Most homeowners stay oblivious of the fact that they use hard water regularly and its aftermaths are seen after a long time of its usage. For instance, hard water can be harsh on your skin and hair. It ends up damaging hair beyond repair. Also, hard water, when consumed without treatment, is harmful for the digestive system.
So, you must recognize the problem of hard water in your household and fix the same for the health of your family and that of yourself. For expert advice on this, get in touch with experts like Secure Waters.
But, what is the solution to this problem? Well, installing a water softener is all you need! We bet you must have heard of water softeners and we are here to tell you more about them! But first, let’s have a look at the problem of hard water:
The Problem of Hard Water
The first thing that hard water does to you is harming your body. The consumption of hard water in any way can have its aftermaths on you in the following manners:
- It makes your skin extremely dry and sometimes even scaly
- It damages hair by taking away moisture from it
- It messes up your digestive system
- It can even stain your teeth
- It leaves scales or deposits in utensils that are indirectly consumed by you and your children
So, in all hard water impedes healthy living and can be a cause of hair and skin troubles and other health-related issues.
Along with harming your body externally as well as internally, hard water also brings a lot of other troubles for homeowners. Along with posing risk to your health, hard water adds to the expenses of your house.
The trouble arises because of the presence of minerals in this kind of water. Now, on heating, these minerals are dissolved in water. But when the water cools down, they re-crystallize and deposit on the surface of your plumbing fixtures, pipelines, water heating systems, and what not. This deposit is also called scaling and it ends up clogging your plumbing.
Scaling not only clogs your pipelines and faucets but it also makes the appliances like water heating systems and electric kettles, quite less efficient leading to increased electricity bills. Also, if your water heating system experiences excess of scaling, the water heating element might get damaged and that calls for expensive repairs.
So, hard water is a huge problem and there is a need to get rid of such a problem and make life easier.
If you’re looking for the right water softener to get rid of this problem, we will help you decide which on to buy and why. So, let’s have a look at the water softener buying guide:
Types of Water Softeners
There are different types of water softeners available. Some of them are:
- Salt-based Water Softener with Ion Exchange
- Salt-free Water Softener
- Magnetic Water Softener (Descaler)
- Water Softener with Dual Tank
How Water Softener Works
As the name suggests, a water softener is used to soften the water in a household. Now, as we have mentioned before, hard water contains minerals such as magnesium, iron, and calcium. On heating, these minerals get dissolved in water but when the water cools down, they get crystalized, forming scaled on appliances and plumbing fixtures.
Now, a water softener is designed to make cation exchange work. In other words, the water softener exchanges these hard minerals with sodium chloride, making the water soft!
To save yourself and your family from the side-effects of hard water, you must get a water softener. If you have doubts about having hard water supply in your household, get the water checked and then decide whether you need a water softener or not!
So, now, you know the basics of a water softener. Let us have a look at the features to keep in mind while buying one for your house:
- Size
When you’re buying a water softener or leasing one out, the first thing to keep in mind is its size. The size of a water softener must be apt to suit the water requirements of your house. Here, what we mean about the size of a water softener is its capacity to soften water per unit. So, if you use more water in your household, buy a water softener that has bigger unit capacity and vice versa. The unit capacity of a water softener is measured in GPG (Grains per Gallon).
- Type
We have discussed the type of water softeners above. Now, these types suit different water capacities differently. For instance, a salt-free water softener is known to replace hard minerals with potassium chloride and not sodium chloride. So, if you don’t want sodium in your water, go for this one.
Similarly, you can learn more about different types of water softeners and pick the one that suits you the best!
- Features
When you install a water softener at home, you must be able to make the most out of it! So, pick the one that offers you all the necessary features and easy controls. Look for the time taken for each cycle to complete and ask what amount of salt and water are needed to recharge your water softener.
You should be able to easily handle the timer controls and other functions of your water softener. So, pick on that doesn’t seem like rocket science!
- Certification
Water softeners are one-time investment and is a bigger one! So, never go for something that doesn’t give you a certificate of quality. Look for the recommended certifications by the regulations of your state and if they are absent, skip to a different option!
- Brand
Another important thing to look for is the brand name of your water softener. If it belongs to a renowned brand, you can trust the equipment without much background check. However, if you think it is from a local brand, never buy it without conducting your research. Appliances and equipment like water softeners must be bought from trusted brands that assure you high quality and tested products, along with product warranty.
So, this was the buying guide for water softeners. If you’re planning on buying one, keep all these pointers in mind. If you’re still confused and cannot decide, get in touch with water softener experts. The professionals can help you select what’s best for you according to your requirements and needs.
Make a wise decision by doing the needed research! You don’t want to invest in such an equipment over and over again!