With more than 30 years’ experience in the residential and commercial water treatment space, Mark Nelson is a Class 1 Drinking-Water Operator and a CBWA (Canadian Bottled Water Association) Certified Plant Operator. As founder and president of Nelson Water in Ottawa, Mark focuses on dealing with challenging water treatment system designs for problem water. He also heads the largest water bottling plant in the city of Ottawa with a delivery network throughout the Valley.
Many homes receive a supply of hard water and it can affect our lives in a number of ways. Hard water can damage our plumbing pipes, it degrades the effectiveness of soaps and detergents and it can even harm our appliances. With all these negative consequences and many more that are beyond the scope of this article, it’s natural to consider alternatives. Making a switch to softer water brings a lot of benefits, it’s kinder on your skin and hair and it won’t damage your pipes, fixtures and water using appliances. A professional water softener installation is the only way to remove the hardness from the incoming water supply. In this article, we will explain what hard water is and how the water softening process works.
Understanding Hard Water
Many people have heard the term hard water, but it can be a tricky concept to understand and this can make the problem harder to deal with. Hard water is water that contains an elevated level of dissolved mineral content including calcium, magnesium and to a lesser extent iron (depending on where you live).
In its natural state, water does contain a certain ratio of dissolved minerals because it’s a solvent. In fact, given sufficient time water can dissolve a wide variety of materials and these are added to its makeup. When water falls on the ground as rain, it soaks into the earth, through soil, rock and sand deposits. These materials are added to the water as it reaches underground aquifers or as it flows into surface bodies of water, including streams, rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
The minerals are not a threat to your health, but they make the water harsh and harder to use for various tasks around the home. The evidence of hard water can be seen in the formation of limescale, soap scum, dry skin, longer laundry cycles, spotty glassware, and more. Dealing with the effects of hard water will only address the surface issues and the only way to fix the problem is to remove the hardness from the water. The only reliable way to make the incoming water soft is to install an ion-exchange water softener in your home.
Does Water Softening Make the Water Salty?
There are a few different water softening methods, but the only one that delivers consistent results uses an ion-exchange process. At the heart of this system are small resin media beads that are positively charged to exchange minerals for salt ions. This has led to a common misconception that salt is added to the softened water. Although the process relies on the addition of special salt to a brine tank, this is not added to the water. The exchange occurs at the resin beads and salt is necessary for that process to occur. Although the salt levels may increase slightly, this occurs on a scale that most people would not be able to detect. Only people on low sodium diets or those with a low tolerance for salt would notice any changes. For people that are susceptible to the effects of sodium, there is an alternative potassium-based alternative. Potassium is still a salt, but it’s more benign than sodium and it’s a good choice for salt sensitive people. If you’re worried about water softening salt, consult your doctor for more information.
How Does a Water Softener Work?
The aforementioned resin media beads are held in a tank where they interact with the incoming hard water supply. The surfaces of the beads are where the hard minerals in the water are exchanged with the sodium or potassium ions. As the surface of the beads becomes coated in mineral ions, it becomes less efficient and eventually, it would stop working entirely. To prevent this the water softener has a regeneration cycle. During this cycle, the surfaces of the resin media beads are flushed clean with water. This mineral rich wastewater is then directed to the drain and the media is ready for use again. The water used to wash the beads clean comes from a brine tank where the water softening salt is added. Keeping the brine tank topped up and free from salt bridging issues when the salt cannot reach the water is important.
How Do I Know When to Run a Regeneration Cycle?
There are a couple of ways that a regeneration cycle works and they are both automatic processes that you can set and forget. The only consideration is a major change in the home that affects the volume of water that you’re using on a daily basis. A prime example would be a kid leaving for college or a new person moving in. When the water softener regeneration cycle is not optimized, it can result in unnecessary water wastage. This can increase your water bills for no reason and it makes sense to make the process as efficient as possible. Let’s take a look at the two regeneration cycle timing methods in more depth. They are:
1. The Timer
An older or less expensive modern water softener may have a regeneration cycle timer that will run the cycle at a set time each day. This usually occurs at night when the home is quiet and there is no demand for softened water. The water softener will go into standby mode as the regeneration cycle is conducted. There will still be access to water if you need it, but it will contain hard water minerals until the process is completed. In terms of water waste, this is the more wasteful option of the two regeneration cycle methods.
2. Demand Initiated
The most modern water softener systems have sensors that monitor your soft water use and certain other metrics to determine the optimal regeneration time. These systems will only regenerate as required and they are referred to as demand-initiated regeneration water softeners. These systems are more energy efficient, they consume less salt and they use less water to complete the regeneration cycle. A demand-initiated water softener costs more to purchase, but you can recoup your initial investment quickly.
If you want softer water for your home, contact your local water treatment specialist today.