Hard Water Effects
Water softeners are just what its name implies. They lessen the effects of hard water. Hard water within the water system is called that due to the abundance of minerals or metals like calcium and iron. Water that is considered hard is not toxic or dangerous. It simply causes water pipe challenges like clogs and blockages. It also creates home appliance problems and cleaning issues.
Mineral and Metal Content
Biologically, water makeup should have minerals and a certain amount of metals within its composition. Normal amounts of minerals in the water we consume helps to give plain river water its flavoring. Hard water is water that has too much of these natural elements within its symmetry. The problems that this type of water exhibits is where soft water conditioning is needed.
For example, hardened water leaves stains in clothes that are washed in it. You can have spots on your glassware and dishes. Serious water problems actually begin to smell and taste awful. If you see the color red and brown around your water systems, then you have hard water problems.
What Is Soft Water?
The definition of soft water is water that does not contain excess salts nor does it contain excess ions of the metal material that is formed in hard water (i.e., magnesium, calcium, and iron). Water softener systems reduce the effects and symptoms of hard water.
This process is called “regeneration.” Depending on the type of soft water system you use, one will remove all the minerals and replace the water with salt ions. Another system will remove the hardness while also disinfecting the system.
Pros and Cons
The main goal of soft water systems is to only treat the hard water issue. The truth about water softeners is a pro and con discussion. Let’s look at some issues:
A. Pros:
- Soft water systems deter the build-up of harsh minerals like limescale, allowing pipes to operate normally and last a lot longer.
- There is no need to scrub and scrape off mineral build-up on the shower or sink faucets.
- Your laundry will come out smelling cleaner and looking cleaner. You also save on laundry detergent because soft water keeps the fiber of our laundry healthy.
- When bathing or showering, soft water components keep your skin feeling softer and cleaner. Individuals who suffer from eczema receive greater relief when their water system is using softened water.
B. Cons:
- The problems in the use of soft water mechanisms are very minimal and are yet to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. For example, if soft water uses salt ions for softening, by drinking it every day could prove harmful. Also, unproven is that soft water deposits too much sodium into our blood system.
Exposing the Pros and Cons
Now, let’s look at proven research. Softened water does not affect how the body absorbs the helpful minerals that already exist in our bodies (i.e., calcium and iron). Yes, it helps to remove only excess minerals that are harming pipe materials, not the human body.
Another con is that water softener systems have a tendency to waste gallons and gallons of water which will drive up your water bill. This could prove true if your softened water system is of less high quality than grade than a Fleck water softener system. Present technology like Fleck uses high-efficiency models that helps to save both money and energy.
The benefits of using a soft water system like the Fleck water softener system is that it is highly qualified with the necessary metered controls. This water softener system also includes certified water specialists with the necessary parts, valves, and a complete system that is specifically designed to work in your home.
Many homeowners have heard that installing a soft water system will be too pricey for your budget. Will installing a soft water system cost you a little more, yes, it is called a long-term investment. Water softener’s run on electricity, i.e., water heater. Your water heater will work less because of the softened water system. Hard water forces the water heater to run higher temperatures with less efficiency, thus increasing your electricity bill and lessening the life of your water heater.
Proven Research
Having soft water in your life is far healthier and more economical in the long run than hard water. We are not pegging hard water as hazardous to your health because those claims have already been addressed by the National Institute of Health and the World Health Organization. Both agencies studied the impact of long-term use of hard water on health conditions like Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, heart disease, and fertility issues.
As harsh as hard water is on a home’s water pipes, it has not been proven that it affects the health of individuals. Hard water is a costly inconvenience to live with regarding its effect on other things in our home. Besides, soft water running through your pipes is far more economical and its results are more beneficial to live with.
Soft Water Regeneration
Let’s talk about soft water regeneration which is how it reaches your home. Regeneration is the process that delivers water from where your water connection source is located and sends it through the various tanks in an ion exchanging process right before it reaches your home. Softened regenerated water can be delivered via a meter system, on a timer, or it can be accomplished manually.
A metered regeneration process is more popular because as homeowner’s we are more accustomed to using a metered system in the use of our utility systems. It efficiently keeps track of your home’s water usage and notes how hard the water is. The metered water softener automatically keeps track of any changes in water usage to save salt.
A soft water meter regenerates naturally to help keep families from running out of soft water and it features a backup memory capacitor that kicks in when a power outage occurs. A timer regeneration soft water system is a scheduled (once a week) process. Lastly, the manual regeneration solution is just as it sounds. Homeowners will manually soften their water levels whenever it is necessary.
Softened Water Endnote
Homeowners and businesses are looking at soft water systems to save money, energy, and promote better health and enhance environmental concerns. Environmentally, the daily use of softened water is proving to lessen our dependence on fuel usage in our homes, to lessen the amount of water we use every day and its direct positive impact on the planet.
