Morton 30,000-Grain Water Softener Review
Don’t let hard water get you down. Get the crisp laundry you want, improve the performance of soap and detergents, and finally clean stubborn dishes with the help of a water softener.
Water softeners are essential for filtering hard water — water full of minerals and other contaminants. That being said, there are so many water softener products on the market that it can be challenging to find the best water softener to help you keep your home water clean.
If you want to fight back against hard water without spending a fortune, we here at iWaterPurification suggest Morton’s 30000-grain water softener.
Every home is different and has varying needs, which is why you’ll want to read our guide of reviews of the best water softeners to help you make an educated decision on which one is best suited to your home.
Small but perfectly formed and still capable of serving a mid-sized household, the System Saver M30 comes with a range of benefits that we’ll outline by category.
A Comprehensive Package with the Essentials
If you’re not sure how to deal with hard water, opt for the Morton 30,000 grain water softener! You’ll get everything you need to get started straight out of the box with the Morton in a convenient, lightweight and slimline combined unit.
Compact Design: The all-in-one unit occupies a tiny footprint while still softening enough water for four to six people. You’ll only need 1/3 square foot of floor space to accommodate the Morton. So, despite the scaled-down dimensions, you’ll get performance robust enough for a medium-sized family.
What’s included in the box? The tank holds both resin and brine. You’ll also get a bypass valve and drain hose along with all installation adaptors. Clips and hose clamps are included as well as grommets, an adaptor elbow, copper connectors, washers, and step-down conversion nuts.
Look-Ahead Technology for Regeneration
One of the inbuilt problems with water softeners and the way some of them regenerate is a disruption to your water service for a couple of hours, but you may not even notice. How does the Morton overcome this?
Optimized Regeneration to Minimize Disturbances: With Morton’s innovative look-ahead technology, the system will neither cut off your water supply nor deliver unsoftened water while waiting to regenerate. Instead, this tech takes advantage of any gaps in your routine then regenerates pre-emptively before filtering capacity is breached.
Added Flexibility: You will be able to override this function and manually trigger regeneration if you intend to use lots of water, which is a nice touch.
Regeneration Cycles: There are five periods of regeneration, including brine fill, brining and brine rinse, followed by backwash and a quick rinse.
How the Morton System Saver Works
Despite being such a compact system, the capacity of the salt tank is a stellar 200 pounds. Accommodated in a single space-saving unit, the 30,000-grain capacity means it’s capable of servicing a medium-sized house.
Working on the principle of ion exchange, the hard water ions in calcium and magnesium are swapped out for soft water sodium ions. This takes place in the resin tank where the hard water ions become bound to the resin. Sodium ions replace them. Here’s a glance at the system across all its main components:
Main valve: This acts as the initial distribution point of hard water into the System Saver. It’s also the point where soft water exits the system and comes into play during the regeneration process.
Bypass valve: This bypass valve allows you to take the softener offline from the water system manually.
Brine valve: This valve is used for adding water to the brine tank and for adding a salt solution to regenerate softening beads.
Fiberglass reinforced resin tank: This is where the ion exchange or softening takes place. The resin beads are stored here. Service cycles and regeneration cycles also occur here.
Resin: Like plastic, these beads are used for the ion exchange that softens the water.
Top and bottom distributors: These distributors are responsible for handling water flow between the service cycle and regeneration cycle. They help ensure the water is evenly distributed through the resin bed and contain resin within the resin tank.
Brine tank: This is the location of the dry salt storage and where the solution is made for the regeneration process.
Riser pipe: During the service or water softening cycle, water works its way through the resin bed then up through the riser pipe. When it exits the main valve of the unit, the water is softened.
Morton Water Softener Salts
Morton recommends its own salt products. Any top-grade salt in pellet form should be fine, but here are three of the best options from the Morton product line:
Clean and Protect: The twin purpose of Clean and Protect pellets is to soften your water while also extending the life of your appliances. This formula will also help your devices to work more efficiently. Choose from 25-, 40-, 44- and 50-pound bags.
Clean and Protect with Rust Defense: A more specialist formulation, these pellets can remove up to 15 times more iron than regular salt. Not only will this lead to better-tasting water, but you’ll also notice fewer rust stains in your kitchen and bathroom.
Laundry should look brighter, and your appliances will last longer. Clean and Protect with Rust Defense is only available in 40-pound bags so make sure this is the right formulation for you before committing to purchase.
Pure and Natural: As the name suggests, these crystals come from natural, high-purity salt. Your hair and skin should feel better when washing with water treated with Pure and Natural. Cleaning is also
improved across the board, and you’ll get far less build-up on appliances. Choose from a 40- or 50-pound bag.
With all these Morton salt pellets, the directions are the same. Make sure you keep an eye on salt levels and ensure the tank always remains half filled. Two bags of salt every two months should be enough.
Simple Programming and Maintenance
The best water softener is not of much use if it’s problematic to manage and look after. Nothing could be further from the truth with the Morton.
