An Introduction to Home Water Softeners
Home water softeners have essentially one prime function, to soften your water. They remove the naturally occurring calcium and magnesium ions that make your drinking water hard and can make it taste bad.
Some symptoms of hard water
- Difficulty getting good results when washing your clothes. Clothes often look dull and stains may be hard to remove.
- Scale build up on utensils, inside pipes and in sinks and around faucets, shower heads and in appliances.
- Possibly an unpleasant smell.
The benefits of a water softener
- Less scale build up on pipes, shower heads, faucets and appliances means less maintenance.
- Reduced smells from your water.
- Better for showers and baths because your skin feels cleaner.
- Clothes feel softer when washed with soft water.
- Less soap required when water is soft.
The most common types of water softeners
A water softener is basically a tank with an inlet and an outlet that is filled with very small, solid, plastic beads coated with resins that can make your water soft through a process called ion exchange. Some systems use zeolite, which is a complex, naturally occurring product that can perform the same action.
The plastic beads are coated with sodium ions. When the water containing magnesium or calcium ions passes over these beads, the sodium ion changes place with the ions of magnesium and calcium. They are absorbed by the surface resin of the beads and the sodium ions get released. Because of this exchange of ions, these are known as ion exchange systems.
When all the sodium of the resin is replaced with the magnesium or calcium ions the system goes through a regeneration process with either common salt (sodium chloride) or potassium chloride.
Some catalytic systems remove the ions that make water hard and put them in suspension without introducing sodium or potassium into the water. These systems employ a carbon filtration system to remove sediment and chemicals from the water in which the calcium and magnesium salts are separated from the water molecules. There are some non-sacrificial catalytic alloy-based water softeners that have a core capable of acting as a catalyst in electro chemical changes.
Water softeners can be broadly classified into two groups.
- The whole house system which conditions the water for your entire home.
- The under-sink or counter top system which provide a few gallons or liters of high-quality drinking water at a time.
With ion exchange systems, the amount of sodium dissolved in the water during the softening process may pose health hazards to patients suffering from hypertension, diabetes, high blood pressure, or other heart and blood related diseases. The potassium and sodium are dehydrating in nature and can prevent the absorption of consumed water into the body’s cells.
Some Other Filter Systems are Often Referred to as Water Softeners
Reverse osmosis filters
A reverse osmosis water filter is most versatile and effective for point of use filtration. They are compact, can produce sufficient amounts of water to meet your daily needs, and can be combined with your whole house water softening system.
Reverse osmosis is a process that is capable of removing unpleasant taste, odor, and some dissolved minerals from your water. However, it cannot remove bacteria or other micro-organisms. In this case, you can combine steam distillation or UV treatment with your water softener.
The reverse osmosis membrane needs periodic replacement because it becomes less effective with time. They usually lasts for a couple of years. The more pre filters provided for a reverse osmosis system the longer the life of the osmosis membrane.
Steam Distillation
Steam distillation is free from the disadvantages of reverse osmosis.
- These systems are compact
- Have longer usability.
- Can purify water almost by 99%.
- Can be remotely placed anywhere in your home and are easy to relocate.
- Don’t waste water like RO systems.
Distillers are capable of removing iron and other minerals common in well and municipal water supplies. They require frequent cleaning to physically remove chemicals, salts, and other residue accumulates inside the unit. When determining if you want to use a distiller or not you have to consider the electrical costs associated with using this equipment.
Essentially, a water softener should be able to work as a household sediment filtration system that makes water soft without causing additional problems for you. It should eliminate the problems of scale formation inside pipes and water heaters and it should be easy to clean and operate.
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