How To Tell If You Need A Water Softener

Alice

Many Americans water as “wet” and do not consider much about its traits. Due to this many residential areas have to bear the consequences of water’s awful characteristics like hardness.

Man repair and fixing leaky faucet in bathroom

Water hardness is the measure of minerals deposition in water mainly calcium and magnesium ions that are naturally dissolved in water. According to the reports of the US Geological Survey, 80 percent of Americans consume hard water. The agency said that few regions like New England, the South Atlantic Gulf, Northwest Pacific States, and Hawaii have soft water access. While regions like Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Arizona, and South California are the extremely hard water zone.

No matter where you live or what is the water source whether groundwater or Municipal Corporation Supply hard water can be an issue. Buying a water softener can tone down these problems as the ion exchange process eliminates Ca and Mg ions with Sodium ions which ultimately softens the water. There are varieties of water softeners available in the market but always check genuine water softener reviews before buying.

Do I have hard water? How to know that I need a water softener?

Hard water signals are easy to understand all need to do is always keep your eye open. Here are the tell tale signs that you need a water softener for your home.

Staining:

  1. Scale buildup: Lime scaling or minerals deposition can be seen on coffee makers, kettles, dinnerware, cookware or glassware. When water gets evaporated a thin chalky film is left behind which is difficult to remove. The worst lime scaling is in the heaters, boilers, and dishwashers as well as plumbing system that costs huge sum for repairs.
  2. High Utility Bills: What was your utility bill last month? High right. It is because of scaling on the plumbing system. Pipes get clogged due to which heating systems have to apply force to push water through. Hence, boilers, water heaters, and AC all appliances that are water-based consume more energy.
  3. Dirty Laundry: Hard water has impacts laundry adversely.  The high mineral content causes clothes stiffness. Detergents do not work well and leave stains behind. This leads to clothes damage and dullness. Clothes feel stained even after washing it with costly detergents. Well, it is not your fault it is due to hard water. There are certain strong detergents in the market that are made to work with hard water. Water consumption and energy wastage increases due to this issue.
  4. Dry Skin and Hair: Hairs and skin dryness is the first thing you may notice while using hard water. Many complain about hair fall and roughness due to hard water. Minerals in hard water deposits on skin and scalp causing itchiness and dryness. Applying moisturizer, again and again, resolves problem temporarily.
  5. Smelly and Awful water: You might have noticed water smelling or tasting terrible. It is a sign of water contamination due to bacterial growth.

Your water could resemble metallic, moldy or fishy. Like metallic taste is due to high iron sediments or smells rotten egg because of hydrogen sulfide gas etc.

What will water softeners do?

Water softeners systems are tailored to remove hard ions from the water to make it soft and usable. This process is called ion exchange.

There are different types of softeners available in the market. Ask for professional advice to purchase water softeners for your home. If you don’t want to go anywhere you can check authentic websites. As there are some websites provide the best water softener reviews that are helpful in choosing a system without going anywhere.

Do I need a water softener?

Get your home water tested or look at the signs mentioned above it will assure whether you need a water softener or not. Every home is different so is the water. Water softeners purchase depends on the water quality, mineral type, and hardness level.

If any symptoms mentioned is found in your home you definitely need a water softener. It will eradicate all water-related problems and will bring drastic changes in your daily chores. However, hard water may not necessarily be harmful to your health but your possessions are always on a stake. Don’t wait and get a water softener now.

Any suggestions or queries write to us in the comment section below.

Different Water Softener Parts And Their Functions

Alice

What is a water softener?

A water softener is a household machine that helps you flush out the calcium and magnesium in hard water hence turning it into soft water through a filtration process. There are two major processes, the water softening process which is when the hard water is being transformed into soft water, and the regeneration process when brine is used to flush away the calcium and magnesium ions in the mineral tank. The process is quite easy and water generated is safe for home use such as washing and bathing.

Parts of a water softener

There are three significant parts of a water softener alongside other secondary parts. The three major sections of a water softener are; the control head/valve, the mineral/resin tank and the brine tank. Each component has its distinctive function, and they all work together to help transform hard water into soft water.

Control head/valve

The control valve is a vital part of a water softener which is being controlled by a small motor and a timer. Its function is to direct water to the various components where it is needed. It is responsible for the control of water passage in and out of each chamber especially the flushing of the calcium and magnesium from the resin chamber.

Brine tank/chamber

The brine chamber is where the salt used for regeneration of the resin chamber is stored. After the water softening process is done, the resin chamber needs to be regenerated to ensure efficiency in water softening. The salt and water mixture in the brine chamber is flushed through the resin tank through a tube and into the drain where it is stored before being disposed or softened again. This process is known as regeneration and is essential in a water softener.

Mineral tank/Resin chamber

The resin tank is the chamber filled with calcium and magnesium ion beads. When water passes through the water inlet, it enters this chamber for softening. Here, the beads are used to interchange the sodium and calcium minerals in the hard water with the calcium and magnesium ions in the resin chamber. This is called the softening process. After this is done, the water is moved out through the water outlet as soft water. This process usually clogs the resin chamber with excess calcium and magnesium ions which leads to regeneration, a process whereby brine is passed through the beads to flush out the excess ions present in the resin chamber.

Water inlet

Just like the name says, this is the part of the water softener, usually tube-like where the hard water enters and is being channeled to the resin chamber for softening.

Water outlet

Like the water inlet, the water outlet is responsible for the collection of soft water from the resin chamber and passing of this water into your tap or water storage.

Drain

The drain is a part in the water softener where regenerated water containing sodium, magnesium, and calcium ions are stored to be disposed of.