At times, you notice that the water you use to wash your hands feels different. You have also probably sensed that water often tastes peculiar when you drink from a tap, usually in someone else’s place or at a restaurant. Most likely, the water you drank was hard water, which is generally safe to drink. There is no reason to worry yet about falling sick.
While some prefer to have hard water in their homes, others prefer having soft water instead. You might not know it, but the place you currently live in might have water softeners installed. There are companies like Dowdens Pumping and Water Treatment that are specialised in providing water treatment services for softening water. Now, you might have several questions about water softening methods.
FAQ #1: What is soft water?
Water has all sorts of minerals, including magnesium and calcium. These minerals are found in both soft and hard water. However, soft water contains lesser quantities of these minerals compared to hard water.
FAQ #2: How do water softeners work?
A water softener is a unit that eliminates the excess minerals from water and makes it more efficient. Also known as ion exchange units, they remove traces of minerals in the water, such as magnesium and calcium. There are resin beads inside your water softening system that trap the calcium and magnesium minerals and replace them with potassium and sodium. In the process, the resin beads get filled with magnesium and calcium. Once it is full, a high-concentration of potassium or a salt solution will remove the minerals from inside the beads. After it passes through the beads, the salt solution is made to exit through the drain.
FAQ #3: Is it necessary for every home or building to have water softeners?
Installing water softeners is not a prerequisite for every residential or commercial property. You may only need to install a water softening system if the water hardness is higher than 120 mg/L. Having a high water hardness can cause significant issues with your appliances or give the water a foul smell and taste.
FAQ# 4: What benefits can installing a water softener give?
You will be glad to know that a water softening system can provide many benefits to the user. Some of these benefits are:
- Eliminate mineral build-up inside pipes, water heaters, and fixtures.
- Prevent mineral marks on glassware.
- Increase the lifespan of appliances.
- Reduce detergent curd and soap films in bathrooms, washing machines, and kitchen sinks.
FAQ #5: How to use water softener correctly?
To get the maximum benefit from your water softener, the initial installation must be done perfectly. You can find well-known companies like Dowdens Pumping and Water Treatment that can do the installation for you. After the installation of the water softener, you can either read the instruction manual that came with the system or get your concerns solved by the company that installed it. It is best you ask the installers so that everything goes smooth for you.
These are some of the many questions that owners of water softener systems may have. As long as you have a high-quality water softener system, you will not have any issues or complications using it.