32,000 grain water softener: soft water for small families
The sweet spot for 2 to 4 people.
A good fit for 2 to 4 person homes with moderate to hard water. Softer showers, spot-free dishes and less scale in your water heater.
- Licensed install
- Before-and-after test
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Want the answer for your home?
Tell us your ZIP code and a rep calls you within 5 minutes to answer every question. No pressure, no sales visit.
You're probably on this page because:
- You're a family of 3 or 4 with spots everywhere
- You're not sure 32,000 grain is enough
Here's how to know it's the right size.
Hard water, by the numbers
- About 156 pounds of rock a year: what a family of 4 runs through its pipes at 10 grains of hardness. About 250 pounds in very hard water.
- Up to 48% less efficient: gas water heaters on hard water in testing.
- 1 in 3 homeowners replaced appliances or fixtures because of buildup.
Sources: 300 gal/day × grains × 64.8 mg × 365; WQRF and Battelle; Morton Salt survey via the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Is this your size?
- 2 to 4 people
- 2 to 3 bathrooms
- Moderate to hard water
Why this size works
Spot-free dishes and softer showers, without paying for size you won't use.
Get it as part of a complete system
This is the size class in our City Water System: $2,950 installed with filtration and RO. [Confirm: the City system uses a 32,000 or 48,000 grain softener.]
Don't ask if it pays for itself. Ask how many times.
Soft water protects your water heater, cuts soap costs and saves your appliances. Every year.
Savings in year one, and every year after
$414
- 10-year total
- $4,136
- Pays for the City Water System
- 1.4 times over 10 years
- Water heater energy
- $130
- Detergent and cleaning
- $144
- Appliances and fixtures
- $140
- Bottled water (with RO)
- $0
An estimate, not a guarantee. Your numbers depend on your water, your home and your habits. Enter your ZIP code to use your local hardness; until then it assumes 10 grains.
Sources: Water heater efficiency: WQRF and Battelle (gas tank heaters lost up to 48% efficiency on hard water; the calculator uses a conservative middle value). Detergent: WQRF laundry and dishwasher studies (about 30% less at 10 gpg, nearly 70% less at 25 gpg). Fixtures: Battelle (low-flow shower heads clogged in about 18 months on hard water). Appliance figures are our own conservative estimate until customer data replaces them.
Every install comes with
- Licensed local plumber install
- Before-and-after water test
- 30-day money-back guarantee on the system
- Warranty: [product terms] + 1 year on labor
- Filter subscription option: new filters every 6 months
Part of the City Water System
$2,950 installed, with everything it takes to put it in.
Schedule a Call
Life with it vs. without
| Without it | With it |
|---|---|
| Recharging every few days | About once a week |
How we work, start to finish
- 1
You reach out or book online
- 2
A rep calls you, usually within 5 minutes, to confirm your system and answer questions
- 3
We schedule a licensed local plumber, usually within a week
- 4
Install day: a few hours, plus a before-and-after water test
- 5
After that: new filters every 6 months if you subscribe
Our take
The math that decides 32,000 or 48,000
We build our systems with our own manufacturers, some with our own patents, and we've supplied softeners to other water companies for years. Here's what that's taught us.
Here's a real example. A family of 4 uses about 300 gallons a day. At 10 grains of hardness, that's 3,000 grains a day. A 32,000 grain softener on an efficient salt setting gives you roughly 20,000 to 24,000 grains, so it recharges about every 7 to 8 days. That's a good fit.
Now make the water 15 grains. Same family, 4,500 grains a day. The same softener now recharges about every 5 days, uses more salt and works harder. That family should go 48,000.
Our target is a softener that recharges about once a week. That keeps salt and water use low and the resin healthy. Your free water report gives us your hardness, and we do this math for you, so you don't pay for a size you don't need or end up with one that's too small.
Built with our own manufacturers
Not pulled off a shelf. 20+ years and [thousands] of installs taught us which parts last.
- 20+ years in water
- Our own patents
- We supply other water companies
- [Thousands] of systems sold
- Licensed installers
Related Pages
Questions people ask
32,000 or 48,000 grain, which do I need?
Four people on very hard water should usually go 48,000. Two to three people, or four on moderate hardness, are fine with 32,000. Your water report settles it.
Is 32,000 grain enough for a home with 3 bathrooms?
Capacity is about how much water you use, not how many bathrooms. What matters for bathrooms is flow rate, and this unit handles [X] gallons per minute [confirm].
How often will it regenerate?
Usually every [5 to 8] days for a family of 3 to 4.
How much salt will I go through?
About [one 40-pound bag a month] for a typical family.
Is it good for city water with chlorine?
Chlorine wears out softener resin over time. That's why the City Water System puts carbon filtration in front of the softener to protect it.
Does it work with a tankless water heater?
Yes, and it helps. Scale is one of the main things that wears out tankless heaters, and soft water keeps it out.