Joel
Thank you for your very opinionated response. Good to know you are such an expert.
Leah:
What I said wasn't opinion it was entirely based on fact. The softening capacity of a device is based on a chemical exchange process in which sodium ions from salt are substituted for calcium and iron ions in the water. The "stuff" in the device is what's known as an "ion exchange resin" which facilitates this substitution of ions. When you put salt into a softener it is like fueling it up; this gives it new sodium ions to use to replace calcium ions.
Softeners are rated in terms of the number of "grains" of softener ions (sodium) they can hold because this number determines how many gallons of water with a particular "hardness" can be softened before more sodium ions have to be added. It's a pretty simple calculation and, if you are staying in one location, it's likely that you'll find that your own need to refill the salt (the proper term is regeneration) will occur on a regular basis of every couple of weeks depending on how hard the incoming water is and how much water your family uses on a daily basis. All the device is doing is "plucking" ions out of the incoming water and replacing them with sodium ions from the salt you have added. When the sodium runs out, it's time to add more. When you use a softener it's essential that you test your water on a regular basis; that's the only way you'll know when more salt has to be added; there's very little taste or "feeling" difference of the water itself.
When I examined the website of the company whose softener you recommended I could find no mention of the grain capacity of any of its products. They were adjectively described (large, extra large, etc) and a claim was made about the number of gallons of water each would treat, but, as you might understand by now, the number of gallons is not a constant and depends
entirely on the hardness of the incoming water. Therefore, without a statement of the grain capacity of a device, it is impossible to know if the gallons of water treatment capacity that is claimed pertains to very soft incoming water or very hard.
What truly knocked my socks off about that website were the prices of the softeners, the largest of which was priced at ~$700. The 10,000 grain Watts softener I purchased is made by one of the country's leading "water companies" and is about as large a device as most RVers can easily carry. I paid ~$200 for it last year and someone in this thread posted an even cheaper price. I can't even imagine why any softener for RV use would be priced in the $500-700 range. Even the filters and other "accessories" thrown in with the softener amount to less than another ~$50.
I'm sorry if my being critical of your choice of softener offended you. I am not in any way trying to change your mind. I am only pointing this information out for others who have yet to purchase a softener so they understand the issues involved in choosing one that will meet their needs.
Joel
