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There are plenty of things that can go wrong with your water softener over time, and regular maintenance is a must if you want to ensure that your unit works consistently. Below are a few common issues with water softeners and some tips that will help you make your softener work more efficiently and last longer.

Avoid Salt Bridges and Salt Mushing: 

A salt bridge occurs when a hard crust forms in the brine tank and creates a space between the water and the salt. This prevents the salt from dissolving into the water to make the brine. You may notice an issue if your salt tank appears full, but your water seems hard. The best way to tell if you have a salt bridge is to take the end of a broom handle and press against the top of the salt wall. If the top of the salt collapses inwards, then you have a salt bridge.

Salt Mushing:

This is the more serious of the two issues and happens when dissolved salt recrystallizes to form sludge at the bottom of the tank. The thick layer of salt at the bottom keeps the water softener from properly cycling through the regeneration process and leaves the water hard and blocking the rest of the tank filtration. Salt mushing is probably the cause of hard water if you already tested for bridging. 

Be Selective with Your Salt Choice:

There are three basic types of water softener salts available for softeners: rock, solar, and evaporated. Rock salt, the least expensive of the three, contains higher levels of insoluble minerals or impurities and can muddy your tank over time, decreasing the softening elements. The second option is solar salt, which is more soluble than rock salt, is obtained by the evaporation of seawater, and is found in both pellet and crystal form. The last option is evaporated salt and is obtained through a combination of mining and evaporation and is the purest form of salt at 99.99% sodium chloride. 

By periodically checking your water softener, you can keep it running smoothly with little to no hard water occurring. Read more on other tips to ensure you have a fully functional water softener system here. 

Paul Undesser, WAQ Executive Director, announced Shelter-in-Place Directives for the COVID-19 pandemic on March 20, 2020. Undesser announced that certain water treatment businesses are deemed “essential” for sustaining life per the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 

The types of companies listed are; water treatment professionals, manufacturers, deliveries, and service providers point-of-use and point-of-entry (POU/POE) water treatment products and services. Due to the critical products and services these companies provide within the water drinking and purification industries, they provide crucial roles in life-sustaining activities.

The DHS issued advisory guidance to state, local, and tribal officials on March 19 regarding the assigning of essential workers who are critical to maintaining important operations and public works. The DHS labeled those within the plumbing, electrical, extermination, and other service providers “essential” who provide services that are necessary to maintaining safety, sanitation, and essential operations of residences. More on this announcement can be found here.

According to this article, a global survey was conducted showing an increase in the use of water softeners to create safe drinking water worldwide. Additionally, there has been a rise in awareness for utilizing water softeners for balancing the proper amounts of magnesium and calcium safe for drinking levels.

If a person drinks soft water with higher levels of magnesium or calcium, it can lead to increased health problems. Experts are also advising people to stay clear of water softener systems that use sodium instead of magnesium and calcium. 

Water softener systems that use magnesium and calcium can not only offer health advantages but also save you money when compared to other softener systems.

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency is in the process of reassuring residents that water from their tap is safe to consume. However, hundreds of people are crowding local grocery stores throughout the country to stock up on bottled water supplies due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Government officials have stated that conventional water treatment and disinfection removes any viruses, including the COVID-19, and no extra measures like boiling water will be necessary. In this article, the Salt Lake City Department of Public Utilities offers information on their website to advise customers and answer questions that the public may have regarding this matter. It is always a best practice to have a four-day supply of water for emergency precautions; however, the department has downplayed the need to stockpile water for the coronavirus outbreak.

Rust is commonly regarded as one element but is actually composed of several compounds that consist of iron and oxygen. Rust forms when free iron is exposed to oxygen and water. The water color in your home could be yellow, orange, or brown depending on the concentration of the rust. Typically, rusty water pipes on a well water system will have a higher concentration of iron leading to rusty water issues. Thankfully you can remove rust in your home with water softeners, oxidizing filters and sequestration.

Step 1: Connect an ion exchange water softener to your water supply. This device will contain sodium that will combine with the iron and remove the rust from your water.

