How Water Softeners Protect Your Water and Pipes

You may not have heard it called hard water before, but trust us: you hate it. Water that contains high amounts of foreign minerals , primarily calcium and magnesium , is considered hard.

Hard water is the reason you find those crusty stains on your dishes after you get done washing them or the film on your shower door for the starchiness of your clothes after you put them through the wash and the reason your hair feels grimy, dull and lifeless after a shower.

How does this happen?

When water is taken out of the ground and pumped into our supply, it picks up these minerals and more along the way, they dissolve and become part of the flow.

Not only is hard water harmful to dishes, showers, clothes and hair, but it is not safe to drink. Although calcium and magnesium are essential minerals, concentrated consumption can cause health concerns.

Almost as bad, when left unchecked, untreated hard water can cause serious damage to your plumbing. Hard water causes a scale build-up inside the pipes that can lead to blockages and can eventually lead to necessary removal and installation of new pipes , an expensive and laborious process.

Thankfully, you can keep your water soft and clean with the help of a water softener.

How does a water softener keep water soft?

Water softeners utilize polystyrene beads inside their mineral tank to eliminate harmful calcium and magnesium from the water supply before it even enters your pipes. It may sound very scientific, but it is actually a very straightforward and easy to understand process.

Let's break it down.

Calcium and magnesium are negatively charged particles. The polystyrene beads are positively charged. Now, we all know in scientific terms opposites attract (think the positive and negative ends of a magnet).

Therefore, when the untreated hard water if filtered through the water softener, the beads will attract the calcium and magnesium like a magnet. This prevents the minerals from following the water into the plumbing, leaving you with clean and untainted water flowing through the house.

Water softeners prevent a build-up in the water softener by regularly scheduled flushes and regeneration of the beads, starting the process all over again.

Water softeners can last anywhere between 10-20 years. If you notice the quality of your water dropping or your softener not performing as well as it used to, it may be time to replace it. Trust us, this is one appliance you don't want to see go unattended.

Why Water Softeners are Important for Your Plumbing

Hard water can make daily tasks like showering, doing laundry and washing your dishes unbearable. Hard water can also decrease the lifespan of your plumbing. So what's the solution to your hard water woes? A water softener will help decrease the amount of calcium and magnesium in your water and keep your dishes and plumbing in great shape.

Hard water is caused by particles like calcium, magnesium, iron, lead and other minerals being picked up by water as it travels through the ground and out of your faucet. Dissolved calcium and magnesium precipitate out of hard water as scale, which builds up on the insides of pipes, water heaters, tea kettles and coffee makers. Scale reduces water flow through pipes and is a poor conductor of heat. Eventually, pipes can become completely clogged. If you have scaly, white deposits in basins or on fixtures in your bath or kitchen, you most likely have a hard water problem.

The typical water softener is an appliance that is hooked up to your home's water supply system. All water softeners use a common operating principle. A water softener will trade the minerals for something else, in most cases sodium. This process is called ion exchange.

Here's a short science lesson for you. The heart of a water softener is a mineral tank. It's filled with small polystyrene beads, also known as resin. The beads carry a negative charge. Calcium and magnesium (found in hard water) both carry positive charges. This means the minerals will cling to the polystyrene beads as the hard water passes through the mineral tank, flushing out the hard water before it reaches your faucet. This ensures your plumbing won't suffer any long term damage.

The white residue known as scale will cause your appliances to work twice as hard, which will result in a hefty energy bill. It will also wreak havoc on your plumbing. A water softener will help improve water quality and will make cleaning and doing laundry much more efficient. You won't have to run the dishwasher multiple times to get those hard water stains out! Indiana is notorious for hard water. Don't let it ruin your dishes or your plumbing any longer!

Hard Water Problems

When was the last time you stopped and thought about the quality of your water, how it's affecting your appliances and what you can do about it? We sat down with the professional on these matters, Jeff Chapman, and asked him a few questions to find out what to look for and how to prevent damage to your home.

To get started, we wanted to know about the basics, what is hard water and how does it make its way into the home? There are a lot of misconceptions about hard water, where it comes from and what areas are typically impacted by it. Hear from Jeff what hard water is and what it isn't.

Now that we've identified what hard water actually is, we need to find out what to do about it. Hard water is chock full of magnesium, calcium, and other minerals picked up by water as it travels through the ground then through your faucet. Your best option for getting rid of these hard minerals is with a water softener. A water softener is an appliance connected to your home's water supply that filters out these minerals through a process called ion exchange. Earlier this month, we wrote about some of the side effects of hard water. If you've noticed any of these warning signs it's safe to say you have hard water and need a solution. Hear Jeff's explanation for why water softeners are necessary for mineral removal.

Do you take dishes out of the dishwasher and still need to rinse off spots and scum? That's a clear sign it's time to get your water softener checked out. This white residue known as scale builds up to cause those pesky water spots. Scale causes your appliances to work harder, resulting in higher bills and wear on your appliances. Yes, water softeners are great for getting rid of the minerals that cause scale, but they do a lot more. In our conversation with Jeff, we found a few other important reasons to not only have a water softener but one that is running efficiently and effectively.

Efficient systems save money in the long run. A water softener's life span is on average 10-15 years, a well-maintained system can last up to 20 years. Keeping this system in good working order with regular checks and consistent care, the other appliances in the home will have an increased life expectancy as well.

We often think of pipes when thinking about hard water and damage to the home, but the truth is that the appliances that use water every day for their functionality suffer first. Leaky pipes are no fun, and can be expensive to replace, but the real danger of hard water is for the appliances in your home, which are also expensive and difficult to replace.

Now that we know more about hard water, take a look at your own system for removing these harmful minerals. If you've noticed any of these issues around your home or from your appliances, give the plumbing professionals at Chapman a call at 317-291-4909 or schedule an appointment online.

Think you might have a bigger plumbing problem? Read more on the subject here and schedule an appointment with one of our plumbing technicians for everything from pipes to appliances.

If your system is ready to be replaced or you just have questions about your unit, time to talk to Chapman!

Give Chapman Heating, Air Conditioning, and Plumbing, to provide hvac service for your home today