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Here are the answers to most asked questions about home water softeners
Despite the popularity of the water softening system, one can have a million questions when the installation of a water softener is in consideration. For your convenience, we have compiled a list of some frequently asked questions related to water softeners
Why Is Water Softening Applied?
- Water softening is an important process that helps to reduce the hardness of household water. This process is performed by a unit called a water softener. This water softening unit removes the minerals from water that causes it to become hard. Hard water otherwise, would cause serious damage by clogging the pipes which require costly repairs. Deposition of limescale on pipes and appliances reduces their efficiency and increases their workload.
Thus increasing the energy bills up to 20%. Water softening prolongs the life span of machinery such as washing machines, and water heaters. It improves the working as well as durability of many water-based appliances.
What Does A Water Softener Do?
- Water softeners remove positively charged ions from the hard water through the ion exchange method. These ion exchangers remove calcium and magnesium ions that are referred to as hard minerals. Water softeners can remove iron from the water. 5 mg/L of dissolved iron can be removed by a softening device.
There are three different ways of operating water softeners depending on the amount of hardness they can eliminate before regeneration. These include:
- Automatic
- Semi-automatic
- Manual
The hardness minerals are collected in the conditioning tank. These minerals are flushed out by the water softener from time to time. Ion exchangers substitute the calcium and magnesium ions in the water with other ions such as sodium or potassium. These ions are added as salts of sodium (NaCl) and potassium (KCl) to the ion exchanger reservoir.
What Type Of Salts Are Sold For Use In A Water Softener?
- There are three types of salts sold in the market for application in a water softener.
Rock Salt
- Rock salt is a mineral that is naturally present in the ground. Traditional mining methods are used for obtaining this salt from the ground. The amount of sodium chloride in the rock salt ranges between 98 to 99%. Its most important component is calcium sulfate which has a water insolubility level of about 1.5%.
Solar Salt
- Solar salt is obtained by evaporating seawater. It is a natural product that contains 85% sodium chloride. It is sold in the form of crystals that have a water insolubility level below 0.03%.
Evaporated Salt
- It is extracted through the mining of underground salt deposits. Energy is used for evaporating the excess moisture. It also contains up to 99.9% sodium chloride.
Which Salt Should Be Used In A Water Softener?
- When rock salt is used the water softening reservoir needs regular and frequent cleaning. Because it leaves residues of water-insoluble matter. This is cheaper than the other two forms of salts. The process of reservoir cleaning takes a lot of time and energy. However, solar salt has more content of insoluble matter as compared to evaporated salt.
The decision to use a certain type of salt is made by considering:
- The amount of salt required
- Design of the water softener
- How often cleaning is needed
Is Softened Water Safe To Drink?
- Softened water is perfectly safe to drink because it contains all the natural minerals needed by the body. Only the unwanted minerals are removed by water softeners. Water should not contain higher than 300 mg/L of sodium.
If you are all set for installing a water softener in your home, call us at 832-772-5501. Or get in touch with our Proline Plumbing team to have your plumbing issues fixed. We are located in Houston, Texas.