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Water Softeners are a good investment. They protect all your bathroom and kitchen fixtures from calcium and lime build up which over time ruins the seats of faucets and clogs the spigots. Water softeners also protect hot water tanks and humidifiers as well from scale build up. Water tank life span is substantially increased as if the heating system is not hindered by accumulated scale. Scale accumulates faster in the hot water system because the physical action of heating the water causes the suspended calcium, magnesium and lime to become solid and attach to surfaces, in the case of a hot water tank it falls to the bottom. Over time scale can take up the lower 1/3-1/2 half of the tank meaning a lot of the heat used to heat the water isn’t reaching the water but is impeded by the scale build up. This means lower efficiency and therefore higher energy bills.
Water softeners also allow soaps and cleaners to work more efficiently and therefore save money as the amount used is reduced substantially as the magnesium and calcium isn’t present to bond with the molecules of the cleaners to make a water insoluble soap curd. Soap curd(what most of the ring around the bathtub is) can’t dissolve and remains as soap curd. Clothing also lasts longer and stays brighter as magnesium and calcium do not build up and cause premature wear and fading of fabrics. Dishes don’t etch due to the absence of the minerals which cause etching. Dishes also require less detergent and dry with almost no spotting due to the natural sheeting action of soft water.
Water softeners also help ones skin retain proper moisture and oil content which reduces itching and dry skin. People with skin disorders such as eczema should consider a softener as it may help minimize the symptoms.
A true water softener uses either salt or potassium to cause an ion exchange. During the ion exchange process salt or potassium which are water soluble and remain suspended in the water regardless of water temperature and do not stick to surfaces. The magnesium and calcium are attracted to the resin in a softener on a molecular level. When the resin reaches its capacity the softener recharges ands flushed the removed minerals down the drain.
Softeners either recharge on at a set time every day or two or they recharge based on water usage. Kinetico brand softeners are use a water meter system and a dual tank system to ensure you always have soft water and that it only recharges when a set number of gallons pass through the system based on local water hardness. Kinetico softeners also use only a pound of salt per regeneration so even people on salt restricted diets can use a Kinetico. (make sure you check with your doctor though) Kinetico softeners put the equivalent amount of salt as a piece of white bread into an 8oz glass of water.
A word about salt-less water “softeners”. In truth they do not work. The claims made go against both physics and chemistry principles and laws. People are often told that the water has been made soft even though if tested it will test as hard. The reality magnesium and calcium can only be removed by a chemical/ionic process. If those minerals are in the water they will over time cause scale. For more on this check with the Canadian Water Quality Association under consumer alerts. Also check with the BBB as many complaints have been lodged against sellers of salt-less “softeners”
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