Dissolved calcium and magnesium in water make it hard and cause all sorts of water problems. Some symptoms are visible, like water spots, dingy laundry, bathtub ring, dry hair and skin and the white scale buildup on faucets and shower heads. Others are just as bothersome, but not as easy to detect, like scale buildup in your home’s pipes and water-using appliances, like your water heater.

Instead of treating the cause, many people tackle the symptoms of hard water. They buy all sorts of cleaning products, detergents and lotions. And they accept frequent repairs and replacement of water-using appliances as normal.

The Solution

The good news is that it’s easy to treat your hard water. A water softener uses a process known as ion exchange to replace the hardness minerals in your water (calcium and magnesium) with soft ones (sodium). The challenge is figuring out what you really need and finding the system that will solve your water problems and fit your budget without skimping on performance or quality. That’s where we come in.

At Advanced Water Systems, our water specialists will test your water, conduct a home water audit, learn more about your water concerns and needs and then recommend the system that is right for you.

A free water analysis is a great way to get started. Contact us to schedule yours today.

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The Problem

Dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium can cause numerous problems for the plumbing system in the home. Probably the biggest impact is seen as scale formation. Where water is hard, CaCO3 scale build-up can occur on faucets, sinks, counters and anywhere water is used regularly. Scale build-up is the most damaging and costly problem inside the plumbing system. Heated hard water forms a scale of calcium and magnesium minerals that contribute to the inefficient operation or pre-mature failure of water-using appliances, especially water heaters. Pipes can become clogged with scale that reduces water flow and ultimately requires pipe replacement.

The amount of hardness minerals in water also affects the amount of soap and detergent necessary for cleaning. Soap used in hard water combines with the dissolved minerals to form a sticky soap curd. This soap curd is often seen as bathtub rings or on shower curtains and is difficult to remove. Some synthetic detergents are less effective in hard water because the active ingredient is partially inactivated by hardness, even though it stays dissolved. Bathing with soap in hard water leaves a film of sticky soap curd on the skin and clogs pores. The film may prevent removal of soil and bacteria. Soap curd interferes with the return of skin to its normal, slightly acid condition, and may lead to irritation. Soap curd on hair may make it dull, lifeless and difficult to manage. When doing laundry in hard water, soap curds lodge in fabric during washing to make fabric stiff and rough. Incomplete soil removal from laundry causes graying of white fabric and the loss of brightness in colors. A sour odor can develop in clothes. Continuous laundering in hard water can shorten the life of clothes, because of the abrasive nature of the mineral-laden soap curd. In addition, soap curds can deposit on dishes, bathtubs and showers, and all water fixtures. “Water Spots” are a common complaint among homeowners – all due to hardness. The overall cost of the plumbing system and water-using appliances in a new home represent a significant proportion of the new home investment. Some experts place this proportion at 15-17% of the cost of a new home. Given this investment and the cost of excessive soap products, not to mention the time devoted to cleaning up after hard water, softening the water by removing hardness minerals is a very wise and valuable investment.

Water hardness is normally given as grains per gallon (gpg) of hardness. This is a measure of concentration of dissolved mineral matter, where 1 gpg equals 17.1 parts per million (PPM), or mg/L. Hardness is normally expressed as a concentration of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). This is because the vast majority of dissolved mineral matter in groundwater comes from the local aquifer rocks, which are commonly limestone and sandstone, both of which typically contain calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg). Many other elements besides Ca and Mg are also dissolved from the rocks into the groundwater including iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and sodium (Na), among others. Relative levels of hardness are compared on the WQA Hardness Scale, shown below. Hardness is expressed in grains per gallon: the higher the hardness, the worse the problem.

The Solution

The medium for ion exchange is called the ion exchange resin and is comprised of tiny activated polystyrene/divinylbenzene beads that have been pre-charged with sodium (Na) atoms on active sites. When the hard water encounters the resin column in the softener tank, the calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) atoms are strongly attracted to the sites on the resin beads. Thus, they cling to the beads, displacing the sodium (Na) atoms, which depart into the water stream. By the time the water exits the resin bed, the resin has trapped all the hardness minerals and the softened water is free of Ca and Mg and has an increased (but small) amount of sodium. After some volume of water has been processed, the resin bed will become fully loaded with Ca and Mg (and Fe, Mn) and cannot effectively remove any more hardness. Then the bed must be “regenerated” before further use. The regeneration step is achieved by flushing the ion exchange bed with a brine mixture. This solution, made by mixing sodium chloride (NaCl or salt) with water, is so rich in Na that it overwhelms the resin bed and forces all the Ca and Mg from the active sites on the resin beads. Potassium chloride (KCl) can also be used for thosse who cannot have any extra Na. The released hardness minerals are then flushed down the drain. The resin bed is then backwashed with water before it is ready for service again.

The time it takes for the resin bed to become loaded depends on the water usage, size of the bed, and the hardness of the water. Any water softener that only has a single softening tank will necessarily be in by-pass mode when regenerating. This is because while it is being cleaned and regenerated, the resin bed is not available for water softening. Thus, hard water will be entering the home during regeneration cycles, unless the system is a twin-tank system like the Kinetico. In addition, single-tank softeners must clean themselves with the raw, untreated water making them inefficient and wasteful. The Kinetico system offers many advantages over conventional single-tank electric units. Plus, the Kinetico systems are designed for long life around the customer’s needs, not service technicians. It boasts a superior factory warranty and a long dealer labor warranty.