To Start With:
From research done I will briefly summarize the pros and cons in choosing or in choosing not to install a Water Softener at home. I find this topic to be very fascinating, so while I hope this will be an enjoyable read, I also want this post to be very educational. The primary cause of water hardness, is the presence of calcium and magnesium in the water supply. With the inability to dissolve in the water, these minerals stay suspended and build up as “scale”. The first victim in this is undoubtedly the small and large appliances, pipes and house plants, as well as the home heating system. Because of the scale formed by the deposition of calcium and magnesium, the pipes, as well as taps, shower and speakers, as well as every other element across the home plumbing, are likely to become clogged and unusable after a period of time. A very hard water if it is hot can also staining the dishes leaving splotches and splashes after washing and cause other minor inconveniences that affect their daily personal life: bathing so he can make the hair frizzy, dry, difficult to treat, it may cause allergic skin irritation and the taste of some foods can be altered. Even the linen and clothes will not last as long and will wear out. In situations like this there is a clear economic reason to get a water softener. In addition, the entire amount of detergent you use in normal operation, at least half will be used to clean, and only the other half for clothes, floors, furniture, etc.. The decision to install a home water softener must be taken, however, with full knowledge of all the elements in play. First, the equipment does not make it home treatment drinking water less hard. For this you would need a reverse osmosis system.
How Do Water Softeners Work?
A water softener is a device consisting of a container for the resins, a container for salt (required for the periodic regeneration of the resins) and a hydro-pneumatic valve which, driven by a programmed timer, do the washing cycles needed to keep efficient operation the device. Through the exchange that takes place between the sodium ions fixed in resins and salts of calcium and magnesium ions and also of iron, they are retained, thus eliminating the excessive hardness from the water supply.
What Types of Salt Do I Need?
There are three types of salt used for water softening: Rock salt, solar salt, evaporated salt. Rock salt is found naturally in the soil as a mineral. It is obtained from underground salt deposits by traditional mining methods. It contains between 98 percent and 99% sodium chloride and has a water insolubility level of about 0.5-1.5%, it consists mainly of calcium sulfate, an important component in the water softening process. Solar salt is mainly a natural product obtained by evaporation of sea water. It contains 85% sodium chloride and has a water insolubility level of less than 0.03%. It is usually sold in crystalline form and sometimes in the form of pellets. The moisture is evaporated, using energy from natural gas or coal. Evaporated salt has a sodium chloride content of between 99.6 and 99.99%. Rock salt contains a lot of material insoluble in water. Consequently, when rock salt is used in softening tanks the tanks must be cleaned much more regularly. Rock salt is cheaper than evaporated salt and solar salt, but reservoir cleaning may take considerable time and energy. Solar salt is slightlywith respect to the salt to use, you should consider how much salt is used, how often the softener needs to be cleaned and its structure. If the use of salt is low, the products may be used alternately. If salt usage is high, insoluble salts will accumulate faster than using solar salt. In addition, the tank will need more frequent cleaning. In this case, and ‘preferable evaporated salt.