a lake, their bodies remain there until they decompose. This decomposition leads to nutrient imbalance in the lake by adding phosphorus and nitrogen increasing the production of algae and overall water pollution. This water pollution not only harms other aquatic life but also poses serious health hazards if humans come in contact with this water.

Oily Water Near Lake Ontario

Industrial or commercial facilities add oils or oil-based discharge products either illegally or through improper disposal. Other causes of oily water are rainwater runoff or boating activities in the lake. This causes an increase in contaminants in water resulting in poor quality for drinking purposes.

Musty, Earthy Odors And Tastes

Musty and earthy odors in your tap water, are mainly because of the presence of algae and dead fish in lake water. You also get a bad taste when this water is chlorinated before reaching your household.

Is Toronto Water Hard?

Does Toronto have hard water? The answer is “yes”. Generally, groundwater is harder than lake waters. Lake waters are considered soft water because of their natural resources and the series of processes they go through during filtration. But surprisingly, Toronto water is hard. It has an increased amount of calcium and magnesium and their compounds, leading to a hardness level of 6 to 7 grains per gallon.
Hard water may not cause health hazards, but scale buildups in faucets and electric heaters can cause property damage.
Before you install a water filtration system, make sure to have a water hardness test. At Watermart, we offer water testing services to fully understand your water filtration plant’s needs. Call our experts to get a quote.

Is It Necessary To Have A Water Filter In Toronto?

Toronto was the first city to start chlorinating water to kill bacteria, viruses, parasites, pesticides, and other pollutants after the epidemic of typhoid in 1800. The Ministry of Environment and Parks is very concerned about regulating water quality as per Canadian standards.
However, having water from one lake in such a populated city may compromise the quality of the water because of the pipelines and other uncontrollable factors. Installing a water filtration plant is a wise decision, as you may get healthy water at a reasonable cost.

Install A Whole Home Water Filtration System

Installing a whole-house water filtration system is highly recommended. It can keep you healthy, maintain hair and skin health, keep your plumbing fixtures scale-free, stop mineral build-ups in your water heaters, and many other benefits.
You get comprehensive coverage for filtration and get quality water in quantity that helps you stay hydrated and healthy with no financial losses and property damage.
You can call our filtration experts at WaterMart, who can help you get a free online estimation and quotation for the installation of a whole-house water filtration system.
Our filtration systems are safe, and inexpensive while offering a long-lasting warranty with comprehensive support.

FAQS

Is Toronto Water Good for Hair?

Generally, Toronto water is good for hair. But, in case water in your area is hard because of natural resource contamination, poor plumbing, or scales in your water pipelines, it may affect your hair and make it dry and damaged.

Why Does Toronto Water Smell Earthy/Fishy?

The reasons behind the earthy and fishy smell are because of the naturally occurring compounds made by algae, and microorganisms, the presence of dead fishes, seasonal changes, and the result of the addition of chlorides and fluorides.

Is there chlorine in Toronto water?

Yes, chlorine is added to water in Toronto to kill bacteria, viruses,, and parasites causing health hazards.

If your water pressure has drastically dropped after installing a water softener system, the first step is to run the “bypass” test. Set your main supply water valve at “bypass” mode. This will supply the water directly to your household sanitary without using the water softener. Check if the water pressure is restored or improved. If so, your water softener is the main culprit.

But, what are the other techniques to diagnose and fix low water pressure issues, and how can you do it at home? Let’s discuss everything in detail so that you can know how to troubleshoot on your own and when to call an expert.

Water Softener Low Pressure: What Does It Mean

Low water pressure from a water softener typically means that the water supply in your household plumbing is insufficient and the softener isn’t filtering water at the required pressure. This issue often arises when the resin beads in the softener become coated with hard minerals, like calcium and magnesium, which obstruct the water flow and cause low pressure.

