For a family of six using an estimated 50 gallons of water per day and softening 30 grain water, what is the minimum capacity required for the softener?

To determine the minimum capacity required for the water softener, it's essential to understand how water hardness and daily water usage impact the softening process. In this case, the estimation is based on a family of six using 50 gallons of water per day and dealing with water that has a hardness level of 30 grains per gallon.

First, calculate the total daily grains of hardness that need to be removed. By multiplying the daily water usage by the hardness level:

50 gallons/day × 30 grains/gallon = 1,500 grains of hardness removed per day.

Next, consider how often the water softener will regenerate. It is typical for softeners to regenerate approximately every few days, and to determine the capacity needed, we can consider a regeneration cycle of about 3 days for this scenario.

Then, the total hardness grains to be softened over three days would be:

1,500 grains/day × 3 days = 4,500 grains.

However, this is only the amount needed for three days, meaning the softener needs to have enough capacity not just for the immediate daily use, but also for a buffer to accommodate additional usage or variations in water hardness levels. A softening unit typically requires a 50% increase in capacity