Has your Arizona home been plagued by hard water issues? The state’s hot weather and lack of rain and soil make for a high mineral mix, leading to issues for AZ homeowners. Hard water leaves behind residues and can accumulate into buildup in your home’s pipes and appliances. With water softener services from Day & Night, you can wash away all of your hard water problems.
What Is a Water Softener
A water softener is a helpful water treatment system that removes minerals like hardness-causing calcium and magnesium from your water. Water softeners are designed to address hard water problems, a common and difficult issue for any homeowner to deal with.
Water softeners are the solution that alleviates the wreckage hard water can do to your home’s plumbing and appliances. Accumulated minerals from hard water will begin to accumulate over time, clogging pipes and shortening the lifespan of your home’s dishwasher, ice machine, and even coffee makers. Visible issues don’t end there. Other hard water issues include:
- Dingy laundry
- Streaks and stains on dishes
- Filmy scum buildup on shower curtains
- Decreased lathering ability from your soap and shampoo
- Baths that result in itchy skin and hair that’s sticky and lifeless
How does a water softener work?
A water softener system removes calcium and other minerals from the water in an ion exchange process. The process first begins with hard water entering the mineral tank and flowing through a bed of spherical resin beads. Usually made from polystyrene, these beads are charged with a sodium ion. The beads also have a negative charge, the opposite of the positive charge in calcium and magnesium minerals. Since opposites attract, the beads will grab the mineral ions and remove them from the water. Sodium ions are then released, stripping all of the hardness from the water. Once out of the mineral tank, softened water flows into the home.
Types of Water Softeners
Here are the common types of water softeners you may find:
- Salt-Based Water Softeners. The most common water softener system that comes in different sizes and applications.
- Salt-Free Water Softeners. Softens water without added salt.
- Dual-Tank Water Softeners. A water softener system with two tanks instead of one. Best used in homes with high water usage.
- Magnetic Water Softeners. A smaller system that doesn’t remove minerals from the water, but reduces their buildup.
- Reverse Osmosis Water Softeners. Reverse Osmosis water softener systems Provide softened water from a single point through a high-pressure process. This process forces water through a semipermeable membrane, filtering minerals, metals, and nitrates from the water.
- Shower Head Water Softeners. An alternative to whole-house water softeners that remove minerals straight at the shower head.
Each type of water softener system has its own set of pros and cons. Choosing the right type of water softener system for your home depends on suitability, home needs, and budget.
Benefits of Water Softener
With the elimination of hard water in your home courtesy of your water heater, you can also enjoy these benefits:
- Longer-lasting home appliances
- Cleaner and shinier dishes
- Less soap scum in your showers and bathtubs
- Skin that is smoother, cleaner, and softer
- A reduction in shampoo and soap use
- Softer and brighter fabrics and clothing, no more dinginess
- Reduction in greenhouse gasses
- Reduction of hard water spotting around your property
- Improved water taste
- A reduction in the current scale buildup
Is soft water safe to drink?
Yes, soft is safe to drink. The resin beads release sodium during the ion exchange process into the water, but the sodium isn’t unhealthy. Compared to the amount of sodium in various everyday foods, the sodium content in soft water doesn’t come close.
If your water has a hardness level of over 400 ppm, it’s recommended to install a reverse osmosis system to treat the water that you drink and cook with.
Water Softener System Cost
Whole-house water softener systems typically range from $600 to $1500, but this depends on the type of system, size, and application. Alongside low operating costs and a monthly purchase of a 40-pound bag of sodium chloride pellets at $10 to $25, the costs of a water softener are far more beneficial than the issues that come with hard water. On top of that, water softeners can last for 20 years or more, saving you time, money, and frustration with bigger home issues.
Water Softener System Installation
Looking to escape the thick and difficult-to-deal-with issues due to hard water in your Arizona home? Turn to our team at Day & Night for expert water softener system installation and start experiencing the blissful benefits by contacting us today. We’ll make sure your home’s water is safe and free of calcium and magnesium minerals through our water softener installation services. For any of your home plumbing needs, Day & Night has you covered there as well.