Soap scum. Stiff clothing. Clogged pipes. No matter what you try, it’s hard to get your surfaces clean. Scale builds up. Dishes come out of the dishwasher with spots on them. All of these problems occur because of hard water, a frustrating but fixable situation.
The term, “”hard water,”" refers to water with a high mineral content. The most coarse minerals that cause water hardness are calcium and magnesium. As water is absorbed into the ground, the minerals are pulled from the earth and at last end up in a household’s water supply. Hard water can clog household plumbing.
Water hardness, or how much of a mineral is gift in water, is measured in grains per gallon (Gpg), parts per million (Ppm), or milligrams per liter (Mg/L). Water up to 1 Gpg is considered soft, water; from 1 to 3.5 Gpg is considered moderate, and water 3.5 to 7 Gpg is hard water. Kits used to test water hardness can be purchased at a pool victualer or from a water softener dealer.
Many water softeners plug right into the household water supply. Ionic replacement water softeners consist of negatively charged plastic beads, a brine tank, and a regenerating law with a timer or other monitoring device. Sodium or potassium chloride is added to the brine tank when regeneration is necessary. Home water softeners range in price from $400 to $1,200, and the salt ranges from $5 to $7 per bag. Price depends on type, size, and type of softening agent. Alternatively, magnetic water softeners consist of only 2 magnets attached to the surface or inside of water pipes.
Water softeners work by replacing ions of the minerals that cause hardness with “”softer”" ions. Water is filtered through charged plastic beads and the magnesium or calcium ions are substituted with sodium or potassium ions. In the case of magnetic water softeners, magnetic vigor causes chemical changes in the minerals.
Using water softeners poses no condition risks, except for those who are on sodium-restricted diets. Keep bottled water on hand for cooking and consumption, or use potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride to soften. Potassium chloride is more costly than sodium chloride. There are also no condition risks connected with selecting not to soften water.