Homeowners use water softeners in order to prevent the negative effects brought on by hard water. If your home has hard water, it can cause multiple problems with your home’s plumbing that will have you eventually contacting Houston plumbers for help. Examples of the problems from hard water are build-up of limescale in faucets and shower heads. This will eventually cause the aerators in the faucets and showers heads to eventually clog and with that loss in water pressure. Hard water can also negatively affect hot water heaters, reducing their service life also. Another issue with hard water is that it reduces the ability for soaps and detergents to lather, which will make your hair dull, cause spotting in dishes, scale on toilets and tiles and reduce the effectiveness of cleaning clothes in the washing machine.
What is Hard Water?
When it rains, the rain water will seep through the soil until it reaches an underground water source. When it does, it collects minerals that will be found in the soil and rock. Two of the most abundant minerals in rock and soil are magnesium and calcium. These two minerals are so common that they are found in over eighty five percent of the nation’s ground water supply. These two minerals are what makes up hard water and with it creates all of the problems detailed above. Thankfully, there are multiple types of water softening systems available that can address these problems. If you are looking for the professional services from Houston plumbers then give Benjamin Franklin Plumbing a call today.
How do Water Softeners Work?
Water softener systems remove calcium and magnesium from the water by utilizing negatively charged plastic beads. Calcium and magnesium will stick to these beads thus purifying the water from these two minerals. There are three main components that make up the water softener system and these three components are the mineral tank, brine tank and the control valve. Below we will discuss the different parts of the water softener system in detail. If you are looking for professional Houston plumbers then give Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® & Drain Services of Rosenberg a call today and we will be more than happy to assist you with whether you need plumbing repairs, installation or maintenance.
Mineral Tank
The mineral tank is where the entire process of filtering the minerals from the water will begin. This process begins when the water is passed through negatively charged beads that will attract the positively charged calcium and magnesium minerals. These minerals with their opposing charges will be drawn to the beads, latching onto them as the water passes through the tank.
Brine Tank
The next process in water filtration takes place in the brine tank. The water will be saturated in sodium. Homeowners that have restrictive low sodium diets may not find this process positive as some of the sodium from the brine tank will transverse into the drinking water. Another issue with sodium chloride is that it can also negative impact the bacteria that breaks down waste found in septic systems. Because of this many states have already banned the use of sodium chloride. Luckily there is an alternative. Potassium chloride is used rather than sodium chloride. Potassium chloride is considered environmentally friendly and thankfully will not affect your health or your septic system.
Control Valve
The next process happens in the control valve. The control valve cleans the plastic beads that have calcium and magnesium deposits attached to them. This process called regeneration, cleans the beads through a three cycle process which is backwashing, recharging and rinsing.
- Backwashing – The three cycle regeneration process begins here with the backwashing cycle. In this process the control valve reverses the flow of water in the tank and flushes the tank debris out.
- Recharging – The second cycle, recharging, is where the solution is pumped into the mineral tank. This concentrated solution with its positive electrical charge will be attracted to the negatively charged plastic beads which will force the minerals off of the beads. Then the magnesium and calcium enriched solution is flushed from the tank and out the drain.
- Rinsing – The third cycle and final process in regeneration is the rinsing cycle. In this cycle, the tank will be filled and rinsed with water and the process will then begin anew with the positively charged plastic beads coated in either sodium chloride or potassium chloride.
If you are in need of professional Houston plumbers for your plumbing repairs or any other plumbing related problem then you can count on Benjamin Franklin Plumbing® & Drain Services of Rosenberg to provide you with superior results time after time again. For the best Houston plumbers in the area give us a call today.