• A water softener works on an ion exchange process, where resin beads trap heavy minerals like magnesium and calcium.
• During the regeneration process, a brine solution flushes these minerals away, allowing the softener to continue operating effectively.
• The system consists of a brine tank, a resin tank, and various valves that regulate water flow, brine solution, regeneration, backwashing, and water pressure.

When hard minerals clog the resin beads and they aren’t properly regenerated, they can no longer effectively filter the water, reducing flow and low water pressure in the softener.

But if mineral buildup or scaling are not the reasons for low water pressure, look for the other factors discussed below.

Possible Reasons for Water Softeners Causing Low Water Pressure

Can water softener cause low water pressure? Yes, it can. The water supply in your household goes through several steps in a water softener tank, making many factors responsible for low pressure. Let’s look at all the factors individually and see how you can diagnose a low-pressure problem at home.

Pipe Leakages

Check all the pipes connected to the water filter, both incoming and outgoing. If you spot any leaks, replacing the pipe may resolve your pressure issue. If no leaks are found, the water softener could be the cause of the pressure drop. In that case, further investigation is needed for other symptoms related to the water softener pressure drop.

Bypass Valve Issues

Check your bypass valve in the water softener system, and set it at bypass mode and see if it lets water go to your household at the full pressure or not? In the “bypass” mode, the water goes directly to your household without entering the filter. If you get improved pressure, the softener may be the cause.

Clogged Resin Beds

Clogged resin beads don’t filter the water resulting in poor or low water pressure at the consumer end. Check the water beads and see if you find scale or clogged minerals on them. Run a thorough inspection or call an expert from Watermart where we bring comprehensive maintenance services for water softeners.

Resin Cleaning Or Replacement Needed

If you find clogs or scaling on the resin beads, look for the cleaning options too. A normal filter resin beads’ lifespan is 3-20 years, but a low quality resin may deteriorate earlier. So look at your resin’s condition and check whether it needs maintenance or a replacement. At Watermart we provide complete maintenance services that can help you understand which step you must take next. You can call us to get a quote or for further details.

Salt Bridges Or Salt Mushing

Salt bridging is the solidification of salt on the top of brine solution as a crust and salt mushing is when the salt recrystallizes at the bottom in the form of sludge. In both cases, less brine or no salt goes to the resin tank, resulting in poor brine supply to the beads. This may deteriorate the overall filtration process of the water softener resulting in poor performance. You can either remove salt bridges and sludges on your own or call our expert technicians for thorough cleaning.

Sediment Clogging

Sediments are a natural part of hard water. Sometimes they get clogged in the pipes and other plumbing within and around your softener resulting in poor pressure.

Flow Rate Correlation

If your water is not flowing at the required pressure to your water softener, you can’t have the right pressure at the point of use. Simply check the main supply, and adjust the water pressure according to your needs.

Pre-Filter Clogging/ Mineral Build Ups

If the quality of water is really poor and it has other sediments or minerals like magnesium, calcium, iron, coal and other particles along with high hardness, it chokes the pipelines and all plumbing systems. These scale and mineral build-ups clog the pipes and do not supply water to the water softener at the right pressure resulting in overall low pressure in the softener system. Changing pre-filter plumbing pipes can help you regain the water pressure.

Filter Size And Type

Miscalculating softener size and type can drastically affect the output water supply and pressure. Instead of doing a comprehensive calculation, it is wise to call an expert and get an estimate.

Dynamic Head Loss

Dynamic head loss is the pressure drop caused by frictional forces during the flow. It happens when a fluid moves through pipes and different plumbing fixtures, including valves and fittings. The reasons behind this pressure drop are the type of material of pipes, their friction, and the length or diameter of these pipes. If all these factors are not chosen properly, they can cause a pressure drop.

Salt Level

Unnecessarily higher salt levels increase the salt recrystallization and tendency of clogging, resulting in low pressure. Keep a regular check at salt levels and troubleshooting if your softener is using too much salt, can solve the problem.

