I don't want to mess with a water softener just for a pool. Not sure how that would work anyway, trying to get 15,000 gallons out of it in a short time.

My tapwater is 430ppm, just tested the pool and it's up to 500ppm since a complete drain and refill at the first of June this year.

According to the Aquarite tech support page, places with hard water will require that the cell be cleaned every 3-4 months in a dilution of muriatic acid and water. Sound about right?