SaltMateHow much salt does a water softener use?
A typical household uses about one 18 kg (40 lb) bag a month. A small household with moderately hard water might use a bag every two months. A large one with very hard water can use two bags a month.
What changes the number
- How hard your water is. Harder water uses up the resin faster, so the softener regenerates more often.
- How much water you use. More people, more laundry and longer showers all mean more regenerations.
- How the softener decides when to regenerate. A metered softener regenerates when it has treated a set amount of water. A timer softener regenerates on a schedule whether it needs to or not, and usually uses more salt.
- The salt setting. Each regeneration uses a set dose of salt. A higher setting uses more.
- Iron in the water. Iron adds to the load on the resin.
Work out your own number
- When you refill, write down the date and how many bags you added.
- Do the same at the next two refills.
- Divide the bags by the weeks between refills. After two or three refills you will know your rate, and roughly when the next bag is due.
If it is using far more than you expect
Check the hardness and salt settings against your softener’s manual first. A softener that regenerates every night, or one stuck in a regeneration cycle, goes through salt quickly. So does a softener with a leak that keeps it treating water.
If it is using none
A level that doesn’t move for weeks usually means a salt bridge, or a softener left in bypass.
Common questions
How long does a 40 lb bag of water softener salt last?
About a month in a typical household. A small household with moderately hard water may get two months from a bag, and a large household with very hard water may use two bags a month.
Why is my water softener using so much salt?
Common reasons are a hardness or salt setting that is too high, a timer softener regenerating more often than it needs to, a softener stuck in a regeneration cycle, or a leak that keeps water running through it.
Why is my water softener not using any salt?
The usual cause is a salt bridge: a hard crust that keeps the salt from reaching the water. The softener may also be in bypass.