What water softener should i get

You may also want to use Whirlpool Water Softener Cleanser to keep your softener running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. This keeps your softener free of contaminants, iron and hard water build up that can affect the system and reduce its efficiency.

Choosing a water softener? Here are some important guidelines and features to understand. Household Size and Water Usage A person typically uses 75 gallons of water per day, which means an average family of 4 uses about gallons per day. Regeneration Style Another feature to understand is how the softener regenerates. Remove Additional Contaminants In addition to softening, some softeners also remove additional contaminants such as chlorine, higher levels of clear-water iron or sediment.

Other Convenience Features Additional features can make it even easier to reduce the maintenance of your water softener. Adding a Water Filtration System We recommend adding a water filtration system for a complete water treatment solution. A water softener is a device which connects to your plumbing system at an easy access point, like underneath a kitchen sink. It removes the calcium and magnesium minerals found in hard water to convert it into soft water. Using a water softener allows you to avoid many of the problems caused by using hard water.

Water softeners work using a process called ion exchange, in which calcium and magnesium ions from hard water are exchanged with sodium chloride salt via a special resin. The water goes into a pressure vessel where it moves through the resin beads, and the calcium and magnesium are replaced by sodium.

These calcium and magnesium ions are then removed in regeneration cycles, leaving behind only soft water. Learn more about how a water softener works. The perfect water softener for your home will depend on many different factors. How often does my water usage change? For example, do you have family that come to stay, or do you often go away at weekends? How much water do I use? Do you have a large family, or do you often find that everyone in the household needs to use water at the same time of day?

What sort of plumbing do I have? A system with large pipes will need a water softener that can process water more quickly. A system with tanks in the loft will have a more constant pressure, whereas a system with a mains water supply that enters through the garage will need a different installation plan. Hard water is water which contains a high volume of mineral ions due to how the water has travelled through the Earth.

Hard water contains magnesium and calcium minerals, which makes it hard to form a soap lather. This can often make water seem cloudy and is responsible for causing limescale to form. Soft water, on the other hand, contains little or no dissolved calcium or magnesium and forms a soap lather much more easily. As no salts are present, soft water does not contribute to the formation of limescale. This is the main difference between hard water and soft water.

The negative effects of hard water come in the deposition of scale and scum. You may be familiar with the telltale signs. Tidemarks around baths and basins, unsightly white marks on sinks, toilet bowls, and shower heads.

In worst case scenarios, the build-up of this material can create blockages in pipework and lead to the premature failure of water heaters. Due to its composition, hard water can result in a less than effective wash. Its rich mineral makeup prohibits an effective reaction with soap.

This basically means that it is harder to create lather, foam, and bubbles, resulting in a less than effective clean. Clothes can be left grey and dingy, whilst dishes and glasses can appear dull and smeared. It can really affect the longevity of your clothes and kitchen appliances.

Your water hardness. Hard water is widespread across the entire UK, though some places have a richer composition than others. To give you a better sense of the distribution of water composition in the UK, this map provides a more accurate overview. It should also be noted that Northern Ireland and Scotland are naturally soft.

You can also use our handy postcode tool to find out the exact hardness of the water in your area. There are many ways in which water hardness is measured. Minnesota has a growing problem with chloride in water. Chloride in water threatens our fresh-water fish and other aquatic life.

The chloride used in home water softeners can also affect the water used for drinking. It takes only one teaspoon of sodium chloride salt to permanently pollute five gallons of water. Once salt is in water, there is no easy way to remove it. In some communities, home water softeners drain to municipal wastewater treatment plants, which are not designed to remove chloride. The chloride passes through the treatment plant and ends up in our lakes and streams.

Contact the Drinking Water Protection Program: health. Do I need to soften my water? Advantages of home water softening Prevents build-up of minerals scale on the inside of pipes, fixtures, and hot water heaters.

Lengthens the life of some appliances. Reduces or prevents mineral spots on glassware.