Don’t buy the GE GSXF30V 30,000 Grain Water Softener until you’ve read this review.
Table of Contents
🧾 Overview
The GXSF30V 30,000 Grain Water Softener is the smallest system in the classic GE Water Softener range, manufactured by GE Appliances. This salt-based water softener uses ion exchange to remove up to 95 grains of hardness and has a service flow rate of 7.5 GPM.
Based on its size and flow rate, the GXSF30V is ideally suited to households with up to three people with average or below-average water use.
📝 System Specifications
| Capacity | 30,400 grains |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 14.4 x 43.5 x 22.4 inches |
| Unit color | Light gray |
| Control type | Electronic |
| Salt storage capacity | 200 pounds |
| Max. hardness removal | 95 GPG |
| Max. clear water iron reduction | 7 PPM |
| Plumbing connection | Up to 1 1/4 |
| Regeneration time | 104 mins |
| Service flow rate | 7.5 GPM |
| Electronic rating | 24V; 60Hz |
| Warranty | Limited 1-year (entire appliance) Limited 10-year (resin/brine tank) Limited 3-year (electronic monitor) |
💡 Features
Single-Tank Design
The GE GXSF30V has a brine tank and a resin tank in a single unit, reducing the number of ports, outlets, and connections, and simplifying installation.
Ion Exchange Softening
This softening system produces softened water with ion exchange, a method of water treatment that swaps calcium and magnesium ions with equal amounts sodium.
30,400 Grain Capacity
The GXSF30V is the smallest of the GE standard softener models, with a capacity and flow rate that are suitable for families of one to three.
Custom Select Valve
You can set this system’s level of water softening by inputting your water hardness to adjust the custom select valve.
Salt Saver
This softener has a Salt Saver feature, which minimizes salt use, improves efficiency, and reduces the amount of maintenance required.
Low Salt Reminder
The low salt reminder (an alarm and light) will let you know when the salt levels have dropped too low, so you’ll never forget top-ups.
1-Year Entire Appliance Warranty
The GE GXSF30V is backed by a limited 10-year tank warranty, a limited 3-year electronic monitor warranty, and a limited 1-year warranty for the entire appliance.
🚦 Performance
Whenever we test water softeners for our guides and reviews, we determine the performance of a system by analyzing its water softening ability, its flow rate, its efficiency (including salt and water use), and any additional features that may affect performance.
The GE GXSF30V offers a performance that outshines its competitors, especially given that it only costs around $500. While this system isn’t one of the best water softeners you can find, it’s the best for its price point, tackling up to 95 grains per gallon of hardness and up to 7 PPM of clear water iron.
This GE water softener uses demand-driven programming, meaning that it only uses the salt and water required to recharge the resin during regeneration. This reduces salt and water use, which benefits the environment and helps you to spend less money and time on maintenance.
Within a week of installing the GE GXSF30V, we noticed decreased scale formation in our appliances and on our water-using fixtures. With the system’s 7.5 GPM service flow rate, our water flow and pressure remained consistent (we tested in a household of two people – you may need a larger system to prevent a dip in water pressure if your family is bigger than three people).
Another performance feature of this salt softener is its SmartSoft technology, which enables the system to track your water usage and learn your habits and patterns. The softener can then accurately produce the amount of water and salt that will be used and schedule regeneration cycles when needed, so you always have access to hard water.
Additionally, as proof of good performance, the GXSF30V has an official NSF 44 certification for ion exchange hard water reduction.
🧰 What’s Included (Parts)
The GE GXSF30V comes with everything needed for installation and setup, including:
- Installation instructions
- Installation kit
- Brine and resin tank (preloaded with standard mesh resin)
- 3/4″ quick connect fittings
- Drain hose
- Water shutoff valve
🔧 Installation, Programming & Settings
The GE 30,400 Grain Water Softener has an all-in-one design, with minimal fittings and connections, so it’s easier to install than standard models with separate brine and resin tanks.
