The AMPAC USA™ Water Softeners are manufactured as all our other products in our factory in Los Angeles, California, USA using the highest quality components based on the legendary Clack valves, the most respected name in the industry. We build water softeners based on your water usage patterns and the hardness of your water. Water Softeners & Water Conditioners are sized in grains per gallon (gpg) depending on your water hardness. You may see softeners rated as 48,000 grains. 1 grain equals 17.1 ppm or mg/liter. So if your water has 10 grains of hardness it’s equivalent to 170.1 mg/liter or ppm. The more grains of hardness your water has, the harder your water, the more frequently the softener needs to regenerate. It is important to size your softener properly to prevent excessive regeneration. A certain amount of salt goes down the drain with every regeneration.