Express Plumbing Heating & Air Blog
Let’s start off with simply what a water softener is. A water softener is a device or substance that softens hard water by removing certain minerals. Hard water is water that has high mineral content. As rainwater flows from surface to surface it acquires certain minerals along the way. Such as calcium and magnesium salts. You can tell you have hard water by the stains they cause, fogginess in glasses, or spots formed.
Having hard water takes a toll on your dishes when washing them as well as yourself. Having hard water can cause itchy dry skin or dull hair. This is due to the increase in calcium and salt in the water. This causes the effectiveness of soaps, detergents, and shampoos to be considerably less effective. When washing clothes with hard water it could cause white clothes to seem more grey than white. As well as leaving your colored clothes far less vibrant. You can test for hard water at home in a simple way. Place a dish with a small amount of water and soap in the sink. Let it sit for a few moments, then shake off the remaining bubbles. The minerals react with the soap and become present.
There are different types of water softeners such as ion exchange and salt-free. Ion exchange replaces the calcium and magnesium in water with salt, potassium, and hydrogen. The ion exchange water softener passes water through the resin bed and the hardness mineral ions in the water are exchanged for sodium.
The salt-free water softener does not use chemicals or remove any minerals from the water. These water systems change the structure of the molecules in the water from scale building to non-scale building. Salt-free water softeners are more appealing because there are no new chemicals introduced to your water, it requires less maintenance by not having to purchase additional salt, and they don’t require electricity.
When purchasing or installing a water softener it is always best to speak with a professional about it, as well as have a professional install it in your home or business. The next time you need a new water softener or would like to purchase one be sure to call Express Plumbing Service and our technicians will be glad to help in any way they can!