To install the system, follow these steps:
- Shut off the supply of water to your home and switch on all your faucets to allow air and water to escape
- Attach the drain line to the salt storage tank
- Install the water shutoff valve and the bypass valve
- Turn the custom select valve to program the right softening level for your water hardness
- Open the bypass valve
- Connect the plumbing fittings, using Teflon tape to secure them in place
- Plug the softener into your nearest power outlet and switch it on
The user manual contains a detailed breakdown of the installation process, with pictures. You can also watch this video if you prefer video instructions.
Once you’ve installed the system, you’ll need to complete the initial programming, adding information including your water hardness in GPG (grains per gallon), the clock setting, and the regeneration time. You can also adjust the salt efficiency setting later on (optional).
It took us less than an hour to install and program the GE GXSF30V. Unless you’re really DIY adverse, you should find the installation process easy enough to do yourself.
Manual
You can find information on installation, setup, and maintenance of the GE GXSF30V Softener in the below guide:
🔩 Maintenance
To keep the GE GXSF30V in good working order, you’ll need to follow these basic water softener maintenance tasks:
- Add salt to the brine tank (if the softener is located in a humid location, don’t fill the salt all the way to the max. fill line to prevent bridging).
- Clean the venturi valve assembly and nozzle in the unit. Use a resin cleaner to clean the resin about once a month.
- If you have water that contains a lot of ferric iron, use an iron cleaning product alongside every 40-pound bag of salt added to the salt tank.
The system comes with a self-cleaning sediment filter that lasts throughout the softener’s lifespan. If you have high-sediment well water, consider installing an extra sediment filter upstream of the softener to protect the resin.
The display screen tells you the salt level of the brine tank, so you’ll know when to top it up. An alarm will sound and a low salt light will appear when the salt capacity gets really low.
🔔 Pros & Cons
👍 What We Like
- This 30,400 grain water softener has an impressive maximum hardness removal capacity, especially considering this is GE’s lowest capacity softener. We were pleased with the quality of our soft water after installing this system.
- There are a number of convenient and helpful features of the GE GXSF30V, including the custom select valve, and the “days to empty” status light indicator, which prevents you from having to guess when to refill the salt tank.
- Water usage and salt usage in this softener are minimal thanks to its efficient performance. According to the manufacturer, this softener uses 20% less water than previous products.
- Programming this GE softener is straightforward. All GE’s softeners use up-front electronic controls, which are easy to access, read, and amend.
- As well as hardness minerals, this softener can reduce up to 8 PPM of ferrous (clear-water) iron, so it’s ideal for well owners with hard water and minor iron issues.
👎 What We Don’t Like
- The entire unit comes with only a 1-year warranty (the tank has a 10-year warranty and the electronic monitor has a 3-year warranty). One year isn’t great, especially given that some water softeners have 10-year or limited lifetime warranties.
- Some customers had issues with leaking or overflowing in the tanks.
❔ Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a GE water softener last?
A GE water softener has a tank warranty of 10 years but a 3-year warranty for the electronic monitor, suggesting that the unit itself should last for around 10 years, but you may need to replace the monitor before this time. The exact lifespan of your GE water softener depends on how well you maintain and care for the softener.
What is 32000 grain water softener?
A 32,000 grain water softener is a water softener with a 32,000 grain capacity. The grain capacity of a water softener is a measure of how much hardness the system’s softening resin can treat throughout its lifespan. Water softeners with a 32,000 grain capacity are typically best for households of one to three people.
Does GE make a good water softener?
Yes, GE makes good water softeners. However, GE’s softeners aren’t as durable or efficient as some of the best water softeners available today. Generally, you need to pay at least $1,000 for a top tier water softener.
Does my GE water softener recharge every night?
No, GE water softeners don’t recharge every night. On average, the GXSF30V 30,400 Grain Water Softener regenerates every three to five days . If your system regenerates every night, it’s a sign that you’ve inputted the hardness settings incorrectly or you’ve bought a system that’s too small for your requirements.
What are some good alternatives to the GE GXSF30V 30,400 Grain Water Softener?
If you’re looking for the best softener (and price is no objective), you can find plenty of systems that rank higher than GE water softeners. We recommend the SpringWell Salt Based Water Softener System as the best overall water softening system, or the Fleck 5600SXT if you’re looking for the best budget softener.
Found this review helpful?
Comment below or share this article!
