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Plumbing Heating Cooling in Albany Area since 1921

Water Softener Systems in Albany, Troy, Schenectady

Water Softener Systems in Albany, Troy, Schenectady

WATER SOFTENER SYSTEMS IN ALBANY, SCHENECTADY, TROY

A number of different types of water softener systems are installed in the Albany, Schenectady, and Troy areas of the Capital Region. 

At E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling, Many want to understand how to purchase a water softener and why they should and what kind.  Efficiency is key.

In the Capital Region of Albany, a lot of water is used and the infrastructure is getting old.  A timer–based water softener may be costing you as much as $400 a year in water and salt to operate. The average demand-initiated softener currently on the market will cost a three-person household about $200 a year to operate. The right water softener will use less salt and less water—that‘s good for the environment, our community, and your wallet.  At E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling, we install a number of brands in the Capital Region of New York.

For the best savings and efficiency:

1  Calculate the right size of water softener for your household’s needs

2  Choose a softener that is certified to the NSF 44 performance standard

3  Set your water softener to its most efficient setting

4  Use the right salt

Did You Know:

A timer–based water softener can cost twice as much to operate as a demand–based model.

Water Softener Size Calculator

The formula to calculate your daily hardness removal requirement is detailed below.

Please select a calculation method:

Calculate Using Average

Calculate Using Water Bill

Calculate Using Average

Number of people in your home:

x

Average daily water consumption per person (gallons):

x

Grains of hardness in your water:

What size of softener do I need?

Household water softeners are rated by the number of grains of hardness they can remove through a specific volume of resin in the tank, and the amount of salt needed to regenerate the resin.

To find the right size of softener for your household you’ll need two things:

Your average daily household water use not including outdoor watering

The average grains per U.S. gallon of hardness in your tap water

Once you have these numbers, you can use our calculator to determine your daily hardness removal requirements and suggested water softener size.

  1. Calculate your average daily household water use

Method 1: To calculate your daily household water use, multiply your community’s average per person water use in gallons by the number of people in your household.

Method 2: A more accurate way to measure your household water consumption is to use fall and winter water bills to calculate your average indoor water usage. Divide your recorded fall or winter bill water consumption (provided in cubic metres/M3) by the number of billing days for that billing period (both of these will be stated on your bill). This will give you your household’s average daily water use.

Next, convert the cubic metres into gallons by multiplying by 264.

Don’t be fooled! You may be told to “add a person” to your calculation for dishwashers.. Households with dishwashers use less water than households washing dishes by hand!

2. Find your water hardness

Water hardness is measures as grains per U.S. gallon (1 grain = 17.1 milligrams per litre).

If you’re on a private well, you’ll need to have your hardness and iron tested separately in order to calculate your hardness rating. You may need to increase your grain hardness rating to compensate for iron in your water. For every one (1) mg/l (milligrams per litre) of iron, three (3) grains per gallon (gpg) of hardness needs to be added to the total hardness value.

Now calculate your daily hardness removal requirements

Multiply your household’s average daily water use as calculated in step one, by the grains of hardness in your water found in step two. The full formula to calculate your daily hardness removal requirement is:

Number of people in your home

Average indoor daily water consumption per person

Grains of hardness in your water

Grains of hardness to be removed daily

Most recommend people buy a water softener that could potentially remove hardness from the water for seven days before needing to regenerate. Simply multiply your daily hardness removal requirement by seven to calculate the suggested water softener size. Although water softener sizes vary, the table below gives some of the more typical sizes of softener available for a range of daily grain requirements.

Daily Grain Removal Requirements

Suggested Softener Size

0 – 3,500 grains per day

24,000-grain capacity

3,501 – 4,500 grains per day

32,000-grain capacity

4,501 – 5,750 grains per day

40,000-grain capacity

5,751 – 6,850 grains per day

48,000-grain capacity

Using the formula above, a family of three using 60 gallons of water per person per day, with a water hardness of 23 grains per gallon, will need a softener that can remove 4,140 grains of hardness per day. Over seven days, the softener would need to remove 28,980 grains of hardness. The suggested softener size for this family would be one with a 32,000 grain capacity.

