Water is the main ingredient for life. It is the most essential for the well-being of any individual. But not all water we see and feel are not the same. Depending upon your location, and the area you live in, the quality of water changes from place to place. In India, more than 70% of households receive hard water.
It has crystals of minerals like Magnesium and Calcium, which tend to settle down on any surface and create many issues in our homes like staining, scaling on bath fittings, corrosion, clogging, hair fall, skin issues, and effects badly on the performance of appliances like Geysers, washing machines and Dishwashers, etc. So, what’s the solution then? The solution is to install a water softener.
Table of Contents
What is a Traditional Water Softener?
But, what is a water softener and how can it create a difference in our lives by providing us with good water?
A Water softener is a simple device that treats crystals of Calcium and Magnesium present in the hard water.
There are many technologies available to treat hard water. Traditional Resin-based Softeners remove Calcium and Magnesium minerals and salts from water and replace them with potassium and sodium ions, which help convert it into soft water. This water is usable for domestic and other useful purposes through these water softeners. But the flip side addition of Sodium ions may have some ill effects on our health and 100% removal of Calcium and magnesium may create a deficiency of these minerals in our drinking water. This also wastes a lot of Water during the recharge of resins with Sodium salt.
Understanding Traditional Water Softeners
Let’s understand the concept of traditional water softeners.
- A Water softener is a kind of remedy machine that involves a water remedy method known as Ion change for the elimination of the hardness of water. This sort of gadget consists of two tanks: One is the mineral tank and the alternative one is the brine tank.
- The mineral tank consists of a resin bed, which is directly charged with positive ions like potassium or sodium ions. The brine tank contains a salt solution, which is used for the regeneration of resin.
- When the hard water enters the tank, it passes through the mineral tank, the resin bed in that tank attracts all the negatively charged minerals and exchanges them with Potassium and Sodium ions that are positively charged. In this way, the water becomes soft and then it comes out of the tank.
- Over time this resin bed becomes full of minerals and a regeneration is needed. Then the brine tank flushes the minerals with the help of salt solution and this restores the condition of the main tank to its original state.
This is the oldest and most intensive way to get soft water. It has many health drawbacks including high maintenance costs.
Let’s look at other types of Water Softener for Home and other uses that are effective:
Types of Water Softeners
There are multiple new water softener technologies available in the market:
Dual Tank water softeners: These are again a type of traditional resin-based water softeners. They are called salt-based water softeners, which have two mineral tanks (Salt water softeners have one mineral tank) instead of one and can be used for bigger households. But they require more space and upkeep costs than normal water softeners.
Electronic Water Softeners: These water conditioners use magnetic or electric technology to alter the structure of the water, making them less likely to form scaling. They are very easy to install and also they don’t need any salts or maintenance. However, these Softeners are less reliable in terms of their high tendency to operational issues due to their frequent failure rate.
Salt-Free Water Softeners: These are also called water conditioners, which do not remove the minerals from the original water. Instead, it changes the form of the water to prevent it from scaling and sticking together. These types of softeners do not remove the hardness levels of the water. They are less effective than previous types of softeners.
Dual Protector Technology Softeners: This is a new technology that has been invented recently by Teknovus and it is one of the most advanced water softeners. This also falls under the category of Salt-Free Water Softeners, but It uses two-step water softening techniques:
Step 1 – The MCHW technology, Magnetic Conditioning of Hard Water – This changes the molecular structure of the water and effectively reduces the Surface Tension of the water. As a result, hard water loses its tendency to settle on surfaces and finally can restrict scale formation.
Step 2 – POM, Polymeric Oxyonic Media (a very high-grade Polyphosphate) – It conditions hard water ions and acts as an anti-scaling media, resulting in scale-free water output without losing Calcium and magnesium.
This technique of Dual Protector salt-free technology is found to be most effective, maintained, and with no side effects. There are low-cost products also available specific to a Point of Use such as fitment for Shower or your tap. These are also enabled with Dual Protector Technology.
Factors to consider when buying a Water Softener
Water Hardness Level: You have to understand and know the importance of hard water and how much softness you need. Use the water tester kit to check the hardness of the water.
Water Usage: You have to understand your water needs and how much water you need every day. You can get this information from your water bill or water consumption estimates. This is important to know which magnetic water softeners are great for your needs.
Size of a water softener: The size of a water softener is also a major factor when you are thinking of water softener for bathing or at home. It is also a major cost factor when you are buying a bigger water softener than a smaller water softener.
Cost
Do factor in the cost, when you are thinking of installing a water softener in your house. Water Softener Cost is a major factor that will decide the long-term effectiveness of getting soft water.
When buying a water softener, think of these factors:
- Your water requirements
- Your future water requirements
- Family members and their needs.
- Water Softener maintenance costs
- Water softener upfront price
When considering these factors you can make a wise decision on buying the right water softener.
Conclusion
Choosing the right water softener can be a daunting task if you take into consideration the different technologies these softeners come in and the needs of your household. But after reading this blog, I Hope this confusion has been cleared. If not just, take four considerations
1.) Choose the Latest Technology of Water Softeners.
2.) Choose the Water Softener according to your needs
3.) Do consider the costs of the water softener and
4.) Level of periodic Maintenance & its cost.
With these four simple steps, you can buy a water softener with ease. However, I recommend going with a Salt-free Dual protector, MCHW technology & POM, and water softeners. These are the most versatile water softeners and they are hassle-free softeners. Lastly, invest in a good softener and keep yourself and your loved ones healthy and happy with the goodness of soft water.
