Table of Contents
What level of water hardness is acceptable?
The membrane manufacturers will often specify what the maximum hardness concentration can be, but industry rule of thumb is that hardness should not exceed 120 to 170 mg/L (7 to 10 grains per gallon).
What does a water hardness of 7 mean?
3–7: Water between 3–7 gpg is moderately hard, causing spotty dishes and dry skin. 7–11: Hard water is packed with minerals at 7–11 gpg, and you likely deal with crusty faucets and pipes and possibly reddish rings on your porcelain from excess iron. 15+: Extremely hard water is anything over 15 gpg.
How do I know my water hardness level?
Fill the bottle one-third full, add a few drops of pure liquid soap and shake vigorously for a few seconds. If there is a distinct lack of fluffy bubbles and the water appears cloudy and/or milky, your water is hard.
What hardness level should I set my water softener?
If your water’s hardness is greater than 7 grains per gallon or 120 mg/L, then you might need a water softener to ensure your appliances run well and to improve the taste, smell, or look of your water.
How do I know what hardness to set my water softener?
The first is to purchase test strips. These can be found at any hardware store or water filtration specialty shop. It is a simple test where you take and dip the strip into the water and then match the colors up to the proper guide. It will tell you the hardness level of your water.
Is 21 ppm hard water?
Grains per gallon is a measure of water hardness. One grain per gallon (gpg) is equivalent to 17.14 parts per million (ppm). A water hardness of 0 to 3 gpg is soft water, 3 to 7 gpg is moderately hard and 7 to 11 gpg is considered hard. Anything more than 11 is considered very hard.
What hardness do I set my water softener at?
Once you understand exactly what the hardness level is, you will want to set the softener in accordance with the level. For instance, if your hardness is running at a 25, you would set it to 25 on the unit. Most of the time this is done by turning a dial or programming an electric head unit.
What is a good hardness level for water softener?
Water Softener Hardness Chart
| GRAINS/GAL | MG/L & PPM | CLASSIFICATION |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 | Less than 17.1 | SOFT |
| 1-3 | 17.1 – 51.3 | SLIGHTLY HARD |
| 3-7 | 51.3 – 119.7 | MEDIUM HARD |
| 7-10.5 | 119.7 – 179.55 | HARD |
What number should my water softener be set at?
Acceptable Results: Total hardness is a test for overall water quality; there are no health concerns related to total hardness. Values near 150 mg/L are generally ideal from an aesthetic viewpoint. Water less than 150 mg/L are considered soft water while values greater than 200 mg/L are considered hard water.
What is hardness limit of water?
Hardness is caused by compounds of calcium and magnesium, and by a variety of other metals. General guidelines for classification of waters are: 0 to 60 mg/L (milligrams per liter) as calcium carbonate is classified as soft; 61 to 120 mg/L as moderately hard; 121 to 180 mg/L as hard; and more than 180 mg/L as very hard.
When is water considered hard?
Water is considered hard when it exceeds 3 grains per gallon ( GPG ). A GPG is equvalent to 17.1 PPM, so if your water is 171 PPM, then your hardness is 10 GPG (2).
What is the hardness of well water?
Average water hardness in the United States is 5gpg, or “grains per gallon”. In the Twin Cities, most city water and private well water is 4-5x harder with some levels reaching up to 35gpg!