DO I NEED A WATER SOFTENER?
YES! That’s not a difficult question, but let’s explore why we say yes. But basically, (in case you don’t want to read the rest of this) if you live in Arizona, you should have a water softener.
Are you wondering why Arizona dwellers, in particular, are in need of water softeners? Well, you should have read our post about hard water! Nevermind though, quick overview incoming: Arizona has really really hard water. It can cause all sorts of problems. Hard water means you need to use more soap and shampoo when you’re showering, and more soap and detergents when you’re washing dishes or clothes. (It’s also to blame for your white clothes looking gray after several washings). It leaves hard, white build-up on showerheads and your faucets. Hard water is like the worst house guest you never knew you invited. But a water softener is the answer to that problem! And Precision Air & Plumbing is your solution to getting a water softener.
WHAT IS A WATER SOFTENER?
A water softener is a filtration system for the whole house. That means all of the water you use in your home will be changed from the hard water coming into your home into beautifully soft water that will be used in your pipes, in your showers, in your cooking, in your ice maker, in your dishwasher, in your everything! A water softener removes the minerals that cause hard water in a process called ion exchange.
Water softeners are made of 3 main components: the mineral tank, the control valve, and the brine tank. Together, these three create the magic to make your hard water into soft water.
HOW DOES A WATER SOFTENER WORK?
A water softener takes in your hard water and makes it soft. Want more than that? Okay.
Hard water enters first the mineral tank. This is where the water is softened. The water enters the mineral tank from the water supply line. Then it passes through a bunch of resin beads. The resin beads attract and filter out the calcium and magnesium minerals. The calcium and magnesium ions, which make the water hard, are trapped in the resin beads and they are replaced with sodium ions. Then the newly softened water exits the tank and enters your home’s pipes where it provides you with soft water and less damage.
But wait, there’s more! There are a control valve and a brine tank, remember? The control valve is used to measure the amount of water that passes from the mineral tank and into your home. It tracks the amount of water that your house is using by tracking how much water is going into the mineral tank. As water passes through the mineral tank the ions are exchanged and the resin beads are left with the ions that create hard water. Over time, that makes the resin beads less effective at softening water. Before the beads are so overwhelmed with unwanted minerals that they become ineffective at softening water, the control valve starts a regeneration cycle. The maximum capacity is pre-programmed into your water softener, taking into account a bunch of factors: the size of your house, how many people live there, how hard your water is; and if that sounds like too many things to figure out, don’t worry, our technicians are ready to help!
The brine tank is used in the regeneration process. It holds a solution heavy in salt. This salt is added by hand to the brine tank in pellets or blocks when needed. When the control valve initiates the regeneration cycle the salty water from the brine tank is pushed into the mineral tank and it runs through the resin beads to restore their positive ions. The used brine water is flushed out of the system and then it’s back up and running, supplying your home with the softest water.
GET YOUR WATER SOFTENER TODAY
A water softener is an investment in your house. Hard water isn’t a problem that will go away on its own, and it will just keep causing problems in your home. If you don’t have a water softener yet, Precision Air & Plumbing has a special right now! $150 off any water softener…so what are you waiting for? Call or schedule your appointment today!