Blocked Injector

If your brine solution injector valve is blocked by debris, it will not let the brine pass to resin tank, resulting in clogged resin. The water softener with this clogged injector does not support the brine cycle in the resin. So check for the injector and see if you can see through the holes or not. Use the needles to open or run proper cleaning to unclog the injector.

Expanded Media (Resin + Chlorine)

Resin is basically a plastic, a composite material to be precise. It is directly attacked by any oxidants like chlorine or chloramines. In Canada, if you are using city water, coming from local municipality station, there are chances of high chlorine levels as compared to water coming from natural resources. So presence of 1 ppm chlorine, may decrease resin’s life by half.

Chlorine Damage

If your water softener is cleaning 0.5 ppm chlorine, the resin’s life will be around 10 years. When to change resin is another question. There is a simple “sqush test” which states that if you can mush the resin beads by your figures, it is time to change the resin.

Improper Configuration

If you have not configured your water softener properly for hardness values, water pressure, salt levels, and regeneration cycle, you may experience low water pressure. So configure it properly to avoid this malfunctioning.

Electrical Interruption

Water softeners are electrically connected. In case you are having a power outage or fluctuation, your filter may end up reducing the water pressure.

Incorrect System Sizing

The size of your water softener should be according to the amount of water you need daily. Calculate your water usage by counting your family members and amount of water needed per person. Then multiply it with the hardness level of your water. The grains you get are the capacity of your water softener. A normal person uses 80- gallons a day. In Canada if you are living in an area where water hardness is 10, a house of 4 people will need 4*80*10= 3200 GPG a day. So your water filter should be according to this capacity.

Age Of The Water Softener

A good quality water softener’s lifespan is 20 to 25 years if you have been maintaining it very well. However poor maintenance can reduce its life. Check whether it has expired or not, if your system is too old, it is better to replace it because maintaining it can cost you more than the price of a new unit. At Watermart, we have water softener systems for different sizes and needs. Calling us today can get you an idea of the cost of a new unit.

How Fix Water Softener Low Pressure Issue

If you have diagnosed your low water pressure problem and the reasons behind it, look at the following solutions to the specific problems.

Inspect And Clean the Filters

In case your filters are clogged or messy, either change them or clean them for proper functioning.

Regenerate Properly

Poor regeneration leaves the resin beads uncleaned and clogged, resulting in low water pressure. Set your water softener at the proper regeneration cycle for a thorough cleaning.

Salt And Brine Tank Maintenance

Log your salt and brine tank maintenance. Remove any salt bridges and mushes for a proper supply of brine solution to the resin beads tank.

Pressure Gauge Test And Installation

A pressure gauge test is carried out to check the overall pressure of the water softener system. If you get any abnormal readings, you can easily check for the potentail reasons and solutions. Modern water softeners come with built-in pressure gauges, a handy tool to compare the inlet pressure, outlet pressure, and pressure within the softener, helping you manage the right softening system for adequate supplies.
If you don’t get a pressure gauge with your water softener, you can buy and install a separate pressure gauge to keep an eye on system’s pressure beforehand.

Bypass Mode Test

The purpose of conducting the “bypass” test is to isolate your water supply from the water softener. It helps you identify whether your water softener is faulty, or the water resource pressure is dropping. If the bypass mode test ensures adequate pressure, then you can run other tests to diagnose the problem within the water softener system.

Check And Replace Resin

The ability of resin to filter the clean water and hold heavy minerals decreases over time. Also during regeneraion process, the beads deteriorate. With the passage of time, resin beads stop working. If you see any sand like particles during the inspection, it is an indication that the resin needs a replacement.

Inspect And Clean Components

Run a cleaning operation every month, check for any clogs, mineral buildups, and recrystallization in the tank, valves, controls and other plumbing in and around the water softener. Even if you don’t see any visible signs of clogs or scale pile-ups, Cleaning the tank is a recommended practice.

