Waterimp

What is a Water Softener?

A water softener is basically an appliance that works with sodium chloride to treat hard water.

Sodium Chloride is also known as salt. Hard water holds an abundance of minerals, for example, calcium, magnesium, manganese, and press that might be an exorbitant annoyance for a home. These minerals are consumed in the underground water supply and, as the water is warmed in the home, they solidify and stick to family unit surfaces. Sodium chloride, the effective elements of water softener, attempts to replace these unwanted minerals.

A water softener is a decently simple machine that is heavily stocked with salt. The supply of water passes through the softener machine over resin beds, where the rows of these beds perform ionparticle trade. The resin beds artificially draw in the unwanted "hard" mineral ions and exchange them with sodium particles.

Once the resin beds get saturated, the water softener machine flushes them out of the system with a salt solution – brine. The process takes place again until the water is thoroughly cleaned of other minerals. Water softeners are incredibly simple to work on. All that needs to be carried out after installation is to add sodium chloride, and the machine does the rest. Water softeners are made with three basic components: mineral tank, control valve and brine tank. Low capacity models combine mineral and brine tanks into one cabinet, but the two works separately. On the other hand, larger capacity systems have separate mineral and brine tanks.

Mineral Tank: All the real action takes place inside the mineral tank. It is a component where the water filtration process takes place and the minerals like calcium and magnesium are removed. Thus, the hard water is softened.

Brine Tank: In this tank the highly concentrated salt solution or potassium is stored.

Control Valve: The control valve in the water softener is the device that controls the water flow in and out of the mineral tank and brine tanks during the regeneration process.

Bathing is one of the best ways to tell if your home has a hard water supply. If the water feels hard, soapy and salty, then it is the hard water that you are getting. Such water can build up soap scum in the bathroom and sinks, which is difficult to remove. The soapy scum is the mineral deposit left by hard water. This can also built up on dishes, appliances, coffee makers and other dishwashers.

Though soap scums are great indicators for hard water, the inability for the soap to lather is also one of the reasons why you should definitely invest in one water softener. The minerals present in hard water can cause a lot of major problems with plumbing pipes and appliances like water heaters and dishwashers. The chemical like calcium, magnesium, and the other minerals present in the hard water can build up in pipes and begin to interfere with drainage and water pressure systems. Such build-ups can lead to frequent pipe blockages.

There are various models available in the market to choose from. You should always choose a model that best fit your budget and requirements.