How Well Do Water Softeners Work?
Water softeners can help you to improve your home’s water quality and protect your appliances and pipes from damage. However, they do require some maintenance. If you’re in the market for a water softener, be sure to research the product you’re considering. Your home’s water supply should be tested periodically to ensure that the softener is working properly.
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Generally, water softeners work by removing calcium and magnesium minerals from the water, replacing them with sodium ions. In doing so, they also reduce the concentration of other minerals. Since calcium and magnesium ions have a positive charge, they are attracted to the resin beads. This ion exchange process helps to create soft water that doesn’t have scale and doesn’t destroy your home’s piping.
You can choose between two types of water softeners: demand-control and timed models. Typically, the demand-control models have programmable timeclocks and electrical and mechanical sensors. These models regenerate after so many gallons of softened water have been passed through the unit. The price of a softener depends on its size and features. It is important to remember that the more convenience features you have, the more expensive the softener will be.
A salt water softener is the most common type of water softener. The device uses a large tank of salt pellets to replace the magnesium and metal ions in the water with sodium ions. Sodium ions are not as damaging to the body as calcium ions. They also aid in fluid balance and nerve impulses.
When you use a salt water softener, you’ll experience a difference in the way you feel and smell when you’re drinking water. Using a softener can reduce the amount of detergent that you use in your shower, which helps to eliminate the soap film that forms on your skin. Softer water can help to relieve the symptoms of conditions such as eczema. Also, the softened water won’t damage your hot water heater, showerheads or faucets.
Depending on the size and number of gallons of water that you use, your water softener will need to regenerate at least once per week. The regeneration cycle is dependent on the size of your home. For example, if you have a smaller home, the regeneration cycle will be more frequent. But if you have a larger home, you will need to use more gallons of water to regenerate your softener.
Some water softeners also have a brine solution that you’ll need to keep on hand. This is a highly concentrated solution of salt, a brine solution can drive calcium and magnesium ions off the resin beads. Once the beads have been removed from the brine solution, the salty water is flushed away. Brine solution can be filled with salt pellets or potassium chloride.
In addition to making your water soft, a water softener can also remove harmful chemicals from your water supply. Usually, a water softener’s brine solution contains a small amount of chlorine and fluoride to help kill bacteria that might be in the water.