Check Filter Housing Size

Filter housing size is as important as the size of a water softener itself. If the diameter of the filter housing is too small, it will restrict the water flow, resulting in reduced pressure. So choosing the right filter housing size will improve overall pressure and will help you reduce dynamic head loss.

Consult Water Softener Maintenance Professionals

Diagnosing low water pressure causes can be tricky if you are a non-techy person or don’t want to do any work. In that case, you can either contact your supplier or call us for water softener maintenance services at Watermark. Our professionals can diagnose and fix any problems that are causing you higher bills and the inconvenience of unavailability of water.

Final Thoughts

Low water softener pressure can cause salt waste and unavailability of water even after filtration. This often happens when the resin beads are either dirty or choked, valve injectors are clogged, the size or type is not accurate, or there is mineral buildup, salt bridging, or leaks in the system.

You can thoroughly check your system, starting with the “bypass” method and progressing to other inspection methods. As soon as you diagnose simple problems, you can fix them at home.

Or simply, if you want to avoid any hassle, give us a call at WaterMart, where our technicians bring you the right solution.

FAQs

How can I know if my water softener is causing low water pressure?

Run the “bypass” mode test to check if the water pressure in your house is alright without using a water softener. If the pressure improves, it confirms that the water softener is causing a pressure drop.

How much water pressure does a water softener need?

Water softeners have different pressure ranges, ranging from 20 psi to 100 psi. However, the recommended pressure is 80 psi to avoid damage to faucets or filtration fittings.

How often should I check for salt bridges and resin bead blockages in my water softener?

However, it is a visual inspection that you can do even daily or weekly. But perform it monthly spot any unusual accumulation of salt and remove it.

If you have installed water softener filtration and get excessive salt usage or hard water supply, you might be either missing the right size of the filtration plant or re-generation is not properly working.

But what if everything is working fine and your water softener is using too much salt or your filtered water is still hard? If you don’t monitor the amount of salt being used, you may face excessive costs while negatively impacting the environment.

If you are new to water softeners and don’t know how to diagnose salt levels, their usage, or ways to lower excessive salt usage, let us help you clarify it step by step.

How Do I Know My Water Softener is Using Excessive Salt

The first indication is excessive use of salt and high hardness levels of your filtered water. Usually, a water softener uses 25 pounds of salt per month, 400 pounds a year, but if your usage has increased, it’s time to take action.

Now the question is what to do next. Simply run an investigation to find the root cause. Unless you don’t know the process of salt-based water softeners, finding the problem might be difficult for you.

Process of Salt-Based Water Softeners

In water softener systems, a resin bed (beads) is used to entrap all the hard minerals from your water like magnesium or calcium, leaving your water in a neutral state, often known as soft water. This water is used for drinking, laundry, or other household purposes in your homes or workplaces.
On the other hand, the resin bed is cleaned using a brine solution that reacts with heavy mineral particles to make binary compounds. A flush of water removes those compounds, leaving the resin fresh and clean. This is called the

Regeneration Process

This regeneration process uses salt, and salt usage is monitored to ensure proper unit functioning and budget maintenance. If your unit is using excessive amounts of salt, look for the following reasons that are immediate causes of salt wastage.

Reasons for Excessive Salt Usage

A normal softener uses 25 pounds of salt a month. If you notice a surge of 20% without increasing your water usage, this might be an indication of the following faults.

• You might have leaky valves in the water softener system that cause water wastage, resulting in the need for more clean water than the softener system capacity and the use of more salt.
• You might have high concentrations of brine flowing through your re-generation resin beads.
• Your water filtration controls are poorly optimized or clogged, resulting in emergency salt needs and higher usage.

The causes may cost you an arm and a leg. To avoid excessive salt usage know the factors that directly control the amount of salt used.

Common Tests To Check Your Softener is Using Higher Salt Amounts

Carry out the following steps one by one to check what’s missing in your filtration plant and its hardware.

