Do You Need a Water Softener?

If you’re wondering if you need to invest in a water softener, read on. You’ll learn why they’re necessary and what you can expect from them. And, of course, there are many benefits. In addition to reducing your water bill, a water softener will make your home cleaner. Since you’ll be using softer water, you’ll need less soap to keep your home clean. The soap that you do use won’t be wasted bonding with calcium ions.

If you live in an area with very hard water, installing a water softener is essential. Hard water tends to build up limescale and can damage appliances like a water heater. A water softener works by allowing water to pass through resin beads. These resin beads swap the minerals in hard water with sodium ions to create soft water. Hard water is harmful to hot water appliances, so the sooner you can get a water softener installed, the better.

A water softener works by rinsing resin beads with brine solution. The brine solution is made up of positively charged cations. These ions are attracted to the negative charge of the resin beads and flow through the softener. Once the process is complete, the hardness minerals are flushed out of the system and the water is soft. The process of regeneration is a long one, and it can take several days to restore a hard water system.