Hard water is a real pain. While it’s not a health hazard, hard water can cause scaling inside your pipes and spots on your fixtures, shorten the life of your appliances, and make washing clothes and dishes more difficult. If you look at the U.S. Geological Survey map of hard water areas, almost all of Arizona is dark red. In fact, along with Colorado, Utah and Texas, Arizona has some of the hardest water in the country!
What is Hard Water?
Water is termed “hard” if it has increased levels of calcium and magnesium ions present. The level of hardness is measured in grains per gallon. Here in the Phoenix metro area, the drinking water is extremely hard with a range of 12 to 18 grains per gallon. This is considered “very high,” according to the guidelines published by the Water Quality Association.
What are the Effects of Hard Water?
While there are no health risks associated with hard water, it can cause problems in your home that can cost you! Hard water causes scaling, a build-up of minerals inside your home’s plumbing, water heater, dishwasher, and other appliances, significantly shortening their lifespan. It also causes spotting on glasses and dishes and can clog sink and shower fixtures.
Water Treatment Using A Water Softener System
Fortunately, treatment options are available. Water softeners remove these minerals from your water using various methods. There are several types of systems available. These include:
- Salt-based systems that use salt and resin balls to facilitate the transfer of calcium and magnesium, replacing them with sodium chloride ions through a process called ionization.
- Salt-free systems that use ion exchange like a salt-based system, but use potassium chloride, which does not leave your water tasting “salty.”
- Reverse osmosis filtration systems remove the chlorides from softened water by filtration.
Typically, a water softener is installed where the water enters your home and removes these minerals before water enters your home’s plumbing system. Because the ionization process exchanges magnesium and chloride ions for sodium or potassium ions (depending on the treatment method), water can sometimes have slightly elevated levels of salt. Many homeowners choose to combine a water softening system with a filtration system to remove the salt ions from their water prior to drinking.
Contact Day & Night Air Today for All Your Water Softener Needs!
At Day & Night Air, we offer our customers in Phoenix water treatment solutions, including water softening and filtration systems. Let us show you the all of the benefits of installing a water softening system in your home. If you’d like more information, just get in touch with us! We’re always happy to discuss all of your water treatment options.