• Hardness Test: Check the hardness level of your water. Higher hardness results in a clear indication that your softener is wasting the salt instead of using it to soften the water.
• Leaky Valve Head: Check if the valve head is leaked as it is a clear indication of internal wear.
• Overflowing Brine Tank: Check if the brine solution is overflowing, causing high salt levels in the water. You can see the salt stains on the floor and maintain the brine levels to a low position.
• Record Salt Usage: Log the daily salt usage and be sure there are no major changes but little ups and downs.

Once you have determined whether your softener is using excessive salt, troubleshooting becomes easy and straightforward. We recommend getting expert advice from reliable technicians or suppliers. You can also contact us for a complete checkup of your water softener system. At Watermart, our water softener maintenance services ensure quick and reliable diagnosis and fixing so that you don’t waste your money.

How Much Salt Should A Water Softener Use?

You must have an idea of your water softener system, its capacity, your water usage, and how much salt your softener must use. The manufacturer’s specifications can help depending on the model you are using. Salt usage depends upon many factors that we have enlisted for better understanding.

Salt Consumption Depends On Water Usage

Salt consumption in a water softener is directly proportional to the amount of water it processes. Simply put, the more water it treats, the more salt it uses. However, sometimes a water softener salt bridge can form, preventing the system from using salt effectively, which may lead to misleading readings or salt wastage.

There may also be times when your water needs are low, so you choose a softener accordingly. However, if your water usage suddenly increases, you might notice a higher rate of salt consumption.

In that case, check the amount of water being filtered through it. You can also check any leakages in your house’s sanitary fixtures, toilets, or faucets. It’s a better idea to run a check for any leakage from the stem to the stern of your plumbing system. Any leakages may cause an unnecessarily higher amount of water needed which results in higher salt consumption.

Intensity Of Water Hardness

When you install a water softener, an increase in water hardness may lead to higher salt usage. This could happen due to an inaccurate hardness measurement during installation or because your water supply source changes over time, bringing water with different hardness levels.

In Canada, for example, water from natural sources tends to have higher hardness levels compared to water supplied by government or private providers. If your water source changes, the hardness level may fluctuate, requiring you to re-estimate the salt usage and adjust the softener’s capacity accordingly.

Water Softener Size

If you’ve chosen the wrong size for your water softener, you might experience high water demands that lead to excessive salt consumption. To avoid this, it’s important to estimate your water usage accurately and ensure you have the right size of water softener. On average, a person uses about 80 gallons of water per day. Calculate your household’s total water requirement by multiplying 80 gallons by the number of people in your home.

Next, multiply that number by the hardness grains per gallon (GPG) of your water. For instance, if your household uses 2400 gallons per day (80 gallons per person for three people) and your water hardness is 8-10 GPG, your softener needs to handle 24,000 grains of hardness daily.

Water Softener Capacity=(Gallons per Person×Number of People)×Hardness Grains per Gallon (GPG)

Make sure to install a water softener with the appropriate capacity. If the softener is too small, you’ll end up paying more for salt, water, and maintenance in the long run.

Incorrect Water Tested

Sometimes, water testing is incorrect resulting in a false hardness number. It is better to get a water hardness report from authentic testing services, or you may ask your supplier to run a test for proper estimation.

Wrong settings or Programming

Make sure that grains per gallon are correctly programmed in your softener settings. Your Hardness is 8 GPG and you have selected 12 GPG as your softener, it will cause your system to work more for lesser hardness levels. So avoid overtime and excessive usage of salt by programming it properly.

Regeneration Frequency

Regeneration is the process in which the resin beads clean themselves by using salt and removing the hard minerals from themselves. How often this regeneration occurs, determines the amount of salt used.

If your resin bed regenerates itself more frequently, it uses a higher amount of salts. The regeneration is directly proportional to the amount of hard minerals entrapped in it. It usually happens when your softener is cleaning the water amounts higher than its capacity. Understanding your water usage and installing a properly sized water softener is the solution to this problem.

