Wade's Water Softener
Assembled right here in Twin Falls for Magic Valley water.
After 40 years of selling and repairing softeners in the Magic Valley, we finally build our own. Wade's Water systems are assembled in our Twin Falls shop using commercial-grade valves, chlorine-resistant resin, and modular tank/valve/media combinations we choose to match calcium levels that are more than double the national average. Available as the 40KM (softener) or 40KMC (softener + carbon for chlorine and man-made chemicals).
Magic Valley families on hard well or city water who want a system built for local conditions — not a big-box cookie-cutter.
What you get
- Assembled in Twin Falls, ID — parts and service stay local
- 40,000-grain capacity, 13 GPM flow rate
- Commercial-grade metered valve — regenerates on demand
- Chlorine-resistant resin for city water
- Handles calcium carbonate, magnesium, and iron up to 10 ppm
- 40KMC adds a carbon chamber to reduce chlorine and chemicals
- Stores system memory indefinitely — no re-programming after outages
- 12-volt power, under $2/year in electricity
Specs at a glance
- Capacity
- 40,000 grains
- Filter tank
- 10" x 44" (40KM) / 10" x 54" (40KMC)
- Brine tank
- 11" x 11" x 37"
- Flow rate
- 13 GPM
- Iron reduction
- Up to 10 ppm
- Power
- 12V — under $2/year to run
“It's what we put in our own families' homes — built to the exact water chemistry of the Magic Valley, and every part is serviceable with inventory we keep in the shop.”
— The Sawtooth team
Wade's Water Softener — common questions
What buyers ask us before they choose this system.
What is the Wade's water softener?
It's the Nelsen-built softener we spec, install, and back under our own name — the same tank, resin, and metered valve platform we'd put in our own homes, without a national brand markup. Parts are standard and stocked here in Twin Falls, so service is never a special order.
What size water softener do I need?
Size is driven by your hardness in grains per gallon, the number of people in the home, and iron content. A rough starting point on Twin Falls city water is 32,000 grains of capacity for a household of two to four and 48,000 or more for five-plus or high-iron well water. We test your water first so the sizing is based on your numbers, not a rule of thumb.
How much salt will it use?
A correctly sized, metered on-demand softener on typical Magic Valley water uses roughly one 40-pound bag of salt every four to eight weeks for a family of four. Timer-based systems that regenerate on a fixed clock burn noticeably more, which is why we install metered valves on nearly every job.
Will a softener make my water taste salty?
No. Ion exchange swaps hardness minerals for a very small amount of sodium — on 20-grain water that works out to well under 100 milligrams per liter, less than a slice of bread per glass. If sodium is a medical concern, we can install a potassium chloride system or pair the softener with reverse osmosis at the drinking tap.
How long does a water softener last?
A quality softener installed and maintained properly runs 15 to 25 years. Resin typically needs replacing somewhere around year 10 to 15 on our water, and valve seals are a routine wear item. We stock parts for everything we sell.