How much salt will my softener use?

Before reading this article, you may first want to read our introduction to the types and grades of salt available.

There is an increasing availability of Turkish and Egyptian sea salt in the UK market, and this can be damaging to water softeners, particularly when sand and grit gets sucked into the valve or sea foam formation occurs - Our recommendation and the below pricing is based on 100% PURE PDV salt: Which salt is best for my water softener?

How much salt your softener will use will typically depend on the following four factors:

Factor 1: The type of softener you have

SINGLE-CYLINDER WATER SOFTENERS

There are two types of single-cylinder softeners in the marketplace:

TRADITIONAL SOFTENERS are the older technology machines and are typically at the lower end of the quality spectrum. Traditional softeners use much more salt and water per regeneration, so they are not particularly efficient.

HIGH-EFFICIENCY SOFTENERS – Two manufacturers produce single-cylinder softeners that are so cleverly designed that they are efficient and well-made.

They are the EcoWater softener and the Hague softener.

The Hague does, however, in our view, win the Gold Award for efficiency as it uses even less salt and less water, regenerates in a fraction of the time of the EcoWater, and because of its patented design shared only with Harvey Softeners, even delivers a superior quality of softened water compared to the EcoWater. That’s a win for the customer!

The Hague (like the Harvey softeners) also doesn’t need annual servicing, while the EcoWater states every 5-years and other traditional softeners state annual servicing is required – The more you service, the more the running costs go up!

Let’s look at what you might expect your typical usage to be, depending on the softener you have or choose to have:

TRADITIONAL SOFTENERS

A traditional single-cylinder water softener will usually use the most salt, but this can depend on your make and model.

This guide shows how much a traditional single-cylinder softener may use over a year based on average water usage:

With 2 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 6–8 x 25kg bags of tablet salt* a year. This might be a running cost between £91- £122 a year.
With 4 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 10–12 x 25kg bags* of salt a year. This might be a running cost between £149 - £178 a year.
With 6 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 16–18 x 25kg bags* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of between £238 - £267 a year.

ECOWATER SOFTENERS

Using advanced algorithms, the EcoWater softener proportionally brines in a way that only one other manufacturer does, down to very small segments of the resin capacity, which means it only cleans the resin it needs to clean, using incredibly low volumes of salt and water.

This guide shows how much an EcoWater single-cylinder softener may use over a year based on average water usage:

With 2 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 4 x 25kg bags* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £61 a year.
With 4 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 6 x 25kg bags* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £89 a year.
With 6 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 8 x 25kg bags* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £119 a year.

HAGUE SOFTENERS

The Hague water softeners are proportionally brined in the most advanced way and use the lowest amount of salt and water of all single-cylinder softeners. Their softeners also regenerate extremely quickly and produce a very high quality of softened water.

This guide shows how much a Hague single-cylinder softener may use over a year based on average water usage:

With two people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 2 x 25kg bags* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £31 a year.
With four people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 4 x 25kg bags* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £61 a year.
With six people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 6 x 25kg bags* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £91 a year.

TWIN-CYLINDER WATER SOFTENERS

Twin-cylinder non-electric softeners work on water pressure rather than motors and time clocks, and because their cylinders are smaller, they regenerate more frequently than single-cylinder softeners.

However, the frequency they regenerate is based directly on the amount of water you use rather than time clock overrides, so they tend to be more efficient compared to traditional softeners.

The amount of salt they use depends on your local water hardness and the machine's settings.

Kinetico (American) and Harvey (British) are the main non-electric block salt softener manufacturers. The Kinetico softener is manufactured for the American market, so it has an extra backwash to help cope with dirtier water found in the USA. This will use slightly more salt and water.

Both Kinetico and Harveys also manufacture a budget model, which is also listed below:

KINETICO AQUA-BLUE SOFTENERS

The AquaBlu twin-cylinder softener by Kinetico is a budget model softener and is pretty hefty on salt usage.

This guide shows how much an AquaBlu softener may use over a year based on average water usage:

With 2 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 19 x 8kg packs* of block salt a year. This might be a running cost of £122 a year.
With 4 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 38 x 8kg packs* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £233 a year.
With 6 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 57 x 8kg packs* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £348 a year.

HARVEY DUALFLO AND CROWN SOFTENERS

Harvey’s Crown twin-cylinder softener is the original block salt softener. The next model up is the Dualflo.

These Harvey entry-level softeners have a lower flow rate (40lpm) and higher salt usage compared to their premium brand models.

This guide shows how much one of these softeners may use over a year based on average water usage:

With two people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 15 x 8kg packs* of block salt a year. This might be a running cost of £97 a year.
With four people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 30 x 8kg packs* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £184 a year.
With six people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 43 x 8kg packs* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £263 a year.

KINETICO PREMIER SOFTENERS

The Premier Compact twin-cylinder softener by Kinetico is a premium model softener with its best salt usage.

This guide shows how much a Premier Compact softener may use over a year based on average water usage:

With 2 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 15 x 8kg packs* of block salt a year. This might be a running cost of £97 a year.
With 4 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 30 x 8kg packs* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £184 a year.
With 6 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 43 x 8kg packs* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £263 a year.

HARVEY'S MINIMAX M3, TWINTEC S4 AND HARVEYS HV3 SOFTENERS

This guide shows how much a fourth-generation Harvey softener may use over a year, based on average water usage:

With two people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 12 x 8kg blocks of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £77 a year, or just £6.42 a month.
With three people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 18 x 8kg packs* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £111 a year, or just £9.30 a month.
With four people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 24 x 8kg packs* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £147 a year, or just £12.25 a month.
With six people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 36 x 8kg packs* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £220 a year, or just £18.33 a month.

HARVEYS MINIMAX INNOVA, TWINTEC COBALT & S5 AND HARVEYS ARC SOFTENERS

Harvey’s 5th generation range of softeners operate on smaller lighter weight mini curve block salt, which is packed as 2 x 2.15kg salt blocks = 4.3kg per pack:

With 2 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 22 x 4.3kg packs* of curve salt a year. This might be a running cost of £72 a year, or just £6.00 a month.
With 3 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 33 x 4.3kg packs* of curve block salt a year. This might be a running cost of £103 a year, or just £8.58 a month.
With 4 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 44 x 4.3kg packs* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £136 a year, or just £11.35 a month.
With 6 people in the home, typically, you could expect to use 66 x 4.3kg packs* of salt a year. This might be a running cost of £204 a year, or just £17.00 a month.

* All salt usage has been rounded up to the next full bag.

Factor 2. The make and model of your softener

The reality is that your salt and water efficiency will depend very much on the manufacturer and model of the softener you purchase.

Some block salt softener models will use more than others, even if the same company made them.

The same applies to single-cylinder machines, which frequently use more salt and water in regeneration and have overrides built into their programming.

This override feature helps the softeners give a better quality of softened water by regenerating a water softener more frequently than needed.

Factor 3. The amount of water you use

The water you use will depend on several factors, including how many people are in your home, the type of showers you have, and the length of time you may enjoy the shower.

In addition to this, older appliances tend to use more water.

Factor 4. The make and model of your softener

The harder your water area, the more frequently your softener regenerates; thus, the more salt and water you will use.

It is important when having a water softener fitted that the right model is selected, or you may find that not only are your running costs higher than is necessary, but you may also find that you end up with hard water staining being left behind on taps, shower screens and sinks.

But it goes further than this, and some softeners use more water and salt on regeneration than stipulated as a maximum by building regulations.