Brine Tank Water Level

If your brine tank water level is unnecessarily raised, it will cause overflow resulting in salt wastage. Ensure to keep it at recommended levels or a bit lower than that.

Valve malfunctions

Your softener sends brine water to the resin for regeneration through a venturi or injector valve. If the water softener is clogged or not properly cleaned, it may decrease the water pressure to the resin during regeneration, resulting in lower salt levels in the regeneration area. This diluted brine is not sufficient to clean the resin, causing the softener to signal for lower salt, leading to increased usage. A thorough cleaning can remove any clogs and regulate the water pressure needed.

Resin Issues

Resin quality and capacity fairly decide the amount of salt used. A low-quality resin uses higher salt amounts and vice versa. Also, the hard water needs more hard grains to be removed, and it is the resin that bears all the hard minerals pressure. Over time it is all spent in the process of regeneration. So if your resin is too old, like over 15 years, it is better to replace it.

Salt Crystallized On The Tank Bottom

Sometimes, wet salt when unused, recrystallizes at the bottom of the tank creating a white solid mass that cannot be used during the regeneration process. Also, this mass clogs the water tank and does not let the water come in or out of the tank causing unnecessary salt usage and unit deterioration. It happens when you use extra amounts of salt in the tank, so keep an eye on the programming and water softener salt level setting.

Dirty Units

Dirty filtration units may cause high hardness levels and the contaminants to be cleaned resulting in higher consumption. Inspect your water softener chambers and clean them up before they get clogged and dirty. It will keep your filter long-lasting yet economical.

Salt Quality

The amount of salt used also depends upon the quality of the salt. Poor-quality salt wastes hard minerals and does not filter them like high-quality salt. Replacing poor-quality salt with the right quality may reduce salt consumption.

Age of the Water Softener

With proper maintenance, a water softener’s lifespan usually ranges from 15 to 25 years. If your water softener has aged, there are chances of high salt usage. In that case, you need to talk to your technicians or suppliers.

Manufacturer Specific Issues

Sometimes, your water softener system has a built-in issue or manufacturing malfunction that causes higher salt consumption. You can claim your warranty or talk to your suppliers for immediate troubleshooting or unit change.

When You Should Consult a Water Treatment Specialist

You can troubleshoot small problems like plumbing issues, poor-quality salt, clogged valves, overflowing brine solutions, programming, and others. But, if you are having capacity issues, hardness levels have been changed or any other problems that you can’t handle, call your manufacturer or any other technicians to run a thorough check.
We at WaterMart have helped thousands of clients maintain water softeners to avoid excessive salt usage and reduce salt and utility bills. For further details call us now or talk to our live support agent.

Conclusion

In Canada, water softeners are commonly used to tackle hard water for both health and financial reasons. However, if your softener is consuming too much salt, it can lead to unnecessary expenses and environmental impact. Understanding your salt usage can help you manage your softener more effectively, saving you money on salt and utility bills. At Watermart, we ensure your water softener is properly maintained to minimize salt consumption and reduce costs. Contact us today for more information or to schedule a comprehensive evaluation of your water softener system.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How Can I Adjust Salt Dosage At Lower Levels At Home?

It is simple. Use the manufacturer’s manual and set your salt dosage accordingly. Setting it at a lower level increases salt efficiency and water filtration.

How Long Will My Salt Bag Last?

It fairly depends upon the hardness level of water in your area and the amount of gallons you clean through it. Usually, a salt bag should last 30000 gallons of water before it needs a replacement.

How Much Water Does A Regeneration Process Use?

It uses water equivalent to doing laundry on a load.

How Much Salt Does A Water Softener Use Per Month?

A normal range water softener system uses 25 pounds salt per month.

Can You Put Too Much Salt In A Water Softener?

No, putting too much salt raises your salt bill, will clog valves and recrystallize at the bottom of the tank while deteriorating your unit.