Water softeners (why is it my fingers insist on typing "water softners"?) are used to remove minerals from water that cause hard water. They are often also sold as water purifiers or as water filters. Water quality can be improved in a variety of ways, a water softener being one of the more popular methods.
For many people, hard water is a part of their life and they use a water softener to help the minerals that make water hard. Impacts of the minerals found in hard water cause a variety of problems, including causing soap not to lather, mineral stains on any surface that comes into contact with the water (on your bathtub and shower, on the sink and counter, in the washing machine, and on dishes), and resulting mineral deposits reduce the efficiency of your water heater, plug water fixtures and appliances, and crust faucet attachments. It can have financial impacts due to damage to the pipes, water heater, and air conditioning, too, so this is an additional reason that many people choose to use a water softener for their water supply.
What makes hard water hard? High levels of calcium or magnesium are components of hard water. This natural occurrence ordinarily occurs in areas where limestone is found. The water flows through the limestone and picks up calcium and magnesium. A water softener uses a salt ion process to make the water softer.
A water softener works by removing the magnesium and calcium from the water by attaching it to sodium (salt) ions. This eliminates the problems that are associated with hard water. Water softeners are easy to install and use to help make your water softer. You can even adjust the softness of the water to create the taste you want. Sometimes water that is treated with a water softener tastes a little salty and being able to adjust the softness will help you to decrease that saltiness if you desire to do so.
The water softening process runs all of the water in the house through a bed of small plastic beads or through a chemical matrix, called a zeolite. Sodium ions cover the beads or zeolite and when the water passes through, the magnesium and calcium ions are interchanged with the sodium ions. After a while, the beads or zeolite only contain magnesium and calcium and this is when they need to be recharged with sodium ions by soaking them in a sodium solution. This step, often called back-flushing, is part of the maintenance of your water softener system and recharges the zeolite or beads with sodium, so that the water softener can keep working efficiently.
A water softener can help keep your pipes free from build-up, which will save you money in the long run and it can also aid you in using less soap, because softer water will enable the soap to lather, so that you can use less soap. It is important to do regular maintenance on your water softener, however, so that it can keep working efficiently. Read your owner's manual to make sure that you take care of your water softener the correct way and as often as you need to.
If you have stains that are hard to get rid of and it seems like they are attached to everything that your water comes into contact with, then you probably have hard water. There are hard water tests that you can use to see if this is the problem, and if you find that this is the problem, then you can purchase a water softener. In no time at all, you will have softer water and all of the joys and benefits of not having hard water.
Water softeners can be good water purifiers, but if you have health issues, like high blood pressure, check with your doctor before buying and installing a water softener. There may be better ways for you to get good water quality.
