If you suspect your home has hard water, there’s something you can do about it. The solution is to install a water softener system. It can remove problematic mineral content from your water as it enters your home. If you’re unfamiliar with these systems, however, you may wonder about their advantages and disadvantages.
Here’s an overview of how water softeners work and their pros and cons for your Oregon home.
What Is Hard Water?
Hard water refers to water with high quantities of dissolved minerals. In most cases, calcium and magnesium make up the bulk of the mineral content of hard water. While it isn’t unhealthy to drink, it can cause multiple problems in your plumbing. It can also cause significant discomfort for everyone in your home.
Experts measure water hardness on a scale called grains per gallon (GPG). If your water scores above a 3 on the GPG scale, it is hard water. The higher you go on the scale, the harder the water, and the more you’ll notice its effects. You can learn to spot the symptoms of hard water, but only a water test can let you know your water’s exact hardness.
The Effects of Hard Water
Moderately hard water may have some effects that are easy to overlook. For example, if you find spots on your glassware after every washing, it’s likely due to hard water. It happens as the water evaporates, leaving behind its mineral content on the surface of the glass. Although you can’t see it, the same thing will happen to your skin when you shower or bathe. That can result in uncomfortably dry skin that you can’t seem to remedy.
If you have extremely hard water, you’ll likely notice some additional effects. One is that you’ll start seeing crusty, chalky buildup on your fixtures. It’s important to know that the same effects will happen inside your pipes. Over time, scale buildup in pipes can lead to clogged drains and supply line issues. Additionally, extremely hard water will interfere with soaps, preventing them from lathering or rinsing properly. That can cause even more discomfort and even make your clothes appear dingy after every wash.
How Do Water Softeners Work?
Water softeners rely on a process called ion exchange to remove minerals from your water. The process replaces mineral ions in your water supply with sodium ions. To make that happen, water softeners typically contain two tanks. One holds a brine solution made from owner-replenished salt and water. The other holds thousands of resin beads, which have a negative ionic charge.
To start the ion exchange process, the water softener pumps the brine into the resin bead tank. Once that happens, the negatively charged beads attract positively charged sodium ions onto their surface. After some time, the system purges the brine from the bead tank. At that point, the water softener is ready to process incoming fresh water.
The water softener starts treatment by allowing fresh water into its bead tank. There, the negatively charged beads attract positively charged mineral ions. In the process, those ions displace the sodium ions on the surface of the beads. The result is water with diminished mineral content — effectively softened water.
Occasionally, the water softener will rinse collected minerals from the resin beads using subsequent soaks in the brine solution. To ensure there’s always brine available, water softener owners must occasionally add new salt to the brine tank.
What Are the Advantages of a Water Softener?
Installing a water softener to eliminate your home’s hard water problem has multiple benefits. They include the following.
Softer Hair and Skin
Hard water can leave your skin feeling dry and itchy. In extreme cases, it can lead to skin so dry that it will crack. The same problem can affect your hair, leaving it brittle and limp. A water softener prevents those problems, leaving you with softer hair and skin.
Extended Plumbing and Appliance Lifespan
Scale buildup can adversely affect the lifespan of your home’s plumbing and appliances. A water softener eliminates hard water’s negative effects, helping reduce wear and tear on your pipes and appliances. For example, your home’s washing machine and dishwasher should work better and last longer with properly softened water.
Cleaner Clothes and Dishes
Eliminating hard water will also improve the appearance of your clothes, dishes, and glassware after washing. It helps soaps to work better and rinse thoroughly, and it eliminates mineral spots and cloudiness. Additionally, your clothing should last longer due to reduced wear and tear in the washing process.
Long Lifespan
A properly maintained water softener system can last up to 15 years. Also, water softeners rarely break down or require repair. At most, yours may need its resin beads replaced once or twice during its lifespan.
Increased Home Value
Adding a water softener to your home can increase its value. Prospective buyers appreciate seeing one of these devices because they indicate well-maintained plumbing systems that are likely free of scale.
What Are the Disadvantages of a Water Softener?
Water softeners don’t provide water filtration, and they do have some disadvantages you need to know about. Here are some of the most noteworthy ones.
Up-front and Ongoing Costs
Water softeners typically cost several hundred dollars for the required equipment alone. Then you must pay installation costs. Additionally, although standard water softener salt isn’t expensive, its costs add up over the life of your system.
Sodium Addition
Although a water softener doesn’t add enough sodium to make your water taste salty, it does add non-trivial quantities of salt. For most people this is no problem, but if anyone in your home is on a salt-restricted diet, a water softener could be problematic. In those cases, it’s possible to substitute potassium chloride for standard water softener salt. However, doing so will add to your operating costs.
Water Waste
Water softeners can increase your water bills because they’re inherently wasteful. The water used to make brine becomes wastewater after each recharge cycle. Additionally, some municipalities restrict water softener use because of the salty wastewater.
Altered Water Taste
Although a water softener doesn’t lead to salty-tasting water, it will alter your water’s taste. If you’re accustomed to drinking hard water, you may dislike the taste of softened water. If this is the case, you may need additional water filtration equipment to resolve the problem.
Your Local Water Softening Experts
Since 2013, Pacific Plumbing & Rooter Inc has been the local leader in water softening systems in Eugene, OR. We have ample experience solving water quality issues in Oregon, and we sell and install the highest-quality water softener systems. Our expert plumbers can help you determine your home’s precise needs and recommend the system that best meets them. You don’t have to take our word for any of this, though. Check out our reviews to see what our satisfied customers think of our work.
If you believe your Oregon home could benefit from a water softening system, call our team at Pacific Plumbing & Rooter Inc today!
