Across the globe, the majority of home and commercial building owners have asked themselves, “do I need a water softener for my property?” Chances are the answer has been yes, especially in locations with a hard water problem. Hard water contains higher levels of dissolved minerals than soft water including magnesium and calcium. Aqua Soft Palm Beach, experts in water treatment in Palm Beach and Broward County, explain why having a water softener in your home or commercial enterprise can be beneficial.
Why do you use a water softener?
The dissolved minerals found in hard water make it unsuitable as they may result in soap deposits in bathtubs, spotty dishes, or scaly layers in equipment such as faucets and showerheads. Hard water can adversely affect appliances, too, as it restricts the flow of water, reduces heater efficiently, which leads to more wear and tear. So, why do you need a water softener?
More savings
When using soap or washing powder with hard water, the magnesium or calcium ions do not allow for efficient cleaning or lathering. Thus, you may end up using much more of these products while washing your dishes, laundry or car. Soft water, on the other hand, easily removes impurities and creates lather, improving the washing process. Thus, you can save more time, effort and cleaning products if you use soft water.
Heater efficiency
The blockages created by deposits through the use of hard water in heaters can greatly reduce their service life and damage the entire appliance. The scaly sediments and deposits prevent the transfer of heat into water as they act as an additional layer of insulation. However, using soft water can melt away these deposits and enhance the efficiency of your heater once again.
Improving skin conditions
Having a bath or shower in hard water can lead to excessive use of soap and other washing products to ‘feel’ cleaner. This can result in eczema or other skin conditions that occur when in contact with soap scum, a chalky residue that is insoluble in water. Clothes washed in hard water can also feel more abrasive to the touch and cause skin irritation.
Better for washing vehicles
Washing your vehicles in hard water results in the deposit of chalky residues on the surface, which in turn can damage the paint job. Using a water softener to soften the water is a more effective way to wash your car as it does not degenerate the paint and gets rid of all the impurities too.
How do water softeners work?
Simply put, water softeners replace the negative ionic minerals in hard water with positive ions to turn the water soft. Thus, this ion exchange removes magnesium and calcium and replaces them with either sodium or potassium.
To explain in a more technical manner, the water softener tank consists of resin beads that have a negative charge. The positively charged minerals stick to the resin beads, turning the water soft. Once the resin beads have reached their maximum capacity, the softener tank must be cleaned or flushed of all impurities. Usually, efficient water softeners can regenerate after a preset amount of gallons while still softening the water.
So, if you ever find yourself asking, ‘do I need a water softener?’ give us a call. The experienced staff at Aqua Soft Palm Beach can come review your property, the quality of your water and recommend the right way forward.