Configuration: Set-up is quite easy. Just punch in the time and your desired water hardness level. This figure is expressed in terms of grains per gallon (gpg) — program when you want the system to start regenerating, and you’re good to go.
Additional features: You can choose to activate the salt-efficiency mode. There’s also the option to trigger regenerating manually.
Maintenance: You should always remember to fill up the brine tank before it runs empty. Thorough cleaning and sanitizing guidelines are provided in the instruction manual, but maintenance is not taxing or time-consuming.
What the Morton System Saver removes: One of many interesting facts about water is that hard water is effectively softened with calcium and other hardness minerals extracted through ion exchange. WQA test data also shows the M30 can remove clear-water iron (7 parts per million). However, the M30 won’t work to remove chlorine.
Installing and Starting the Morton System Saver Water Softener
As with all water softeners, the installation will either feel like something you could easily take on, or something so intimidating that you will be running for the nearest plumber.
What follows here is just a walkthrough of the basics so you can determine whether this is a job you’d feel comfortable doing yourself. Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
• Look for a suitable spot indoors, out of direct sunlight and with no chance of exposure to freezing temperatures. You should locate this unit upstream of the water heater in your home near a drain and power supply.
• Turn off the main water supply and the water heater.
• Open all the faucets in your house to drain off the remaining water.
• Take off the top cover along with the salt lid. Ensure the brine well is secure and in a vertical position.
• Lift the valve out of the brine well. Ensure the float stem is now parallel to the stand tube. Replace the brine valve and the cover.
• Install the elbow and overflow grommet on the brine tank into the 13/16-inch hole in the back wall.
• Position the system where you intend to put it and once again check that it’s level.
• Lube the O-rings of the bypass valve using silicone.
• Press the bypass valve firmly and as far as possible into the softener valve. Use the provided holding clips to secure it.
• Connect the water pipe to both inlet and outlet ports on the bypass valve. Ensure the hard water supply enters the valve inlet side of the system, which is marked for your convenience.
• Connect the 3/8-inch drain line to the valve drain fitting to install the hose. Use the hose clamp to secure it.
• Now it’s time to run the drain hose to the floor drain, then secure it. Leaving an air gap here is crucial.
• Connect the drain line to the overflow elbow on the tank to install the overflow hose for the salt storage tank. Again, hold this in place with a clamp.
• Run the hose down to the floor drain.
• Open two or more soft cold water taps near the softener.
• Enter bypass mode then turn the main water supply back on. Look for consistent flow from the faucets and make sure there are no air bubbles.
• Enter service mode but make sure to check the instructions. Remember, this is just a simple overview. Always follow the manufacturer’s guidelines carefully once you’re familiar with the general procedure
• Wait three minutes then open a hot water tap so you can purge all the remaining air. Close the faucet. • At this point, make sure all cold-water valves are closed and check for leaks.
• Add roughly three gallons of water to the brine tank. Fill it up with salt.
• Plug in the system and replace the top cover along with the salt lid.
• Program the controller then sanitize the unit before restarting your water heater.
Intuitive control panel: Four simple buttons and a crisp LCD make navigating the Morton a breeze. You’ll get a tech-driven machine without any complications operating it.
Instructions and Customer Care
Some elements are hard to quantify objectively. Instructions and customer service both fall under this umbrella for the Morton.
Instructions: Some users praise the manual and guidelines, claiming that installation is simple, with everything plainly laid out. For others, this guidance could be made more explicit. In our opinion, the manual is fit for purpose, but it’s worth pointing out that some have struggled.
Customer care: Feedback here varies substantially. Some consumers have found customer service to be responsive while others bemoan unwieldy help with overpriced replacement parts being another common difficulty.
Warranty
You’ll get a 10-year warranty on the tank with all other parts covered for one year, so you’ve got some security. However, this guarantee could undoubtedly be improved.
Measurements and Specifications
| Item Model Number | M30 |
| Item Weight | 80 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 19 x 22 ½ x 44 inches |
| Number of People | Up to 6 |
| Flow Rate | 7 GPM |
| Pressure Range | 20 to 125 PSI |
| Capacity Description | 30,000 grain |
Pros
• Extremely compact and slimline all-in-one unit with no extra components.
• Automated look-ahead technology will forecast when regeneration should take place and triggers the cycle before capacity is reached without disrupting your water supply.
• The system can also work to reduce iron in your water supply.
Cons
• Prone to leaking if incorrectly installed with a weak spot at the collar clip where the valve meets the resin tank.
The Bottom Line: The Morton System Saver Water Softener
The Morton System Saver M30 is an affordable water softener substantial enough for a medium-sized home while compact enough to fit just about anywhere. Equipped with the right tools. this softener effectively deals with extremely hard water.
As with any smaller system you can expect a few limitations, but the advantages of this water softener more than compensates.
With this Morton System Saver Water Softener, you won’t end up with your water filtered nor, will the Morton do anything to combat chlorine. That said, you’ll undoubtedly end up with softened water and small amounts of iron can be removed. Using the right salt pellets can increase performance further.
For an affordable and effective space-saving water softener, the Morton System Saver M30 is a smart bet.
