48,000 grain water softener: soft water for busy families
Built for 3 to 6 people or very hard water.
Built for 3 to 6 person homes, or smaller homes with very hard water. It handles more water between regenerations, so it uses less salt.
- 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:
- Your family goes through soap like crazy
- Your kids say the shower makes their skin itch
- Your laundry comes out stiff and dull
It's not you. It's your water. And it's an easy fix.
Hard water, by the numbers
- About 156 pounds of rock a year. That's how much calcium and magnesium a family of 4 runs through its pipes every year at 10 grains of hardness. In very hard water, it's about 250 pounds.
- Up to 48% less efficient. Gas water heaters on hard water lost up to 48% of their efficiency.
- Clogged in 18 months. Hard water clogged low-flow shower heads in as little as a year and a half.
- 1 in 3 homeowners replaced appliances or fixtures because of buildup, and 66% were embarrassed when guests noticed.
- About 85% of US homes have hard water.
Sources: pounds per year = 300 gallons a day (75 per person, family of 4) × grains of hardness × 64.8 mg per grain × 365 days; water heater and shower head figures: WQRF and Battelle studies; appliance and embarrassment figures: Morton Salt survey via the Philadelphia Inquirer; 85% figure: Market Growth Reports.
Is this your size?
- 3 to 6 people
- Very hard water
- 2 to 4 bathrooms
Why this size works
Handles more water between recharges, so it uses less salt.
What changes when your water is soft
- No more spots on dishes
- No more crust on faucets
- Softer skin and hair
- Longer-lasting appliances
Installed in 4 easy steps
- Quick call: exact price
- Your plumber brings it: straight from their local stock
- Install day: a few hours
- Before-and-after test
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 Dual Tank Water Softener System
$3,500 installed, with everything it takes to put it in.
Specs
- Grain capacity
- 48,000
- Resin
- [type, cu ft]
- Tank size
- [dimensions]
- Valve
- [brand, model]
- Flow rate
- [gpm]
- Regeneration
- [metered]
- Certification
- [NSF or WQA]
Schedule a Call
Life with soft water vs. without
| Without it | With it |
|---|---|
| Scrubbing crust every weekend | Wipe it and you're done |
| Dry, itchy skin and dull hair | Softer-feeling skin and hair |
| Gas water heaters losing up to 48% efficiency | Factory efficiency for its whole life |
| Buying more soap and detergent | Up to 70% less detergent on very hard water |
| Hauling bottled water home | Pure water from your own tap (with RO) |
Water heater and detergent figures: WQRF and Battelle studies (see savings calculator sources).
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
How we size a softener, step by step
The question we get asked most about this, after [thousands] of installs:
No guessing. Here's exactly how we pick your size:
1. Daily water use: about 75 gallons per person. 5 people = 375 gallons a day. 2. Your hardness: from your ZIP code report or test. Say 12 grains. 3. Daily grains: 375 × 12 = 4,500 grains a day. 4. A week's worth: about 31,500 grains. 5. Real capacity, not box capacity: a 48,000 grain softener on an efficient salt setting gives roughly 30,000 to 36,000. That covers a week. A 32,000 wouldn't.
If you have iron in your water, we add to the hardness number, because iron uses up softening capacity too. And if your city's water shifts with the seasons, like Tampa's, we size for the hardest months.
The result: a softener that recharges about once a week, uses less salt, and doesn't wear out early.
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
Is a 48,000 grain water softener the right size for me?
For most homes with 3 to 6 people, yes. Example: 4 people × 75 gallons × 15 grains of hardness is about 4,500 grains a day, or 31,500 a week. A 48,000 grain unit handles that with room to spare. Smaller homes with very hard water often need it too.
How often will it regenerate?
Only when it needs to. It measures how much water you use and recharges when the resin is running low, usually every [5 to 10] days for an average family.
How long does regeneration take?
About [1.5 to 2] hours. It's set to run overnight, around 2 a.m., when nobody's using water.
How much salt will I use?
A typical family on moderately hard water goes through about [one 40-pound bag a month]. Very hard water or bigger households use more. Add salt delivery and you never have to think about it.
Should I use salt pellets or crystals?
Either works. Pellets dissolve cleanly and are less likely to clump into a salt bridge. Skip rock salt; it carries dirt that gums up the tank.
How do I know my water softener is working?
Soap lathers easily, new spots stop showing up, and the salt level drops over time. A hardness test strip at the kitchen tap should read close to zero. Our before-and-after test shows it in numbers.
Should there be water in my salt tank?
Yes. A few inches of water at the bottom is normal; that's how the brine gets made. If the tank is more than half full of water, call us. It's usually a stuck float or a clogged line.
Does a water softener remove iron?
Small amounts of dissolved iron, yes. Orange stains or high iron need a dedicated iron filter in front of the softener, which is what our Well Water System has.
Can I add drinking water filtration later?
Yes, reverse osmosis can be added under your sink any time. Or start with the City Water System, which already includes it.
What if I don't notice a difference?
You're covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee on the system.