We're debating this right now. We always had one in Indiana due to lots of lime in the water, which really isn't an issue here. Water in Indiana was very hard, over 30 grains, so a softener makes a big difference.
I just tested our water here in Amelia and it's about 8 grains. Anything over 4 is considered hard, so 8 is not extremely hard. Although still considered hard.
When we moved here a couple years ago we thought the water tasted terrible, so we put in a NOVA filter sytem. It made a big difference in taste.
With soft water soap is much more active since the solids in the water have been removed. White clothes will be whiter, you use less soap and detergent , and to us it tastes better and feels better on our skin and hair.
All that said, it's really personal preference. Llke I said, the water here isn't near as hard as what we had in Indiana so the difference a softener makes is not going to be as drastic.
We're leaning towards buying one from NOVA ($1200), but we're not 100% sure at this point.
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