Dublin Water Softener Installation Professional
Before we dive into what these systems are, it’s first important to understand what hard water is. Hard water is water that has a high concentration of minerals like calcium and magnesium. These minerals can prematurely deteriorate your plumbing components and make it harder for your water heater to heat up your water.
A water softener system is specifically designed to remove these minerals from your water to stop the damaging effects that they can have on your plumbing system.
There are many great reasons to consider investing in a water softener system for your home, such as:
- Getting rid of limescale buildup
- Extending longevity of plumbing components
- Smoother hair and skin
- More efficient water heater
- Higher property resale value
- Cleaner dishes and clothes
All water softeners work via an ion exchange process. Inside its main tank is going to be a plethora of polystyrene resin beads. All of these beads are negatively charged with a sodium ion. As hard water flows into the main tank, the magnesium and calcium in the water adhere to the resin beads. This is because the positive charge of the minerals is naturally attracted to the negative charge of the sodium.
As the mineral passes through the resin bead, it will force out the sodium and get stuck inside the bead. The sodium is then released into the water in very trace amounts. Once all the minerals get removed from the water, it’s considered soft and will flow through your plumbing system with ease.
Your water softener will have a small tank that sits behind the main one, referred to as the brine tank. This tank is responsible for regenerating all the resin beads inside the main tank. Every so often it will flush a specialized brine solution into the main tank that will flush out all the minerals from the resin beads. This will also help to recharge the resin beads with sodium so that they can continue to remove more minerals from your drinking water.
A water softener should be as close to the main water shut-off valve for your home as possible. This will allow it to treat water as soon as it comes into your house before it gets delivered to your water heater and other plumbing fixtures.