So, you moved to a new house and got everything set except for one thing– your water. It stinks, tastes unpleasant, and feels hard on the skin. Aside from checking your water pipes, you might want to consider getting a water softener.
These are just some of the possible effects of hard water in your household. Of course, you don’t want to risk your health on hard water.
The best way to get rid of hard water is through a water softener. But, you might be wondering: how does a water softener work? And what do they do? Let’s define first what is a water softener.
What is a water softener?
A water softener is a water filtration system installed in a household to remove unwanted minerals from the water. Unlike hard water, softened water doesn’t damage your plumbing system or cause a build-up of scale in your appliances.
Water softener comes in different varieties and sized to cover your entire home. These water systems are typically in the basement or the backyard.
Most water softeners consist of a tall and narrow water-softener tank and a short and wide brine tank. Tubes are connected to these tanks and to your water supply to run the system. There’s also a discharge host from the softener tank to a dry well.
Here’s how the system works:
As soon as the water enters the water softener tank, resin beads will be the first on the line. Resin has a negative charge, which attracts positive charges in the water.
This process is more known as ion exchange. The mineral deposits then cling to the beads and exit the water softener tank through the discharge hose.
After a long while, these resin beads will reach their maximum capacity. If so, they won’t be able to catch mineral ions anymore. At that point, the softener tank needs to be regenerated. Here comes the brine tank to the rescue.
A computer calculates the amount of water that comes into your water softener tank. The tank will start to regenerate once the pre-program setting is achieved.
Salty water from the brine tank fills up the water softener tank through a tube during the regeneration process. A rinse cycle takes place. The saltwater washes the minerals stuck on the resin beads.
If you’re planning to get a water softener, make sure that a professional well-water contractor will do it for you. The water softener also varies in price, depending on the size you need. Expect to pay a few hundred dollars, including the installation fee. It’s an investment, after all.
There’s nothing healthier than having fresh water at home. Without worrying about the possible issues on hard water, a water softening system gives you worry-free water at reach.
