It's a personal choice. Since the EPA requires a certain degree of what we consider "hardness," you may notice some benefits of an softener, including using a lesser amount of soap and detergents and less spotting on hard surfaces. They can also leave your skin feeling softer, retaining more moisture.
The trade-off is that your home plumbing is more susceptible to corrosion, accelerating its wear and increasing the possibility that heavy metals will leach into your water. Remember, never ever use warm or hot water in the preparation of foods or beverages for consumption.
A water softener can also increase your sodium intake. Softeners transform calcium and magnesium hardness into soft salts like sodium.
Are you installing a water softener and need to input a "Water Hardness Number?" To calculate this number, divide our most recent value for total hardness (ppm) by 17.1 to convert to grains per gallon (GPG). WaterOne's most recent total hardness average can be found in our annual water quality reports.