What the work is
The city's stated maximum is 22 grains per gallon. A unit sized for a national average will regenerate too often on that water: more salt, more water down the drain, and a shorter resin life.
A properly specified high-capacity unit costs more up front and less to run. The comparison that matters is not the sticker price but the salt and water it uses over a year, and we will do that arithmetic with you rather than around you.
What is included
- Testing your water at your tap
- A unit with capacity matched to the tested hardness and your household
- Bypass, drain with an air gap, and programming to the measured numbers
- The projected regeneration frequency and salt use, in writing
What is not
- Drinking water treatment
- Any claim of a specific dollar saving on your bills
- Electrical beyond a nearby existing receptacle
Where the high end comes from
The City of St. George's Water Distribution Division tells residents to set a softener to 18 grains per gallon, with a maximum of 22. That is the number to work from because it comes from the utility rather than from someone selling a softener.
No water quality report in the county publishes hardness; it is not a federally required parameter. St. George blends spring, well and Virgin River sources, and its 2024 report shows total dissolved solids from 118 to 936 ppm and sulfate from 1.38 to 451 ppm depending on which blend feeds your street. A city-wide number is not your number. A recommendation should come from a test at your tap.
Some streets sit on blends that are considerably harder than others. That is the argument for testing rather than buying a unit off a chart.
What to ask anyone quoting this, us included
- What is the unit's grain capacity, and at what salt dose?
- How often will it regenerate on my tested hardness?
- What does that cost a year in salt and water?
