Soften Water That Is As Hard As A Rock

Hard water vs. Soft water

The term hard-water relates to the residue left behind when water evaporates. Calcium and magnesium leave behind a hard residue that is difficult to wipe away, while sodium leaves behind a soft residue that is easily wiped away.

Your water softener simply removes the hard minerals and replaces them with the soft minerals giving you noticeably softer water.

Hard water is costly as well as an irritant to your skin.

Have you ever taken a shower with hard water and noticed that your skin feels "sticky". If you wipe your hand across your skin it sticks and grabs a bit. After taking a shower with soft water, you will find that your hand glides smoothly across your skin.

Here are some benefits to soft water:

• Reduces dry skin.
• Cleaner / brighter clothes.
• Cleaner more vibrant hair.
• Dishes dry clearer with fewer water spots.
• Fewer mineral deposits inside of pipes and plumbing fixtures.
• Reduces heating cost for hot water.
• Increases hot water heater life.
• You need less detergents and soap and it cleans better.

Is it safe to drink?

To ease your concerns about drinking water softened with salt, it does not taste salty. According to the Mayo Clinic, the amount of salt added by your softener system is not a concern for healthy individuals. If you are on a low sodium diet they state that you will have far greater opportunities to refuce sodium intake by reducing the consumption of table salt and processed foods.  The salt added through the water softening process is sodium bicarbonate, not sodium chloride (table salt).

If you are concerned about the sodium contained in softened water, talk to AEM Mechanical Systems, Inc. at 320-587-0991 to discuss other water softening options you may have.

How do I select a good quality and properly sized softener?

There are several considerations that you must address when selecting the proper water softener.

• Iron and Hardness: This test will tell you how much iron and how hard your water is. You can purchase your own kits for this or have a qualified installer such as AEM Mechanical Services, Inc. test your water for you.
   
• Volume: You will also need to calculate total grains used per day. You do this by:
  • Multiply the number of people in your household with the number of gallons each person uses (average is 80).
  • Then multiply that number by the grains of hardness in your water. (U.S. average is 10; Hutchinson city water is 5-7 and non-municipal wells in our area are 23-25 grains.)
     
• Type: Determine what type of softener system you want.
  • Timer Regenerated: The softener regenerates based on a time clock.
  • Meter Regenerated: This type of water softener regenerates based on volume actually used.
  • Manually Regenerated: You regenerate the water-softener manually when you want to.

Selecting the proper water softener and installing it can be a challenge to anyone with no experience. Fortunately you can call on a qualified plumber such as AEM Mechanical Services, Inc. They will help you select a quality water-softener that is appropriate for your needs and install it. An additional benefit is that they also service and repair existing water-softeners.

For help selecting and installing your new water softener,  call AEM Mechanical Services, Inc. at 320-587-0991.