Water Softening Systems – Are They Worth The Expense?
Water Softening Systems are another form of whole house water filter. They have been around for decades as a way to effectively and efficiently remove the hardness minerals calcium and magnesium from your water. Calcium and magnesium are the main constituents of cement. If you’ve ever had your hands in cement you know how it will dry and crack you skin from repeated exposure. The same thing happens to your skin with the hardness minerals in your water, just not as dramatically but gradually over time.
Water Softening Systems take care of the calcium and magnesium by a method called ion exchange. A typical softener will have resin beads inside the main softening tank that will attract the hardness minerals. Once the resin beads are saturated with the minerals they need to be flushed away by a process called regeneration. That is why most softeners use salt. Salt is a naturally soft mineral used in the regeneration of a water softener.
With typical Water Softening Systems you will have a brine tank that will hold the salt. When regeneration needs to occur the resin beads holding the hardness minerals will be flushed with the brine solution and the calcium and magnesium will be replaced and washed away by the salt solution. Some water softeners do this with a mechanical timer that is set to automatically regenerate the softener once or twice a week. How often you set it to regenerate will depend on the size of your family.
The more sophisticated Water Softening Systems will use a computerized timer that is simple to program. You put in information like how many people are in your household; the grains of hardness in your water, and what time you want it to regenerate. It will automatically program when the water softener regenerates based on the information you’ve programmed in. They’re more expensive than the mechanical timer but are well worth it in the long run. You will use much less salt and water to regenerate your system.
Good Water Softening Systems are well worth its weight in salt. There are many ways a water softener will save you time and money. Remember when I talked about how the hardness minerals dried out your skin? Think about it. You will be able to substantially cut down on the amount of lotions and potions you may be using to soften your skin. You will also be able to cut down or eliminate hair conditioners too.
Another benefit you will receive by using Water Softening Systems are a considerable reduction in the amount of soap you use. With hard water the soap actually has to encapsulate the minerals before it can do any cleaning. That is the soap scum you see lining your bathtub. And that can be a real pain to clean off. The same goes for your laundry and your dishwasher. Your clothes will come out cleaner with less soap used. Your dishes will not have the hard water spots you keep trying to rub off and you won’t have to use chemicals in the dishwasher to remove to eliminate the spots.
Water Softening Systems will also extend the life of your plumbing fixtures and appliances. The hot water heater will not fill up with hardness minerals and be more efficient in heating your water. Also your faucets won’t corrode from the calcium and magnesium build up associated with hard water.
I think you’re getting the idea that not having a water softener is costing you a lot more than having a water softener. There are many great brands on the market to choose from. You should look for a recognized brand name product that has a track record of reliability and a good warranty. By doing some research online I’m sure you will be able to find some fine quality affordable Water Softening Systems.
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Tags: Soft Water, Water Softener, water softeners, Water Softening Systems
