Soft Pure Water Systems

Soft Pure Water Systems

Using Water softener system: Advantages and Disadvantages

A water softener in Kingman, AZ is typically a filtering agent or appliance meant to remove magnesium and calcium in the water. What most people do not know is that all water is not the same, especially regarding its chemical composition. Some water has high amounts of magnesium and calcium minerals absorbed from the earth, making it hard. If the water lacks such minerals or has them in limited quantities, it is regarded as soft. Water from streams and lakes are naturally soft.

However, underground water in regions with high amounts of chalk, gypsum, and limestone, tend to be hard. Therefore, to make the water soft, a water softener in Kingman, AZ can help you to remove the mineral components that make it hard. Water softening is thus the process of removing the calcium and magnesium, among other metal cations in the water.

Advantages of Using a Water Softener

• It makes water safe for consumption and easy to use at home

Soft water is safer to consume as compared to hard water. It is also safe and friendly to laundry and appliances. A water softener is responsible for softening the hard water making, which has a tendency of reducing the capacity of soap to react. Accordingly, it makes life easier and lengthens the lifespan of one’s appliances.

• It eliminates the build-up of scales

As already mentioned, hard water stains appliances, toilets, dishes, sinks and pipes. Soft water eliminates the build-up of such scales and stains, effectively giving them a longer lifespan. This is probably the most important benefit for many women: Less or no more stains on dishes, cutlery, glassware, tubs, sinks, windows, etc.

• May put a strain on the plumbing system

Hard water could actually put the entire plumbing system under pressure due to the build-up of scales, ultimately decreasing its life span and efficiency. It could also hinder the flow of water, decreasing water pressure level from taps. A water softener prevents this.

• It provides a cleaner wash

Soft water allows soap and detergents to work as they should and is comfortable on some people’s skin. Hard water is resistant to soaps, detergent and can irritate or feel dry to some people, especially their skin. The soft water also allows laundered clothes to appear shiny as they should. It softens one’s hair too.

• Household Appliances Last Longer + Lower Maintenance Costs

A water softener in Kingman, AZ prevents scale deposits and thereby extends the lifespan of water heaters, dishwashers, washing machines, coffee makers, air humidifiers and many more household appliances plus the entire plumbing system in your house by up to 30 percent.

As a result, maintenance and repair costs are likely to decrease.

• Reduced Energy Bills

Improved heat exchange efficiency of your water heater will help you save money on energy bills. How much? Testing has shown that using a gas storage water heater the energy cost savings amount to 24.2% over a life cycle of 15 years.

Pumps and other appliances are also likely to be positively affected.

• Healthy Looking Hair and Skin

Soft water makes your skin and hair look and feel soft, smooth and naturally healthy.

•  Easier Cleaning + Reduced Soap and Detergent Use

There is nothing more annoying than trying to work up a lather that refuses to form. You end up using a lot more soap than you would have if your water was not chock-full of hard minerals.

By removing these minerals a softening system will help you do your cleaning faster and more effectively. You will also save on soap, detergent – up to 50% for washing – and other cleaning products.

• Bright and Soft Fabric

Say goodbye to faded and scratchy clothes, towels and bed linen.

• Reduced Water Usage

All in all, you will find that you will use less soft water than you would use if unsoftened.

Disadvantages of Using a Water Softener

• The end products may be too soft for some people

The end product is soft water which for some, might be too slippery and slimy. Soft water leaves a slippery feel on your skin that requires getting used to.

• Too much sodium

Soft water from an ion exchange water softening contains sodium ions, which in some cases when not well managed might be too much. Some people may end up consuming 3,500 mg per day of sodium, which is higher than the recommended daily intake of 2,300 mg per day.

Although such amounts might not cause adverse health effects, it is still alarming that one could consume too much sodium from water softeners. Sodium in the softened water could also cause problems with septic systems.

• Not suitable for irrigation

Softened water lacking calcium and magnesium elements but contains sodium is not suitable for irrigation. It is because it causes the development of alkali soils, which have a poor structure and cannot support irrigation.

