Financial reasons a softener is worth the cost
While water softeners offer many benefits that don’t have a monetary value, there are a few that you can tie to a dollar value. Here are some ways to look at water softeners from a cost and return perspective:
1. Appliances that work better and last longer
According to the Water Quality Association (WQA), hard water can reduce the efficiency of your appliances by up to 48% and their lifespan by 30-50%. Hard water damages your appliances by leaving behind a buildup called limescale. Limescale is a hard, chalky deposit created by the minerals in hard water once the water has evaporated.
Limescale buildup creates clogs that decrease water pressure, and buildup within components can also cause issues within appliances. This puts additional strain on appliances causing them to work harder and shortening their lifespan. Appliances that have to work harder also require more energy and water, which can make your utility bills more expensive. In fact, research has found that using a water softener can improve the efficiency of your water heater by up to 29%, potentially saving you money on energy bills and appliance repairs or replacements.
Using a water softener can help your appliances run efficiently and extend their lifespan, saving you money on energy bills and appliance repairs or replacements.
2. Protection against pipe bursts and flooding
As hard water passes through your pipes, it creates limescale buildup in the same way that happens to appliances. Clogs resulting from buildup do more than lower your water pressure, they can also lead to expensive pipe bursts. The average pipe burst can run you between $200 and $1,000 to repair, but costs can be even greater if there’s water damage in your home caused by the burst such as floor and drywall repair, mold removal, or fixture damage. According to Angi, water damage restoration costs an average of $3,812 which easily exceeds the cost of the pipe repair and a water softener.
Utilizing a water softener helps protect your home against pipe bursts and flooding, which can offer financial benefits and peace of mind.
3. Savings on cleaning and hygiene products
According to Statista, the average U.S. consumer spends nearly $170 per year on laundry and cleaning supplies. If you add up the additional cost of hygiene supplies, you’ll likely realize that you’re spending hundreds of dollars on soap. When you’re spending that much, you want to make sure all of it is being used and not wasted. Unfortunately, hard water minerals react with soap and reduce its effectiveness, requiring you to use more products for them to work.
Soft water doesn’t have this issue, so a water softener can help you save money by enabling you to get more from your cleaning and hygiene products. For example, the WQA found that softened water can reduce detergent use by 50% while still achieving the same or better results.
This can help your cleaning products last longer so you don’t have to stock up each time you go to the store.
4. Longer-lasting clothes
Thanks to high levels of harsh minerals, clothes washed in hard water are more likely to wear out quickly. Hard water sucks the life out of your favorite jeans and other fabrics by causing colors to fade faster, making fabric feel stiff and scratchy, or even creating holes and tears.
In the United States, households spend an average of about $120 per month on clothing, or $1,434 per year. A water softener helps preserve your clothes for longer so you can save money on replacing clothes, or spend it on getting something new to upgrade your wardrobe.
5. Higher home value
While you may not be thinking about selling your home anytime soon, you should know that installing a water softener can add between $5,000-$10,000 to the value of your home. The reasons why a water softener can increase the monetary value of your home include:
- It keeps your appliances in good shape so when buyers come to your home they won’t need to replace the dishwasher or water heater right away
- It keeps your plumbing system well-maintained
- It enhances the energy efficiency of your home’s appliances
- It provides better quality water for drinking, cooking, and washing
By highlighting these benefits in your listing, you may be able to get a higher resale value on your home. Not to mention, having the system pre-installed can show that you take good care of your home — helping buyers feel confident that you’ve also stayed on top of other maintenance tasks and that the home is in good condition. Furthermore, it eliminates the need to spend hours researching and investing in one for themselves after purchasing the property.
Shop Aquasana’s water softeners
Now that you have a good understanding of the financial impact hard water can have on your household budget, we believe a water softener is absolutely worth the investment. While the initial cost of a water softener can feel daunting, installing one can add up to savings short and long-term. From reducing your energy bills to saving you from expensive repairs — the value of a water softener extends far beyond its price tag.
But where do you begin? Look no further, because we offer two exceptional water softeners that are IAPMO certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 44 for the reduction of water hardness and to CSA B483.1. Our softeners are available in 40k and 60k capacities to suit homes of all sizes, and our softeners also use 50% less salt and produce 28% less waste than traditional softeners, which means our systems can save you even more money compared to others on the market*.
Investing in a water softener is a choice you’ll be glad you made, shop our systems or contact our water experts to learn more.
WHOLE HOUSE WATER SOFTENER
SimplySoft® 40,000 Grain Softener
Reduces minerals that cause hard water, providing softer, scale-free water from every tap in your home.
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* Based on metered operation mode compared to standard time-based regenerated softeners.
