How to Choose the Best Water Softener System

One of the most important things to consider when deciding which water softener system to purchase is to find the correct size system for your particular home. There are many systems on the market these days that can treat water from 100 litres up to 1 million litres per day - so it's crucial to pick the correct one that you need!

Many people have fallen into the trap of choosing the wrong type of device for their home which can cause more problems than necessary. An incorrect water softener installed in a home can not just be a waste of time, it can cost a massive amount of money maintaining the device by replacing the cartridges and servicing the system when things go wrong. I have received many emails from people over the years who have installed the wrong device and had very bad experiences with their water supply. If this is you then you're certainly not alone - many people just want an expert opinion on the best water softener system to go for.

How to Choose the Best One For You and Your Family

The best way to decide which one to go for is to use a water softener calculator to accurately calculate the exact system that you home needs. Fortunately, there are some excellent tools available these days that will tell you exactly which one you need to be going for. A powerful and easy-to-use tool is at AffordableWater.us which can be found at the link below:
http://www.affordablewater.us/index.aspx

By inputting the number of people in the household and the hardness of your water supply as well as the iron content, it will provide you with an excellent way of deciding which one will fit your needs. By discovering which device is the best one for your needs you'll be getting the best quality water and the best price. There are several issues to think about when purchasing a water softener but to learn about the 3 critical things to consider, check out the link below:
http://hardwaterstainstips.blogspot.com/2009/04/water-softeners-3-critical-things-to.html

Summary:
Finding the correct water softener system for you and your family is crucial to installing the most efficient device for your home. The products available these days have improved dramatically over the last few years and there are some excellent ones available...as well as not so good ones! But by using the excellent tools mentioned above to discover the best one for you, you'll be using clean, fresh water without any hard water minerals!


If you have any questions about which water softener to choose, feel free to email me at support@hardwaterstainstips.com. I'd be happy to hear from you!

The Difference a Water Softener Can Make

The decision on whether to install a water softener just on your kitchen sink or throughout your entire house is often made with finances at the front of your mind. The price difference can be substantial, but there are some other things to consider as well. 


Taste
This is the primary reason homeowners are now turning to softeners for their homes. They start with a small jug that is placed in the refrigerator to give a more refreshing taste, but since those have to be continually filled up and allowed to chill the idea of having a softener placed on their kitchen faucet eventually sets in. If this is your only goal in having the softener in your home, then just a kitchen unit will be adequate.

Home Maintenance
Hard water makes maintaining the plumbing as well as your sinks and bathtubs much harder than it really should be. The minerals that are in the water accumulate into lime scale which is harmful to your pipes and a real pain to scrub from between the tile around your shower. This is why so many homeowners now see the value of softer water when it comes to keeping their home lime-free and functioning efficiently.
When you place a water softener in your home its primary job is to take those rough, larger sized minerals and break them down. A high quality system will reduce their size to the point they dissolve back into the water, which creates a "wetter" water consistency which does not create the accumulation of lime scale like hard water.

If you use a softener system which doesn't put salt into the water you will have much less lime scale in your home than if you use a salt based product.

Of course, you cannot get the relief from lime scale unless the softer water is flowing to all areas of your home. You may enjoy the better taste of soft water in your kitchen, but in order to help maintain your plumbing you will need a system that covers your entire house.

Hair & Skin
The minerals in hard water also collect on your hair and skin and fail to rinse out all of your hair product, leaving behind a film which you may not be able to see or feel but which affects the health of your skin and hair regardless. When you use softer water you will wash away this film and allow the natural health of your hair and skin to come out.

Everyone is searching for a way to get vibrant, shiny hair and fresh, youthful looking skin, but few people realize the biggest piece to that puzzle is in the water they use for showers! To get the full benefits for your skin and hair you will need a whole house softener.

Laundry
The minerals in hard water are unable to push out all of the detergent and dirt from your clothing when you put them through the wash! This is why homeowners who install a whole house water softener marvel at how much longer their clothing lasts and how much clearer their fabric colors are!
To get the most benefits from your softener system it is clear that you will need a whole house system. When weighing the cost of a kitchen and whole house water softener also weigh the benefits!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Allen_Taigom 

Water Softening Benefits to be Studied...