• They are expensive to install and maintain

Any whole house softening system needs to be plumbed. This costs time and money and is usually not an option for renters. The only exceptions are some electronic descalers that simply clip on or wrap around the main water supply.

Maintenance: Water softeners in Kingman, AZ could cost at least $2,000 to install. They also require routine maintenance since the resin beads will eventually run out of sodium ions to counter the calcium and magnesium ions.Depending on the water source, you may have to filter the water or disinfect bacteria, all before it even reaches the softening unit. Salt-based water softening systems require a regular maintenance and replenishment schedule, which causes higher expenses.

Cleaning: consider the additional load on your drainage field from backwashing and regeneration. Estimates indicate that about 50 gallons of water are used for each regeneration cycle. This may or may not cause a hydraulic overload of the septic system.

• The alternatives are also expensive

While you can purchase models with special features that do everything but add the salt, you will pay for each additional feature. The tradeoff will cost for convenience and you have no long term guarantee that the special feature will not fail. The alternative to sodium or salt pellets in the tank is potassium chloride pellets. They eliminate the salt, but unfortunately, are expensive. For instance, where salt costs between $4 and $6 per bag, the same amount of potassium chloride goes for between $25 and $30.

• Messing with dietary mineral requirements

The major disadvantage to water softening is the potential health risks for people on low sodium diets. The exchange of hardness minerals for sodium adds 7.5 milligrams per quart for each gpg of hardness removed. In addition, calcium and magnesium, essential minerals to bodily functions, are eliminated from the homeowner's diet. There are some individuals who may require dietary supplements like calcium and magnesium, which is present in hard water but virtually missing in softened water. They, therefore, might mess with the dietary requirements by replacing those necessary elements.

• The water supply is the problem

If the problem with the source of water is due to bacteria or chlorine, water softening will not help: Water softeners do not disinfect the water, they do not address most problems with taste and smell of organic sources, and many are ruined by exposure to even trace amounts of oils in the water.

• Environmental Harm/Impact

It also causes environmental harm in Kingman, AZ areas. If the softened water is released to the environment, it flows on plants and this, therefore, increases the acidity of the soil, therefore, making the plants less productive.

For one, wastewater production can add up to thousands of gallons in a single year in areas with exceptionally hard water. This is bad as freshwater is scarce in many parts of the country.

On top of that, depending on where you live the excess chloride (and salt) ends up in lakes and streams threatening freshwater fish and other aquatic life.

• Soft Water Is Harder to Recycle

As mentioned above, soft water requires more resources to recycle in a treatment plant compared to unsoftened water.

• Not Suited for Drinking?

Drinking softened H2O or using it for cooking will increase your daily sodium/potassium intake to a certain extent. Because both sodium and potassium were found to be a factor in hypertension, high blood pressure and other diseases, softened H2O can pose a health risk for genetically predisposed people under extreme circumstances.

This is why the WHO suggests high risk individuals to seek medical advice before installing a water softener in their home in Kingman, AZ area.

Another minor health factor is the lack of sufficient healthy calcium and magnesium. For both minerals drinking water contributes up to ⅕ of the required total daily intake.

On a side note: Boiling food in mineral-depleted water can lead to substantial loss of essential elements in the food itself.

An easy workaround to all this is to install a separate line providing cold water that does not get softened.

Or you could use a saltless softener a.k.a. water conditioner. Conditioners alter the behavior of dissolved magnesium and calcium ions so that they are less likely to cling to surfaces. Their “softening” effectiveness remains controversial though.

• Drainfield Overload

If you own a septic system the additional wastewater might overload the drainage field (only applies to traditional ion exchange softeners).

• Corrosion

Water that is soft and acidic tends to be more corrosive. Which in turn can sometimes dissolve enough heavy metals out of pipes, soldiers and/or plumbing fixtures to create both aesthetic and health-related problems.

Finally, using this information, select a softener in Kingman, AZ that meets your needs and provides the conveniences you prefer! Recognize that all softeners use essentially the same process. For this reason, most softeners in Kingman, AZ are not rated for effectiveness, only for convenience features like handiness, size, maintenance requirements, safety and cost.