|
Hard
Water and Water Softeners
Hard
water is water that contains a high mineral
content, primarily consisting of calcium, and
magnesium these are metal cations.
Calcium often enters the water either as
in the form of limestone and chalk, which is
calcium carbonate, or as calcium sulfate.
Magnesium primarily enters water in the
form of dolomite.
However, these are not the only minerals
that hard water could contain other compounds
such as bicarbonates and sulfates have been
found in hard water.
To
determine if you have hard water, see how easy
or hard it is for your soap or toothpaste
lathers. Soap
and toothpaste when agitated lather easily in
soft water, however in hard water they are
difficult to lather.
Hard
water is usually harmless however, because soap
does not lather well with hard water, you have
a feeling of "less than clean.”
Soap lathers better with soft water, but
often leaves your skin with a "slippery
feeling."
However, the true explanation for this
slippery feeling with softened water is that it
contains sodium.
Sodium reduces the ability of the soap
film on your body to rinse off, so the slippery
feeling is due to soap left on your body, which
can eventually dry your skin.
One solution is to use less soap and
another solution is to use synthetic liquid
body wash.
Many
older types of water softeners use salt water
systems to soften hard water.
Salt water systems replace the original
compounds with acidic sodium-based compounds,
which can be harmful to pets, plants, as well
as corrode pipes and appliances.
Newer systems use carbon filtering.
These systems simply remove the
compounds from the water, adding nothing back
into your water supply.
This means the water flowing through
your home is safe for plumbing, plants, pets,
and your appliances.
Carbon
filtration systems are more expensive than
softeners that use salt water.
However, the carbon filtration unit will
pay for itself over the years by extending the
life of your pipes and water-dependent
appliances.
Isn’t
it time to say good-by, to hard water and hello
to soft water?
*****************
Before
you purchase or lease a water softener for your
home or office, take some time and do some
research first, starting with test your water
to find out how hard it really.
Water hardness is measured in grains per
gallon (GPG).
Water
is considered hard when it measures more than 3
GPG, and when water measures greater than 10
GPG it is considered excessively hard.
You
can have your water tested through your local
water company, through an independent
water-testing lab, or by a water-conditioning
company. It
is important to know what your water’s GPG is
as this information will help you select a
water softener of the right capacity and size.
Water
softeners are available in small (rated from
about 12,000 to 16,000 grains), medium (rated
from 20,000 to 40,000 grains), and large (rated
more than 40,000 grains) capacities. Dual-tank water softeners are also available for those with
large families or extremely hard water.
To
calculate the size of softener you need, simply
multiply the number of people in your household
by 75, which is the average number of gallons
used per person per day.
Next, you want to multiply this number
by the number of grains per gallon of hardness
minerals present.
An
example, would be if you have a family of four
and 10 GPG in your water, you have 3000 GPG
requiring removal each day.
You want to compare this to the recharge
cycle of any water softener you are considering
purchasing to see how frequently regeneration
has to occur.
You want a water softener what will last
at least three days between recharges.
You also want a unit that will handle
times when you have guests or
larger-than-normal water needs.
Below
is a water softener capacity chart for you to
use as a guide in selecting the right size of
water softener.
There
are four types of water softeners.
The first type works by replacing hard
minerals with sodium chloride.
Water flows through resin, which
attracts the hard water mineral ions while
replacing them with sodium ions.
These systems however need to recharge
with salt water at regular intervals this is
accomplished with controls on the unit.
The two main types of controls are time
controls, which recharge the unit at an
unvarying preset time, and demand regeneration
(DIR) controls, which only recharge the unit
when necessary.
Though these are the two most common
types of controls, water softeners are
available with other types of controls.
The
second type of water softeners is salt-free
models. These
water softeners use a potassium chloride salt
substitute.
The
third type of water softener is the electronic
or magnetic water softeners.
These water softeners attach to the
water pipes as they enter the home and remove
the hard minerals without adding anything back
into the water. However, independent testing of these devices has led to
questions about their effectiveness.
The
fourth type of water softener uses carbon
filtering.
These systems simply remove the
compounds from the water, adding nothing back
into your water supply.
This means the water flowing through
your home is safe for plumbing, plants, pets,
and your appliances.
Carbon
filtration systems are more expensive than
softeners that use salt water.
However, the carbon filtration unit will
pay for itself over the years by extending the
life of your pipes and water-dependent
appliances.
Dual-Tank
Water Softeners:
Typically,
when a water softener unit is recharging, it
disconnects from the water system.
For large families or individuals who
have particularly hard water, which is greater
than 10 GPG, may want to consider a dual-tank
water softener system.
These systems have two resin tanks, so
that when one tank is in use, the other tank
can recharge so that you are never out of
softened water.
We
hope this information has helped you in your
search for the right water softener unit.
In closing, we strongly suggest you take
the time to investigate all the options
available to you before you make your final
decision.
You’ll glad that you did.
|
