Answering Your Basic Water Softener Questions and Concerns

More and more people are choosing to install water softeners in their homes and offices.  There are many questions that we get asked regularly regarding our water softeners.  Are there actual health benefits that are derived from soft water?  How does the softener work so that it improves the quality of the water?  What are the drawbacks of not installing one?

What Does A Water Softener Do?

Water softeners are designed to remove calcium and magnesium from the water supply where is enters the home by process of reverse osmosis.  This is often referred to as ion exchange.  The hard water enters a series of the resin filters in the system containing tiny polymeric beads which are specially formulated to enable them to be charges with sodium ions.

As the hard water filters through the water softener, the ions of calcium and magnesium are exchanged for sodium ions.  Sodium, more commonly known as salt, is highly soluble, unlike calcium, and can remain in solution while your home water systems and not be deposited in the form of lime scale and scum as is the case with untreated hard water.  Once the resin filters have exchanged all their sodium charged ions for calcium and magnesium ions, it is a simple matter to recharge the water filter by flushing it through with a salt water solution.  Water softeners for the home come in a variety of sizes.  With the help our water conditioning experts it is simple to have a water softener that meets your capacity needs installed.

How Does A Water Conditioner Work?

Another alternative to water softeners is to install a water conditioner.  These are usually electrostatic or electromagnetic devices that work by introducing an electric charge to the water supply as it enters the home.  This encourages the formation of crystals within the water to which, when heated, the calcium particles will attach themselves instead of the pipe work or other metal work.  While lower in price and simpler to install they are not always the right choice for homeowners.  With extremely hard water a conditioner over a softener may not be as efficient and may lack the health benefits found with softened water.

One of the first things that most people notice after installing a water softening systems is the reduction in cleaning time spent on taps, showers, basins, just about everywhere that is touched by water.  Not only will you spend a fraction of your previous amount on cleaning products and other harsh chemicals, your new soft water will lather up much more than before allowing you to also save on household soaps, shampoo, and detergent.

By eliminating the buildup of lime scale in your pipe work, radiators and central heating boiler, enabling them to operate more efficiently, you will unintentionally save money on heating bills and prolong the lifespan of these units within your home.

Water Treatments and Health Benefits

Water treatments can also have health benefits.  By using fewer chemicals to clean yourself you will notice softer skin and hair without the need to purchase expensive moisturizers and conditioners.  Many customers have seen beneficial effects on skin conditions such as Eczema and Psoriasis.  Hard water, in recent studies, has shown to increase incidents of these conditions upwards of fifty percent.

Less obvious is the beneficial effects the fitting of a water softener installed at your home or business can have on the environment.  By drastically reducing the number of chemicals homeowners use in both personal hygiene and cleaning products not only will you save money but you will be producing far less wastewater that contains harmful materials.

At Reynolds Water Conditioning Company we are here to help make sure our clients don’t buy water treatment systems that they don’t need.  We are here to make sure you find a water softening system that gives you the results you are looking for, whether it is to remove iron or odor from you water; we have a solution that will help!  For more information contact our experts at 800.572.9575 or at our website https://reynoldswater.com.