Knowledgeable installers will set up your water softener to regenerate before your resin tank is fully exhausted in order to maximize salt efficiency and to make sure household water stays soft until the evening regeneration time (units with single resin tanks). For a 32,000-grain capacity water softener with one (1) cubic foot of resin, regeneration is more efficient after just 20,000 grains of hardness have been removed. One supplier stated that it takes five to seven pounds of salt to regenerate at 20,000 grains removed, compared with 36 pounds of salt at 30,000 grains removed!

What Softener Should I Buy?

Research shows that some ion exchange water softeners work more efficiently than others. You can make an informed decision about which water softener to buy by following these steps:

1. Only buy a softener that is certified to the NSF/ANSI 44 Performance Standard

This is a voluntary certification that states when the softener is set to operate efficiently, that it will remove a minimum of 3,350 grains of hardness per pound of salt used. At the same time, it will not use more than 5 U.S. gallons of water per 1,000 grains of hardness removed. This should be considered a minimum standard. Many softeners on the market are even more efficient.

2. Ask the manufacturer for the performance data of softeners and compare them

To meet the NSF/ANSI 44 Performance Standard, suppliers must make salt efficiency information available with the machine. This information can be found in the owner’s manual, on a separate sheet of paper, or on the internet. Below is an example of how the performance information about a softener may be presented:

Model No.: XXXXXXX
A. Capacity – Grains: @15 lbs/cu.ft: 30,000
B. Capacity – Grains: Factory @10 lbs/cu.ft: 27,500
C. Capacity – Grains: @6 lbs/cu.ft: 20,000

The longer a water softener is allowed to run before regeneration, the less efficient it becomes. This happens because it takes proportionally more salt to recondition exhausted resin beads. The above example shows how much salt the softener would use at three different settings. You’ll want to select your water softeners most efficient setting for maximum savings. Here’s what these settings mean

A. Capacity – Grains: @15lbs of salt/cu.ft: 30,000

This means it will take 15 pounds of salt to regenerate a 30,000 grain capacity water softener (containing one cubic foot of resin) if it were to run to complete exhaustion. If you divide 30,000 grains by 15 pounds, you’ll get a removal capacity of 2,000 grains per pound of salt used. At this setting, the softener will not meet the minimum requirement of the NSF/ANSI 44 Performance Standard.

B. Capacity – Grains: Factory @10 lbs/cu.ft: 27,500

The softener (with one cubic foot of resin) comes factory set to regenerate with 10 pounds of salt after it has removed 27,500 grains of hardness. At this setting, the efficiency has improved to 2,750 grains of hardness removed per pound of salt used, but it still does not meet the NSF/ANSI 44 Performance Standard.

C. Capacity – Grains: Factory @6 lbs/cu.ft: 20,000

This setting is the most efficient one for this softener. The softener (with 1 cubic foot of resin) is set to regenerate when 20,000 grains of hardness has been removed, and will require 6 pounds of salt. This equates to a removal of 3,333 grains of hardness per pound of salt used. This setting would pass the NSF/ANSI 44 standard because it is within 10 per cent of the target 3,350 grains removal per pound of salt. Note that at this setting, the softener will regenerate more often and will not run the resin to exhaustion.

Unfortunately, the NSF/ANSI 44 standard does not require manufacturers  to give the regeneration water consumption figures and this data is often missing from published information. In the meantime, you can at least compare the salt efficiencies of water softeners.

Water Filters in Albany, Troy, Schenectady

Water Filters in Albany, Troy, Schenectady

Changing Water Filters in Albany, Troy, and Schenectady Region Regularly

There are so many different brands, shapes, and sizes of filters in the Capital Region of New York.  At E.W. Tompkins Plumbing, we think it is a good idea to change your water filters on a regular basis.  We install whole-house filters and under-the-counter models.  You may have a filter inside your water pitcher or have one in your basement or perhaps you have a model under your kitchen sink.  Even your ice maker refrigerator has a filter in it needing change.

Why do Filters Need to be Changed?

At E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling, we see systems that use carbon, charcoal or a blend of filter media to help reduce impurities. These systems generally reduce contaminants in one of two ways.

First, some contaminants are filtered mechanically, meaning they are large enough to be trapped in the pores of the filter. Other contaminants adhere to the surface of the filter media. Eventually, the surface area of the filter media becomes filled and no more contaminants can be adsorbed. Or, in the case of mechanical filtration, the pores of the filter become so clogged with debris that water is unable to move through the filter effectively.

