Many homes around the world suffer from clogged water pipes, annoying soap scum, and stinky water. Unfortunately, so many homes have a problem that they didn’t know they had, hard water. Read on to learn about how hard water affects your whole household and what you can do to stop it.
What is Hard Water?
Hard water is the result of harsh minerals such as magnesium, iron, and calcium that affect the water supply. While some argue that these minerals are harmless to drink, there are a lot of other negative effects that those who suffer from harsh water have to deal with. These issues include but are not limited to:
- Clogged pipes
- Funny tasting and smelling water
- Strange stains on surfaces such as toilets, showers, etc.
- Smelly laundry
- Appliances are deteriorating
How Can I Fix my Hard Water Problem?
The key to all of your hard water problems is investing in a quality water softener. A water softener is a unit used to remove the harsh minerals that cause the water to be hard.
They use ion exchange to remove ions such as magnesium and calcium and replace them with sodium ions. The unit captures these minerals and stores them in a separate tank, leaving behind pure clean water.
A new process then begins called regeneration. Regeneration is essential to ensure that the unit can continue operating efficiently and can clean itself when necessary. During the process, all of those minerals that were captured in the secondary tank can now be used in a reversed ion exchange.
This is initiated by water softener salts that soften the minerals. The salts (solar, evaporated, or rock) should be refilled at least once a month by the homeowner to ensure that the unit continues working as it’s supposed to. The average life span of a well-maintained water softener can be more than thirty years!
Can I Afford a Water Softener in my Home?
While everyone has a different budget, the benefits of a quality water softener outweigh any of the costs that are associated with buying one. When you invest in a water softener, you are actively improving the life of you and your family.
Though a unit can range from $400 to $4,000, the costs that you are cutting later down the road should play a significant role in your decision. Think about it. Clogged drains will cause you to spend tons of money on drainage products and or repetitive plumbing treatments.
Stinky clothes will lead to you running the washing machine twice as much as you normally would just to get the stench out. So while you may feel like you are saving money by not buying a water softener, you may actually be cheating yourself out of savings later down the road.
What was once regarded as a luxury is now easily accessible to homes all around the world. Long gone are the days of embarrassing toilet stains, dry itchy skin caused by hard water, and funky tasting H2O. By contacting your local plumber today, you are one step closer to pure, soft water that can be appreciated by the whole family!