The effect of hard water around the home can increase heating bills by hundreds of dollars a year. Simply adding a water softener is a great way to combat these effects and reduce the build-up of limescale and hard water stains.

The effects of softening water are now being studied at WQA Aquatech USA. The conference and exhibition will be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, March 9 - 12, 2010.

One of the best water filters around at the moment is the Pelican PC600 Premium whole House Water Softener. Click on the image below for more information...

The results of the conference will be very revealing and I'm sure will confirm that hard water continues to be an ever increasing evvironmental issue due to the extra energy is costs to heat homes and businesses.

The full article about the conference can be found at http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?N_ID=73367

If you have any comments about this post feel free to add them below - I be happy to hear your thoughts.

More Cities Eye Water Softeners Over Salinity Issues

A growing number of cities, especially in California, are taking a variety of steps to reduce their local sodium levels and water treatment costs, which can be affected in cases by the number of traditional water softeners in an area.

With that in mind, the city of Woodland, California recently announced that
it is conducting a survey to learn more about the source of some of its salinity levels in wastewater. The city noted that participants will also be entered in a drawing for a GPS unit.

In its announcement, the city notes that higher salt levels can contribute to blood pressure problems and also harm crops, fish and other wildlife. Another problem is higher wastewater and drinking water costs.

The city did mention water softeners in its announcement, noting that the local hard water is safe to drink, but can leave deposits on plumbing fixtures and damage appliances, while also making soap and shampoo less effect.

The attention on the environmental effect of water softeners is gaining more attention nationwide as cities struggle to provide adequate supplies in light of increased demand and factors like pollution and an aging infrastructure.

If you are affected by these new laws and want to soften the water in your home, feel free to get in touch with me and I'd be happy to help.

Or leave a comment below and let me know what you think about them...

Image Source: watervalue.com
Article from http://www.wavehomesolutions.com/content/news/article.cfm?articleID=19448581&catID=438025743

DIY Water Filters - Learn How To Treat Your Own Water!

There are some fantastic water softeners and filters available these days, and they do a great job at cleaning up our water and providing clean, soft water. However, if you're looking to save money or just like the idea of building a water filter for yourself, then a DIY water filter may be what you've just been looking for...as it could save you $250 every month!

If you have hard water in your local area, then it could be costing you hundreds of extra dollars per year in expensive cleaning products and scale caused by hard water deposit build-up in boilers and kettles. This not only adds to the cost of maintaining a household, but hard water does not lather at all well with soaps and shampoo, and also does not have a great taste...as you may already know!

Many people try to deal with the issue for years before they tackle the problem head on and do something about it. We all know how difficult hard water deposit removal can be, and just how much time it can take to get a kitchen and bathroom looking good again.

Some people try to boil their water before they drink it, or let it stand to settle out, or purchase expensive bottled water, or try to disguise the taste in some way...when all along they could have just installed - a DIY water filter for less than $80 - and solved all their problems in one! This also saves the environment as the plastic used to produce the bottled water is saved.

There are some cutting edge technologies that are pushing the boundaries of water filtration these days, and are purifying water to extremely high standards. To learn more about the new developments taking place in the industry, click on the link below:

http://www.prweb.com/pingpr.php/U3VtbS1aZXRhLVBpZ2ctTG92ZS1GYWx1LUNvdXAtWmVybw==

Top Tips When Considering a DIY Water Filter:

The main benefit of a DIY water filter is the low cost compared to the filters that can be bought in stores. The trick is to find a good filter media (tip: granular carbon is an excellent filter media) as it's this that will filter and purify your water of many of the impurities and chemicals that are contained within it. Sand is also a great material for removing the unwanted toxins that can be present in a home water supply.

If you've been considering a water filter for a while and are unsure about the cost of installing one or just want more information about how they operate, then building one for yourself gives you a great insight into the precise way these devices actually work. When you then decide to purchase one over the counter in the future, I can guarantee you'll be well armed with the facts to pick the right one for yourself!


If you're looking to learn more about consider this easy, step-by-step guide for making you own home water filter and save up to $250 a month, then click on the link below for more information:

Click Here!

And of course, if you have any questions or queries about DIY water filters, please don't hesitate to email me at support@hardwaterstainstips.com. I'd be happy to hear from you.

Have any comments about this post, put them down below...I'd be happy to hear your thoughts.

Hard Water Stains - What Does The Terminator Have To Do With Them?