While the latter is easy to spot, since the flow rate of the water being produced by the system slows dramatically, it’s not as easy to tell when the surface area of the filter media has become full and needs to be changed.

How Often Should Filters be Changed?

The recommended filter change cycle varies from one product to the next. Home filtration systems usually have established “service cycles.”

The service cycle may be for a specific number of gallons or an estimate of the number of months that a cartridge will last in the average home. To ensure the filter continues to reduce contaminants, replace it according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Choose the Right Replacement Cartridge

At E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling, we suggest you mark your filter type on a sticker and apply it to the filter housing.  This will help you remember what to order.  There are many different types of cartridges and one may not fit another.  Filters may look the same but there are differences and if you do not have the correct filter, water can go around the cartridge instead of going through it. If you want water filtered effectively, it is best to research the manufacturer’s filter replacement number.

Contact E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling for whole house filter systems. We also install under-the-counter water filters.  518-462-6577

Water Softener Systems in Albany, Troy, Schenectady

Professional Plumbers Who Care

Professional Plumbers Who Care – E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling

 

Not all plumbers care.  But we do.  Check out our reviews on Google, HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack, Facebook, and Angie’s List.  You will read about how professional E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling is.

Our company mission statement includes the following:   Offer the best quality plumbing service in the Capital Region with outstanding customer service, competitive pricing, on-time arrival and work completed swiftly.

Our seasoned technicians will not talk down to you.  Ladies take notice!   No questions are stupid.  You deserve to have an understanding of what the work will involve before and when we arrive on the scene.   We will make the attempt to keep your property clean and free from dirt with shoe covers and red runner mats.

We take credit cards. We send out text messages with our plumber’s photos on it.  You can book certain plumbing services online at night when you have time from the comfort of your own computer.

We were awarded Best of the Capital Region in 2018 by Times Union Readers because we are friendly on the phone and friendly in the field. Please call E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling.

We want to be your plumber!   518-462-6577

 

Water Softener Systems in Albany, Troy, Schenectady

Best Drain Cleaning Company in Albany NY

Best Drain Cleaning Company in Albany – Troy – Schenectady New York – E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling

Emergencies always happen the moment you have company over or during the holidays or when you are headed out on vacation.  If you have a serious drain clog please give E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling a call.  We cover the Capital Region of upstate New York and our trucks are packed with drain-cleaning tools to bust large and small clogs!

Are you purchasing real estate?  You may want to do a sewer camera inspection to be sure that you are not going to have to deal with slow drains full or tree roots or that has a broken old pipe.  Check and run all the drains.

Drain health is important.  Do not pour grease down your pipes.  Disposable baby wipes, paper towels, and food scraps can compromise the pipes.  Tampons are another culprit.

If you have an issue and your feel that some or all of your pipes are not draining correctly, call E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling at 518-462-6577 to schedule a “drain wellness” appointment!   We want to be your plumber.

Water Softener Systems in Albany, Troy, Schenectady

Gas Leaks

Gas Leaks are serious business.  Gas suppliers add a strong odor enhancer to gas and propane that you can usually smell so you can detect a leak before something serious happens.

If you detect gas you need to slowly get out of the house.  This means grab your phone — landline or cell – and walk outside.  Do NOT use the phone or any electronics near gas fumes.  Electronics and gas are not a safe combination –!

There could be abnormally high pressure in a gas appliance.  A unit might stay on and cannot be shut off or maybe you have a lot of water leaking from your heat unit or water heater.

Are your gas pipes making a hissing, whistling or roaring loud noise?  Do you see mist or fog or color or bubbles in standing water or do you smell an unusual odor that was not there before.  Do you feel different?  Tired, headache, nausea?  Is your throat feeling funny?  It could be exposure to carbon monoxide!

Call the emergency number for the gas company and or contact 911 and give your street address.  Stay outside the house.  Do NOT open windows or anything else.  Leave everything alone.  Just get out and sit until help arrives.  Do not pull plugs or smoke.  If you have an oven or gas range, turn the controls to the off position.  Do not touch electrical equipment appliances, doorbells, light switches, garage doors or thermostats.   You do not want to create a spark.

 

  • Report a Gas Emergency in the Capital Region 

    1-800-892-2345 or 911

    Assistance is available 24 hours a day, every day.

  • Plumbing Albany NY - E.W. Tompkins Plumbing
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