How we work

This page explains how a GrainsGone guide gets written, what we check, and what happens when we get something wrong.

We start from the question people actually ask

Before we write or rewrite a guide, we look at what people in the US are searching for on that topic and what they are asking in owner forums. A guide about a leaking softener has to answer where the water is coming from and what it costs to fix, not explain what a softener is. If a question is not part of the problem, we leave it out.

Numbers first, then words

• Capacities, salt doses, flow rates and settings come from manufacturer manuals and published specifications.
• Hardness classes come from the Water Quality Association and USGS.
• Costs are given as ranges with their source and year, because prices move.
• Anything about health, such as sodium in softened water, is reported as measured figures with the source named, never as medical advice.

What we do not do

• We do not sell softeners, salt, filters or service visits, and we do not earn a commission on them.
• We do not invent hands-on experience. You will not read "we installed" or "in our testing" here, because that is not how these guides are made.
• We do not rank brands or call any model the best. We explain which specifications matter so you can compare any unit yourself.
• We do not link out to other websites. Sources are listed by name at the end of each guide so you can look them up.

Corrections

If something in a guide does not match your manual, your valve or a source you trust, tell us on the contact page. We check the claim against the source, fix the guide if we were wrong, and change the date on the guide only when the content really changed.

Advertising

The site may show ads in the future to pay for hosting and writing. Ads will never decide what a guide recommends, and they will be marked as ads.