I never though I would do a blog post and mention Arnold Schwarzenegger, but here goes... California has recently passed laws giving local officials more power to remove water softeners from peoples homes.

These devices can help to remove minerals that cause the ugly hard water stains that form around the home.

SACRAMENTO, CA — In what one newspaper called “a jab at the Culligan Man,” the California Assembly this week passed a bill, known as AB 1366, that will give local government agencies more power to ban residential water softeners and remove existing ones, The Los Angeles Times reported September 10.

AB 1366, sponsored by Assemblyman Michael Feuer, D-Los Angeles, was among “a flurry of measures” that state lawmakers were trying to push through before the end of the legislative session at midnight on September 11, the newspaper said. It could not be determined immediately how the state Senate was acting on the bill. Passage in the Senate would mean it would go to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for his signature.

The measure has been opposed vigorously by the water treatment industry, represented by the national Water Quality Association, the regional Pacific Water Quality Association, and dealers, suppliers and manufacturers of softeners.

It has been supported by California’s municipal water and wastewater agencies, which insist that the chlorides discharged by water softeners in their regeneration cycle make wastewater more difficult and expensive to treat and pollute downstream water sources.

Opponents said the bill unfairly singled out residential water softeners as sources of salinity in wastewater. They also tried to persuade lawmakers that a more reasonable solution was to work with the industry in changing consumers’ softener equipment to more salt-efficient designs, and to identify large institutional salinity sources.

The industry sought to persuade the public that AB 1366 was an unwarranted intrusion of state regulation that would only result in hard water for the estimated one-quarter of Californians who now have residential softeners. The Times article said executives of Culligan International, the Rosemont, IL-based manufacturer of water softeners that also maintains a large dealer network, criticized the bill, according to the newspaper, as being “a Big Government grab at private property.”

A similar measure passed both the state Senate and Assembly last fall, but it was vetoed by the governor and never became law.

A few local governments and water agencies in California and across the nation have instituted softener bans or restrictions that apply only to softener owners in those areas.

Source: http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?N_ID=72562


If you are affected by these recent laws, do not worry. There are plently of other devices available these days that are just as effective at removing hard water minerals as well as eliminating other potentially harmful toxins.

For more information, see my blog post link below on the different types of water filters and softeners currently on the market, and how they can improve your water supply.

http://hardwaterstainstips.blogspot.com/2008/12/hard-water-stains-water-filters.html

If the recent ban affects you tell me what you think about it? Leave a blog post below, I love to hear your thoughts!

California Considers Water Softener Legislation

If you live in California the law may be changing soon regarding water softeners. This is because lawmakers will be discussing future legislation that could affect how homeowners use traditional water softeners.

Traditional water softeners use salt to replace the calcium and magnesium in the water with sodium. This effectively prevents the calcium and magnesium causing hard water stains around the home, however when the softeners are recharged, the salt is flushed out and can cause significant damage to the environment.

A recent report on California's 10News.com website says that the legislation would encourage homeowners to replace their traditional water softeners with models that do not use salt and would also compensate those who do replace their old systems.

One of the largest manufacturers of the traditional water softeners is said to be waging a heavy lobbying effort against the bill, and it remains to be seen if Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would be willing to sign it if it passes.

Some oppose the bill because they are concerned about untreated hard water, which can also be wasteful because it makes it more difficult for soap and shampoo to work properly.

The controversy is particularly relevant in California because the state is grappling with chronic water supply issues and has faced rising treatment costs in part because of the salt that is released by many traditional water softeners.

Do you live in California, or know someone who lives there? What do you think about the new leglislation - do you think it will help the environment by using softeners that don't use salt? I'd love to hear what you think, why not leave a blog post and tell me your thoughts.

Water Softeners - 3 Critical Things to Consider Before Buying a Water Softener

When considering which water softener to purchase there are some important factors to consider including some significant health issues. This is because water softeners actually use sodium to alter the water. As we all know, sodium is a major cause of increased blood pressure and other serious health problems.

Sodium is an essential mineral because it's necessary for fluid and electrolyte balance in your body. However, consuming too much salt (also known as sodium chloride) may lead to high blood pressure, a condition called hypertension.

