- Water Filtration Systems
- Education
- Learn 猫咪视频 Water Softeners
The Hard Truths 猫咪视频 Water
What is Hard Water?
Water is the world's most sensational solvent. To that point, its ability to dissolve rock and sediment has created some of the world's most stunning sights, like the Grand Canyon. Not a bad body of work. However, when rock and limestone dissolve into freshwater, it results in high concentrations of calcium and magnesium in the water, or 鈥渉ard water.鈥� As hard water evaporates, the concentration of minerals grows and results in water that forms scale buildup (a.k.a. saturation.)
So the question at hand is, 鈥淗ow much mineral content in your water is officially 鈥榯oo much鈥�?鈥� After all, low amounts of magnesium and calcium can actually supplement a healthy diet. But once your water is leaving scale deposits in its wake, chances are your water is too hard, and could benefit from being treated by a water softening solution.
Disadvantages of Hard Water
Hard water can hit your home hard.
Your pipes can become encrusted and blocked due to calcification. You could potentially experience a clogged showerhead. Or lukewarm water. Or slow drainage. Or poor water pressure. Then there鈥檚 the matter of how scale build up can harm appliances. Scale buildup can clog your dishwasher, water heater, fridge, etc. or cause damage that could result in costly repairs.
Using hard water can also cause dingy, faded laundry and spots on your dishes right out of the dishwasher. Showering in it can make your skin itchy and your hair flaky. Residue can form in your toilets sinks, and tubs. Detergents could be disrupted by soap scum, and鈥ell鈥ou get the idea. Soft water the better way to go. By far.
So let鈥檚 talk water softeners, shall we?
We are water Experts
Water quality is non-negotiable. To prove it, we've built state-of-the-art water quality labs and filled them with the best and brightest scientists 鈥� all so we can provide you with the best water of your life.
First Things First: What Is a Water Softener?
A water softener is a work of water wonder. In general, its duty is to limit scale buildup and reduce the overall mineral content in your home鈥檚 water by exchanging or negating ions of common minerals. In doing so, the best water softeners (humility aside, those would be ours) allow your home to have clearer, more refreshing, and high quality water throughout your home.
Salt-Based Water Softeners
Salt-based water softeners swap calcium and magnesium ions from the affected hard water by replacing these ions with sodium ions from the salt in the system. Within the resin tank of salt-based water softeners, an ion exchange occurs. This exchange reduces the mineral count while increasing the overall salt content of the water.
A byproduct of the ion-exchange process causes the hardness minerals to collect in the conditioning tank of the unit, which requires the system to regularly backwash and flush the hardness minerals down the wastewater drain. The salt within the system must be replaced at regular intervals.
Benefits of Salt-Based Water Softeners
The reasons some homeowners choose a salt-based water softener are pretty sweet:
- They effectively reduce hardness mineral ions from your home's water.
- They save you money on appliance repair, plumbing repair, and detergent that is rendered less effective by hard water.
It is worth noting that our Water Softeners come standard with high capacity resin tanks and an easy-to-program electronic metered head. Furthermore, they only backwash when needed, so they use as little water as possible in the cleaning process.
What's in your water?
start here
Worried about your water? Take control with our at-home water test kit. We'll analyze your water and recommend the best filtration or softening solution for your specific needs.
猫咪视频 Water Softeners and Conditioners
- Water Softeners聽- As water passes through the mineral tank, the positively charged calcium and magnesium ions are lost to negatively-charged plastic beads. The brine tank holds a solution of water and salt that flushes the mineral tank and replaces the calcium and magnesium ions with sodium. Recharging cycles are controlled by the meter on the top of the tank (normally once every 7 days). All systems come standard with high capacity resin tanks.
What Size Water Softener Do I Need?
All of our models are available in different sizes that can handle certain capacities of minerals per day. What size water softener do you need? Truth is, the size of the unit is not as important as the unit鈥檚 ability to remove the minerals causing water hardness. So when people talk about water softener size, this is what they鈥檙e actually concerned with, rather than the cubic footage of the system.
Bottom line: you don鈥檛 want to purchase a water softener that is insufficient for your specific water hardness. Just as you don鈥檛 want to pay for a softener with unnecessary capacity.
Calculating Your Usage
Our softener systems are sold in multiple sizes, and these sizes are named with approximate calculations based on the amount of water usage in your home. For example, smaller units are listed as 鈥�1-3 Bathrooms,鈥� while larger units are termed 鈥�4-6 Bathrooms.鈥�
Water 101
Unleash the secrets of your H2O! Explore where water originates and discover the various water filtration solutions that transform it into drinkable water.