Minerals and impurities, mainly calcium and magnesium, fill the water that flows out of our faucets and showerheads. These minerals are the reason why it’s called hard water, and hard water can cause a number of problems. With hard water flowing through our pipes, the minerals and impurities tend to accumulate inside our plumbing and result in clogged pipes. Aside from affecting the flow of water into showers and faucets, these minerals can also cause yellowish or brownish stains on your toilets, bathtubs, bathroom floors and tiled sinks.
Fortunately for us, hard water can be dealt with using a water softener. A water softener is just one of the many existing water treatment techniques designed to take out all the minerals and impurities in hard water. Essentially, a water softener cleans and purifies the water we use for cleaning, washing, bathing and drinking, and here’s how it works.
The water softening process
A water softener unit is usually installed near the place in your household plumbing where water used for drinking and washing enters the house. A typical water softener unit contains a few cubic feet of porous plastic resin, which are also covered by molecules that attract and bind to positive ions dissolved in the water.
The resin is normally coated by sodium positive ions, but the calcium and magnesium positive ions that naturally exist in hard water stick to the resin as water flows over it. As a result, the sodium ions are released into the water, which is meant to maintain a balance of electrical charge on the resin. As time goes by, the resin will eventually be loaded with magnesium and calcium ions, while sodium ions are released into the water. With those magnesium and calcium ions trapped in the resin, your water has effectively been softened and is good for use.
Maintaining the effectiveness of a water softener
To maintain a water softener’s effectiveness, the must be rinsed with a solution of saltwater or sodium chloride every few days. The sheer amount of sodium in the saltwater solution effectively displaces the calcium and magnesium ions from the resin and covers it with sodium ions once again. The remaining brine—and all of the calcium and magnesium trapped in the resin—are then flushed by the water softener through a drainpipe.
When you have a water softener installed at home, you will no longer be dealing with those stains in your fixtures. You can also say goodbye to those white spots that you see on dishes, glasses and silverware after they are washed. When bathing or washing, you will notice that soap, detergents and shampoo lather more than they used to. Most importantly of all, a water softener makes the water in your home even safer for drinking.
If you want to install a water softener in your plumbing system, you may need the help of a professional to make sure everything is properly installed. Just give us a call at Beez Neez Plumbing, and we can guarantee that you water softener will be up and properly running in no time at all.