How Do Water Softeners Work:
Water softeners or whole house water treatment systems use a process called ion exchange to remove minerals from a water supply before it enters the home. This involves passing the water through a tank filled with resin beads that are coated with ions of either sodium or potassium chloride.
In simple terms, the sodium or potassium ions in the water softener swap places with the calcium or magnesium ions (which are the hard minerals that cause hard water stains and limescale) in a domestic water supply.

What To Consider Before Purchase:
• Firstly, sodium chloride is usually less expensive than potassium chloride although the latter is better for the environment. This is because the system has to have the brine solution discharged to recharge the ions on the resin beads.
• If the potassium solution is discharged it has less impact on the environment and can actually be put on lawns as potassium is a key plant nutrient!
• Contrary to a common misconception, using sodium salt in your water softener will not adversely affect your plumbing. Most modern plumbing is made of PVC plastic and is not affected by increased levels of either sodium or potassium chloride. Sodium salt can, however, reduce the amount of maintenance required for your brine tank.
• For those concerned about the health issues of how much sodium is put into the water by a water softener, the answer is, it all depends. The harder your water supply the more sodium ions are needed to soften it. That said, studies indicate that even water softened with sodium chloride has a low concentration of sodium.
• The costs of water softeners are usually far outweighed by the benefits and cost savings obtained, through using softened water.
Your local health department can tell you the sodium and other mineral content of your community's water supply.

Options if Your Tap Water is High in Sodium:
• Consider switching to another type of water-purification system.
• Buy demineralized water for drinking and cooking.
• Softening only the hot water and using unsoftened cold water for drinking and cooking.
Ultimately the choice between sodium or potassium salts in your water softener is a personal one, depending on the presence of potential health issues with your water supply, cost, and environmental priorities.

Whichever one you decide on, the advantages of a water softener far outweigh the disadvantages. As well as all the above they can also be helpful in reducing cleaning time by preventing hard water stains and limescale forming around the home.

One of the best water softeners on the market is the 5 stage under water filter system from Crystal Clear Supply. To learn more about the recommended water softener click here or on the image below:

Mechanical Water Softeners

Mechanical water softening units can be permanently installed into the plumbing system to continuously remove calcium and magnesium and prevent the formation of limescale around the home.

Water softeners operate on the ion exchange process. In this process, water passes through a media bed, usually sulfonated polystyrene beads. The beads are supersaturated with sodium. The ion exchange process takes place as hard water passes through the softening material. The hardness minerals attach themselves to the resin beads while sodium on the resin beads is released simultaneously into the water.

When the resin becomes saturated with calcium and magnesium, it must be recharged. The recharging is done by passing a salt (brine) solution through the resin. The sodium replaces the calcium and magnesium which are discharged in the waste water.

Hard water treated with an ion exchange water softener has sodium added. According to the Water Quality Association (WQA), the ion exchange softening process adds sodium at the rate of about 8 mg/liter for each grain of hardness removed per gallon of water.

For example, if the water has a hardness of 10 grains per gallon, it will contain about 80 mg/liter of sodium after being softened in an ion exchange water softener if all hardness minerals (which cause hard water stains) are removed.

Because of the sodium content of softened water, some individuals may be advised by their doctor, not to install water softeners, to soften only hot water or to bypass the water softener with a cold water line to provide unsoftened water for drinking and cooking; usually to a separate faucet at the kitchen sink.

Mechanically softened water is not recommended for watering plants, lawns, and gardens due to its sodium content.

Packaged Water Softeners

Basically, these are chemicals which help to control water hardness. There are two types, precipitating and non-precipitating.

Precipitating water softeners include washing soda and borax, see image below...

These products form an insoluble precipitate with calcium and magnesium ions. The mineral ions then cannot interfere with cleaning efficiency, but the precipitate makes water cloudy and can build up on surfaces. Precipitating water softeners increase alkalinity of the cleaning solution and this may damage skin and other materials being cleaned. Washing soda is great for cleaning clothes in hard water areas but it's not used for drinking water, as explained above, the water becomes cloudy from the minerals precipitating out of the water. It would certainly not be a good idea to drink!


Non-precipitating water softeners use complex phosphates to sequester calcium and magnesium ions. There is no precipitate to form deposits and does not cause hard water stains on surfaces and alkalinity is not increased. If used in enough quantity, non-precipitating water softeners will help dissolve soap curd for a period of time.