Broadly Speaking, There Are Two Types Of Water Softener . . .
Single-cylinder, electric water softeners
Twin-cylinder, non-electric water softeners
Single-cylinder, electric water softeners
Electric water softeners tend to have one cylinder. This means that during regeneration, the machine cannot also produce soft water. Therefore, regeneration tends to be set at 02:00 AM, when water is not being used.
The cheapest water softeners available will regenerate daily, regardless of how much water has been used. In order to ensure the machine does not run out of capacity, these are often oversized for a property (so that it doesn't provide hard water towards the end of the day). Therefore the most basic machines will be very inefficient in terms of water and salt usage, and typically do not offer substantial warranties.
There are much more efficient electric, single cylinder machines available. These will still need to regenerate at 02:00, but using a flow meter and a programmable printed circuit board, the machine can be controlled to be more efficient. In our experience, the more sophisticated (and expensive) the programming, unfortunately there is more to go wrong.
Twin-cylinder, non-electric water softeners
Non-electric water softeners have two cylinders (at least, the good ones do). This means that when one cylinder needs to regenerate, the other cylinder can still soften water. Therefore, regeneration can happen at any time of the day and therefore only occurs when you have used exactly the right amount of water. They are completely efficient to water usage.
Without the need for any programming, they are very easy to use. Typically, a machine is loaded with two, easy-to-handle salt blocks and for a two person household, this should last around one month. That is the only operating instruction. These machines are typically backed up by a 10-year parts warranty, with no need for annual servicing.
Beyond the 10-year warranty, the machines are usually still serviceable for many years, making them a great long term investment for your home.
The two leading manufacturers of this type of water softener are Kinetico and Harvey. We work with both manufacturers to offer you the best option for your home.
