To Soften or Not

To Soften or Not To Soften

Softened water will leave no sediment or hard water sale deposits, in fact if there are already deposits within hot water tanks or on heating elements such as Immersion Heaters, kettles, dish washers and washing machines, coffee makers etc; the softened water will slowly dissolve it until the system is clear.

 Accumulated scale is a poor conductor of heat. In water heaters, accumulated scale insulates the water from the heat source. Numerous studies have shown that water heaters with scale build-up used more energy to deliver a given amount of hot water than heaters without scale build-up, just a small amount can make a difference, and a 1mm coating of scale can increase water heating costs by 15%.

 Studies have also shown that that the use of softened water in certain household  cleaning tasks lessened the time necessary to complete the them, permitted ease of cleaning, and contributed to savings in the amount of household cleaning products used, saving money and allowing much less chemical pollution into the drainage system and ultimately into the ground and water courses.

 

Water Quality Research Council's Water Supply Classifications

 Soft Water  0 to 17 ppm* per gallon

Slightly Hard Water  17 to 60 ppm per gallon

Moderately hard water  60 to 120 ppm per gallon

Hard Water 120 to  180 ppm per gallon

Very Hard Water Over 180ppm per gallon

 However it is not generally seen as a necessary requirement or economical advantage to have a water softener fitted even if water is moderately hard, although it is still beneficial to have one installed above 60 ppm.

 Once water reaches 180 it is very advisable to have one fitted, because the water now is considered very hard, however in most hard water areas 270 to 320 ppm can be found, with a few unfortunate areas can go as high as 400 plus ppm!

 *Calcium and magnesium ions present as sulphates, chlorides, carbonates and bicarbonates cause water to be hard. Water chemists measure water impurities in parts per million (p.p.m.).

 How to Reduce Hardness

 You can reduce water hardness by buying or renting a mechanical water softening tank and connecting it to your water supply line. According to the Water Quality Research Council, all recognized home water softening equipment now on the market operates on the ion exchange principle to remove hardness minerals from water. In this process, the water passes through a bed of softening material, usually ion exchange beads, which are micro porous. The beads are supersaturated with sodium to cover both their exterior and interior surfaces, thus having the ability to take on or give up electrical charges.

 The ion exchange process takes place as the hard water passes through the softening material. The calcium and magnesium attach themselves to the resin beads while the sodium in the resin beads is released simultaneously into the water. The process occurs billions of times during softening. Eventually, so much hardness collects on the softening material that the unit can no longer soften the water and recharging is necessary. Then, the softening material is washed automatically with a brine solution to replace the sodium and enable the ion exchange process to continue.

 Selecting a Water Softener

Buying a water softener requires comparison shopping and investigation. Here are some hints to assist you as you shop:

Expect prices to range from about £450.00 to more than £1200.00 Try to avoid both extremes. A cheap softener may probably be inferior and made to be cheap, there may be problems with spare parts or service/repairs, and may need replacing in a short period of time, a reasonable price for a good quality water softener, fully installed, that will last many, many years is about £750 to £950.00  if you only need to purchase one and not have it installed, then expect to pay £600 to £800 for a family of four in a very hard water area.

 Buy only from a reputable dealer. Be wary of door-to-door sales-people as they are normally very expensive and not necessarily a better machine!

 Decide on a system only after you have considered the cost of the equipment and its installation, the Warranty period and the possibility of the company being in business in a few years time.

 Choose only mainstream manufactures that have had a long history in the business, ask your water softener supplier about the control system, if it is either Fleck or Autotrol you will be safe as far as the control system goes.

 Can anyone use softened water?

 Everyone can use softened water and it has many advantages for those with sensitive skin, but people with or circulatory problems, extremely high blood pressure and those requiring a low sodium diet may not want to soften the water that they drink, people with heart or circulatory problems should discuss the question with a physician, however it is quite normal to bypass the water softener and have the kitchen cold tap left hard or better still have a hard water tap fitted along side of the normal tap.