Posts

Then and Now – Home Water Systems

/in /by

Living in a world of evolving technologies, it comes as no surprise to find that water treatment has come a long way since the first use of ion exchange in the early 1900’s. More surprising than advancement, however, is the complete turn around in perception regarding home water systems.

It used to be that water softeners were considered a luxury product, while others felt that soft water was something they could not afford. It was common to taste chlorine in water and to have spots and etching on glassware coming out of the dishwasher. Results of poor water quality were so common place many people simply came to expect them.  This was especially easy to see amidst the appliance industry. Washing machines and dishwashers from less than 10 years ago used exponentially more soap and water/ than the water and energy efficient models we see today.

Fast forward to 2019… Television, radio, magazines and even social media posts contain advertisements for water conditioning and everyone from big box stores to local plumbers seem to have a system to fit your budget. Chances are, even if you do not have a home water system of your own, your friends or neighbors do.

How was this revolution of perception achieved? While to some extent it grew from a general increase of understanding, changes in regulations by the Department Of Energy (DOE) helped serve as a catalyst.

In compliance with new DOE regulations, appliances have drastically reduced the amount of water they use. With this change, the the quality of the water those appliances use has become increasingly important. Many major appliance manufacturers, G.E. For one, have disclaimers in their warranty information regarding incoming water quality.

Why would water affect appliance warranties you wonder? The simple answer is that it will damage the appliance by either dissolving components of it, or by clogging them with mineral build-up. Dissolved minerals in the water can also bind with cleaning reagents, resulting in poor surface cleaning, or spots and etching on glassware.

Just as poor water quality can damage and shorten the lifespan of appliances, the same is true for plumbing, toilets, faucets and shower/bathtub fixtures.

In summary, water conditioning is not an eccentric luxury, but rather a practical investment that will protect your appliances, plumbing and fixtures, as well as improve your quality of living.

While still not common knowledge, a basic understanding of water conditioning and its usefulness beyond merely safe drinking water is growing. More and more homeowners and municipalities alike are discovering the money saving powers of softeners, neutralizers and other home water systems, such as, reverse osmosis systems, etc.

Understanding a Water Softener System

/in /by

You may have noticed some thick, scaly lines appearing on some of your home’s appliances. These deposits can also be found inside your home’s water pipes and as a result, you can hear a gushing sound when opening your water taps. These are symptoms of a supply of hard water to your home. Hard water doesn’t mean something strong or powerful. Water containing excessive minerals such as calcium, magnesium and manganese is classified as hard water.

If your home is supplied hard water, you’ll need a system to soften it. A water softening system essentially removes those excessive minerals, leaving soft water behind. A water softening system is composed of many components that harmoniously work together to remove excessive minerals, while at the same time adding some salts to restore the balance of ions in the water to be used at home.

How does a water softener work?

The principle operation of a water softener is known as ion exchange. Simply put, the softening of water involves the replacement of extra magnesium and calcium ions with sodium ions, resulting to the softening of water. To have an understanding of the water softening arrangement, let’s first get familiar with its different components.

Mineral Tank: Most of the action takes place in this tank. When entering this tank, magnesium and calcium ions in water, carrying a positive charge, get attracted by beads having a negative charge.

Brine Solution: The mineral tank on its inside has another layer, known as the brine tank, which holds a brine solution having a concentration of potassium or sodium ions. In exchange of calcium and magnesium ions, the softer provides these ions to water for maintaining an ionic balance.

Control Valve: To regulate the flow and pressure of water entering or leaving the tank, a control valve is included in the system. After the completion of the process of ion exchange, excessive minerals are kept behind, whereas soft water gets discharged through the pipes.

The process of water softener regeneration

Water softeners can be considered as filters or devices that are incorporated in water pipes of a plumbing system. Since the replacement of ions inside the tank necessitates the presence of salts plus minerals, we need to regularly regenerate the water softener to maintain the concentration of brine solution. Moreover, the tanks need to be cleaned without interrupting the delivery of soft water. Generally, the process of regeneration is automatic after you have setup the time limit. Most often, the maintenance of water softeners is carried through at night because it is convenient to temporarily stop delivering soft water. At the end of each service, the system resets for proper functioning once again.