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Water Softeners

Water Softeners Profile:

Water softeners remove calcium and magnesium ions from water by exchanging them with sodium or potassium ions.

How do you know if you need a water softener system? 

A water softener is used as a treatment for hard water. Hard water means that you have a high concentration of calcium and magnesium in your water. When hard water evaporates, the concentration of minerals grows which leads to scale build-up. Check out our blog post on The Filtered Files to learn how to tell if you have hard water in your home.

Wondering if you have hard water? Here are a few signs to look for: 

• Stains in your washer, dishwasher, sinks, showers, and bathtubs
• Water using appliances require a lot of repairs
• Skin and hair feel dry

Types of water softeners

There are two main types of water softeners: 

1. Salt-based water softener
2. Salt-free water softener or water conditioner

How does a salt-based water softener work?

Salt-based water softener swap calcium and magnesium ions with sodium or potassium ions. The exchange of ions helps reduce the mineral count in the water.

Benefits of salt-based water softeners: 

• Effectively reduce the hardness of mineral ions in your home’s water.
• Saves money on appliance and plumbing repairs. 

How does a salt-free water softener work?

Salt-free water softeners are also referred to as water conditioners. No-salt water softeners recondition the water instead of removing mineral ions from the water. This means that saltless water softeners generate zero water waste and require less maintenance than salt-based water softeners.

Benefits of water conditioners: 

• Lifetime savings compared to salt-based water softeners.
• Beneficial minerals are left intact and potential scale build-up is reduced. 

What size water softener do you need?

The size of a water softener is an indication of the capacity of minerals a day. The size of the water softeners isn’t as important as their ability to remove the minerals that are causing you to have hard water.

Look at it this way, you don’t want to purchase a water softener that is insufficient, but you also don’t want to pay more for a water softener that is too large for what you need.

How to install a water softener

Water softener installation requires you to turn off the water main and drain the remaining water in your system to avoid leaks during installation. Assemble and install the sediment filter first and then install the softener or conditioner tank. You will use a bypass valve to soak the media before use. When installing a compact system, you will have to insert your plumbing into the inlet and outlet and then insert the cartridges in the corresponding chambers once the bracket is mounted.

If you are not comfortable installing your water softener, we recommend hiring a professional to install the system for you.

Water softener maintenance

Salt-based water softeners require electricity and must have the brine that they generate discharged and salt ions replenished.

Salt-free water softeners/conditioners require little to no maintenance. Depending on which system you have, your system may also require you to replace certain cartridges or filters periodically to keep them running efficiently.