Do I Need a Water Softener?
To put it bluntly, if you have hard water, you probably need a water softener. It seems that the vast majority of US homes have a problem with hard water—85% is the current estimate. Hard water is caused by calcium and magnesium in the water, and some folks have much more of these minerals in their water than others.
There are things to look for to see if you have a hard water problem. For instance, if you have scaly, white deposits in basins or on fixtures in your bath or kitchen, you most likely have a hard water problem. Additionally, water spots on glasses and dishes are another sign, especially if these spots don’t seem to go away.
While hard water is a problem, it won’t harm your health, but it will harm your material possessions. Not only can hard water do damage to glassware and leave deposits in sinks and showers, it can decrease the life span of your home’s plumbing. Combating issues like these with a water softener is the answer, and the harder your water is, with more calcium and magnesium, the more you will benefit from owning one.
What Does a Water Softener Do?
Water softeners are a type of appliance that are hooked into your home’s water supply. They use a process called ion exchange, and during this process, they swap out sodium ions for the minerals that make the water hard.
There are different types of water softeners, and working with our professionals can help you to determine which type of system is right for you. There are some that automatically regenerate and work on a regular schedule with an electric timer. Another sort of system will use a computer to keep track of water usage, and will regenerate the system with soft water at the right time. Yet another type of water softener uses mechanics to measure actual usage and to determine the point to begin the recharge process.
The resulting soft water that the system puts out will have many benefits. For instance, many people report that they feel cleaner after washing in soft water. Lots of folks report needing to use less soap, shampoo, laundry detergents, cleaning agents, and the like after a water softener was installed. Of course, the water softener leads to less mineral build up in the plumbing system, so one of the most notable things a water softener does is prevent costly plumbing problems due to scaly buildups in your plumbing system.
