I'm no expert but... I don't think you want a whole house softener. Ours is setup so the outside spigots,drinking water(kitchen cold and fridge) are hard water...everything else is soft. You don't want soft(salty) water as drinking water. Remember...sending soft water to the water heater means salted water to the heater but you want soft/hot water. Heaters are built like junk now...I just had one crap after 4 years and I have a softener. Get a softener that regenerates based on your usage not on time. We put one in a few years back...saves a TON on salt.