Why is it Important to Use a Water Softener?
We take water so much for granted that we forget how important it is in our lives. It is not only important for our body, but also a major proportion of our daily life is dependent on it. It is a fluid medium carrying things from one spot to the other. There are many reasons why it does this job so well and one of them is it can hold things well, either by dissolving or suspending them. But, unlike most tools we buy, water doesn’t carry an instruction manual with it. But if it would, you can know why there are spots seen on dishes you wash so clean or a film is left on everything which is touched by your shower and why the water which you thought clean clogged your pipes. Here the water softeners step in and water softener reviews will help you to choose the best one online.
What is Water Softening?
Softening of water means removal of magnesium, calcium and other such ions from hard water. When the water is at the ground level, various things are either dissolved or suspended in it when it passes through them. It may be unsafe for health, but it can also mean that such water carries various minerals occurring in the earth. Amongst these, magnesium and calcium are particularly important because they affect the ability of water to do various works in our homes. In other words they make water hard. So, it is important to soften the water.
What Does Hardening of Water Do?
Because of hardening of water, soaps and detergents don’t give the desired lather, because the soap gets combined with the minerals that make the water hard, instead of dissolving completely. This forms a coagulated curd. This increases the need of more soap. The sticky curd is insoluble in water and so, remains clung to our skin and hair making them dull and lifeless. In case of clothes and utensils, the curd keeps them unclean.
Besides affecting the process of washing, the insoluble curd deposits create spots on everything they touch. So, obviously it gets built up inside your plumbing system, thereby decreasing the flow of water towards taps or appliances like washing machines. In case of water heaters, these minerals build up a scale which decreases the efficiency and life of the appliance.
What is a Water Softener?
A water softener works on the principle of ion exchange and is engineered to remove positively charged ions and substitute them with sodium or potassium ions. Hard water consists of positively charged ions like calcium, magnesium and iron. The softening process frees water from these ions and reduces the risk of heater damage and tube scaling.
How is a Water Softener Installed?
A water softener is a mechanical tool that is plumbed in the water supply system of a home. Its heart is a mineral tank which is filled with tiny polystyrene beads, also called zeolite or resin. They carry a negative charge. As the hard water passes through the mineral tank, the positively charged ions of calcium and magnesium cling to the beads and the water is cleared off them. Sodium ions too have a positive charge, though not so strong as that on the calcium and magnesium ions. Water softeners have an individual brine tank which uses common salt to form brine solution. The brine solution when flushed through the tank the beads saturated with calcium and magnesium ions are cleaned off those ions.
Thus first hard water moves into the mineral tank and magnesium and calcium ions cling to the beads, substituting sodium ions, which in turn go in the water. When the beads get saturated with magnesium and calcium ions, a 3-phase regenerating cycles begins in the unit. First phase is of backwash which reverses water flow and flushes out dirt from the tank. Second is recharge phase, wherein the concentrated sodium-rich solution is flown from the brine tank in the mineral tank. Sodium gathers on the beads, taking place of magnesium and calcium, that go in the drain. After this phase is finished, the 3rd phase starts in which the mineral tank is cleaned of excessive brine and the brine tank is filled again.
WaterFilterShop.co.uk brings you water softeners that make you able to drink clean and healthy water. They are passionate about high quality water and work towards helping people drink healthier water.
