Tier1 48000 Grain High Efficiency Digital Water Softener Review

At iWaterPurification, we are experts in hard water — which is why we are always looking at reviews to find budget-friendly effective water softeners like the Tier1 48000 Grain High Efficiency Digital Water Softener.

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As much as we know that hard water might not be harmful to drink, it’s bad news for just about anything it comes into contact with from your hair to your clothing. It can be ruinous for scaling up the pipes in your home, but fortunately, you can use this product to rectify your hard water situation.

If you are on the market for a new water softener and want to weigh your options, make sure to check out our detailed guide to the best water softeners available for your home.

Thanks to the advent of water softeners, fighting back against hard water is straightforward and affordable. Once you realize your home has hard water, it can be hard to identify which water softener should you invest in — but that’s where our expertise comes in handy.

We’ve got a simple but highly efficient digital model from Tier1 — the Tier1 48000 Grain High Efficiency Digital Water Softener — to break down for you today. You’ll be able to see at a glance whether this water softener would gel with your needs and budget, so we’ll get straight down to business.

A Traditional Water Softener System You Can Count on

A traditional water softener system, the Tier1 comes with a pair of tanks. A point-of-entry system – it’s installed where the water comes into your home – the softener swaps out hard water minerals for sodium.

Tanks: In the brine tank, regular salt is used to make a brine solution. The sodium ions carry a positive charge. The mineral tank is packed with resin – you get 1.5 cubic feet of Cation resin pre-loaded – with the beads carrying a negative charge. The primary minerals in hard water are magnesium and calcium, both with a positive charge. What happens next?

Backwash, recharge, and regeneration: As it’s flushed through the Tier1, the brine solution hits the mineral-soaked beads. The water softener first reverses the flow of the water to get rid of any dirt in the tank. In the second recharging phase, the sodium in the brine solution replaces the magnesium and calcium on the beads. These unwanted minerals are flushed away. In the final regenerative phase, surplus brine is eliminated while the tank refills. The regenerative phase takes 2 hours with the Tier1. Since some disruption to water service occurs, it’s a smart move to schedule this for the early hours of the morning. That way, you can drink better tasting water when you wake up in the morning.

 

Straightforward installation With a Kit Provided

If the idea of a complex installation is putting you off buying a water softener, Tier1 makes things nice and simple for you. Thankfully with the introduction of water technology and smart home products, it’s becoming that much easier to integrate water products into our home.

Quick and easy connection: With an adapter and bypass valve included, set-up is not tough. The only problem you might encounter is a slight awkwardness when fitting the adapter. Instructions are comprehensive and beginner-friendly. You’ll get brine tubing, drain line, and water line connections bundled so you won’t need to hit the hardware store instantly. Some plumbing might call for compression fittings that are not included, however.

Rock-solid customer care: While you should experience no snags getting started, how about if problems develop at a later stage? Well, the US-based customer care team at Tier1 can help out in either English or Spanish. You’ll get all the technical input you need but simplified, so you can follow instructions easily even if you’re not practically inclined.

 

Designed by Tier1 with Performance and Energy Efficiency in Mind

 

While not marketed as a space-saving unit, the Tier1 is nevertheless compact and neatly designed.

Space-saving design: The Tier1 comes with the turbine meter built into the bypass valve. This design trick alone means you’ll need substantially less floor space to accommodate this system. The brine tank measures up at 14 x 42 inches, and the mineral tank is 10 x 54 inches. While not exactly unobtrusive, you won’t have too much problem housing it unless you’ve got a small property.

Energy-efficiency: This water softener will help you to use less soap as your hard water gets overhauled. Your appliances and pipes will get an easier ride too so you should consume less energy in your household while enjoying all the other benefits softer water brings about.

Water-softening capability: If you’re wondering what 48,000 grains means, it represents the amount of hardness that can be removed before the regeneration cycle is required. Based on normal water usage for a family of four, this would be necessary once a week.

 Mineral buildup: Limescale buildup can lead to more than annoying sediment in your kettle. Left unchecked, the water pipework and infrastructure of your home can take a real battering. By working to remove the magnesium and calcium that blights hard water effectively, you’ll get much less limescale accumulation. Not only will you get less soap scum residue marring your laundry, but you’ll also preserve the integrity of your piping while prolonging its lifespan.

 

Digital Control Valve

The Fleck meter valve is a nice addition to this water softener system but what makes it so good?

Easy to install and use: Quick connections simplify installation and maintenance. The crisp LCD screen gives you all the data you need at a glance. You won’t need a Ph.D. to operate this valve, cycle times are easily adjustable, and precision is uppermost.

Regeneration automated: To prevent being inconvenienced by the disruption in water service during the weekly regeneration phase, you can neatly schedule this to take place when you’re sleeping.

 

Measurements and Specifications

 

Part Number	WS – 165 – 150
Item Weight	136 pounds approx.
Product Dimensions	10 x 10 x 62 inches
Colors	Black and blue
Regeneration	Yes
Capacity Description	48,000 grains

 

 

Pros:

• Softens water effectively while also performing strongly against mineral buildup
• Intelligent digital meter valve automates regeneration and works in line with the needs of your family
• Despite appearing a touch bulky at first glance, once installed this is actually a slimline unit

    Cons:

• Not the most feature-rich water softener, but it gets the job done effectively without those bells and whistle.

 

The Bottom Line

Although this digital water softener sits near the top of the Tier1 range, you’ll get relatively little by way of features. We would qualify that by making it clear, this model delivers fully on its intended purpose, though.

By softening the water and minimizing limescale buildup, you’ll get the advantages of cleaner hair, softer laundry, and a more energy-efficient household in one compact package.

If you’re hunting for the most tech-driven water softener laden with functionality you might never even use, the Tier1 is not for you. If, however, you want no-nonsense water softening with everything you need to get going directly out the box, we’d urge you to pop this system on your shortlist.