Step 2: Install an oxidizing filter before the water softener line. This device will contain manganese oxides that will convert soluble compounds into insoluble compounds, which then will filter out of the water. Oxidizing filters are most appropriate for treat water with a moderate level of concentrated iron and where the pH is at least 6.8

Step 3: Use a solution feeder to add polyphosphates to your water supply. Polyphosphates contain phosphorus, which disperse in the water so the iron doesn’t form rust. However, a polyphosphate chemical feeder can be more expensive than other options. It is only recommended to use a polyphosphate feeder if the rust issues are severe enough warrant this option.

Step 4: Add about half gallon of bleach to your water supply. After adding the bleach, allow to water to sit for about 12 hours and run the water until no more bleach is present in the system. This system is most effective when the rust in your water is being produced by bacteria.

Read More on How to Effectively Remove Rust from Your Water Supply

A partial collapse of a seawall on the property that was holding aggregate dirt piles that potentially is contaminated with uranium has spilled into the Detroit River during the Thanksgiving weekend. The site has been marked as contaminated with uranium by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. Detroit Bulk Storage currently leases the site which was formerly owned by Revere Copper and Brass factory in the 1940s and 50s for use of World War II-era research and development, in an effort to build an atomic bomb. Regulatory agencies were not informed of the spill until days afterward and, of course, they are concerned about the impact it may have on the environment and the public water quality. To read more on this recent spill, click here

A new development has been made with the creation of plastic membranes that could be the solution to more effective and affordable options for water purification. These membranes are created by polymers that produce a shape like a fusilli pasta that has microscopic hydrophilic pores that attract water. The pores can capture the water molecules and ions of a specific size. This new finding shows that this membrane can catch the water particles that are unsuitable for drinking and can also catch lithium from the water that can then be reused for batteries. Developing countries can most definitely find this new research very valuable since nearly half of the world is having issues with water scarcity so these membranes can be very promising for creating new freshwater options and for large scale renewable energy storage. More information on this new development in membranes can be read here

When dealing with hard water, many homeowners know that hard water will affect the taste of their water, leave orange stains on many hard surfaces, create a more difficult time cleaning, and can cause damage to our appliances with time as hard water leaves behind mineral deposits. When looking at the effects hard water has on the environment, it is less known. In this article, many of the environmental elements that can be effected by hard water are discussed further. Some of the impacts can be positive, such as hard water playing an important role in pH regulation in water bodies that will make a difference for fish and other aquatic animals. Another positive point of view is for industrial building to create the ability to make concrete. On the other hand, there are many disadvantages of hard water such as with the pharmaceutical and textile industries with more waste created causing even larger problems. One thing is for sure that hard water should be treated in order to prevent the disadvantages from occurring in o outside our homes. It is recommended to have your water tested by local water experts and solutions such as a water softener can be put into place.

A solution to increasing problems of water quantity and quality that continues to worsen as the global population grows along with climate change is being explored more in-depth with the process of water desalination. The process of desalination uses the technology of reverse osmosis with large tanks full of sand filter impurities from seawater along with several hundred steel tubes with special membranes. The industry is expected to grow more in plant sizing in the next 5 to 10 years, but there are several obstacles that are still standing in the way such as costs and the brine remains and what will be most environmentally friendly options. More details on this topic can be read in this New York Times article. Reverse Osmosis is a great option for water filtration and can be a product used in your homes as well. If this system is something you would like to learn more about, contact Reynolds Water and a specialist would be happy to answer all of your questions.

In the wake of the Flint water crisis, former Governor Snyder and Governor Whitmer of Michigan put into place the strictest regulations for lead in drinking water across the nation. While the state has until 2040 to replace underground lead service lines that connect water lines to homes and buildings – the goal to reduce lead “action levels” from 15 parts per billion to 12, the federal limit takes time. Previously, Michigan only required testing on the first liter drawn. Now, our regulations require testing the fifth liter as well, which will expectedly detect more lead in our water.

To read more on this original news article click here