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[ what is reverse osmosis ] [ RO advanced water treatment ] [ RO Renaissance ] [ water from source to tap ] [ water quality problem ] [ treating the water ] [ what make water hard ] [ why is RO better ] [ Japan Nuclear Crisis Affect Drinking Water ] [ 3 Great Reasons To Remineralize Your Pure Water ]
& How Hard Water Can Be Improved
The most common water quality problem reported by consumers throughout the U.S. is hard water. A U.S. Geological Survey indicates that hard water is found in more than 85 percent of the country. So then, what makes water hard, and what can consumers do to treat this problem?
Hard Water
Because more than 60 percent of the earth's water is groundwater, it travels through rock and soil picking up minerals, including calcium and magnesium along the way. These two contaminants produce what is commonly referred to as "hardness" in water. Generally speaking, hardness is measured in grains per gallon (gpg). For example, if a water test indicates a range of 1.0 to 3.5 gpg, the water is considered slightly hard. If the measurement is greater than 10.5 gpg, the water is rated as being very hard.
Hard water can be detected easily, even as one performs personal hygeine such as hair washing, or through the appearance of fixtures and appliances or changes in heating costs.
Clogged pipes and/or appliances could be a sign of hard water. Hard water mineral deposits can form in coffee makers and can build up in pipes or plumbing equipment. A consumer may notice a reduced water flow, as well as an increase in the number of calls to a repair person.
Consumers may notice a film on their bathtubs or shower tiles, or even on themselves. The film that is left often results in additional scouring and scrubbing of the affected fixtures, and can cause hair to be dull and limp, and dry the skin.
A consumers water heating costs could increase as a
result of hard water. When hard water is heated, the
minerals can precipitate and form scale. Besides
buildup, mineral deposits can form an insulating
barrier between the heating element and the water to
be heated.
The calcium and magnesium in hard water act on many
soaps and detergents to reduce their sudsing and
cleaning capabilities. The soapy residue they form can
be abrasive and reduce the life of clothing.
In areas where the water is hard or very hard, the
local water utility may soften the water to about 5 or
6 gpg. This figure is still considered moderately
hard, and consumers may still wish to soften the water
further. The most common option for consumers is ion
exchange water softening in the home. Domestic
softening makes economic sense because it only softens
the water to be used for laundering, cleaning, and
other home uses. Softening at the central treatment
facilityis costly because it softens all water,
including that which is used for fighting fires and
cleaning streets.
Water Softening
There are many different types of softeners, each with
its own benefits. The method used most often in homes
is cation exchange, the principles of which are
simple. An ion is an electrically charged atom or
group of atoms. A cation is a positively charged ion.
The water is softened when the hardness ions
(magnesium and calcium) are exchanged for sodium ions.
This exchange occurs in a resin bed during the
softening cycle.
Three main parts make up most water softeners:
Resin Tank - Contains the resin bed.
Resin Bed - This is made up of tiny bead-like material
often made of styrene and divinylbenzene. The beads
attract and hold positively charged ions such as
sodium, but will exchange them whenever the bead
encounters another positively-charged ion such as
calcium or magnesium.
Brine Tank - This tank holds the dissolved salt
solution that is necessary to regenerate the resin.
Regeneration refers to reversing the ion exchange
operation. The magnesium and calcium ions are driven
off of the resin beads and replaced by positively
charged sodium ions. The regeneration occurs when the
resin beads are washed with a strong salt water
solution. The salt forces the calcium and magnesium
ions to be released, and they are then discharged as
waste during the backwashing cycle. The beads are
ready to once again attract hardness ions from the
water.
Many installed water softeners are fully automatic. An
automatic unit regenerates according to a preset
clock. For example, it might be set to regenerate
every third night at 3am. Other systems may use an
electronic sensor that regenerates the system
according to water usage.
Size and Type Considerations
When water softeners were first manufactured, manual
and semi-automatic models, where the regeneration
process was started "manually" by the homeowner, were
the most common types sold. Today, the two main types
on the market are automatic and demand-initiated
regeneration (DIR) water softeners. Automatic
softeners regenerate on a schedule regulated by a
timer. DIR softeners are the most sophisticated,
containing a hardness sensor or water meter which
triggers regeneration as needed.
There are several factors that a person must take into
consideration before purchasing a softener, including
the number of people in the home, how much water is
used, and the hardness of the water.
Determining the size of the softener, knowing these
factors, is rather simple. Multiply 75 (average
gallons per day used per person) by the number of
people in your household. For example, four people in
a household will likely use 300 gallons of water per
day. Multiply the 300 gallons per day by the number of
grains per gallon of hardness present in your water.
Continuing the example, 300 gallons per day times 20
gpg gives a figure of 6000 grains of hardness per day
that would require removal. Given a typical
regeneration capacity of 18.000 to 30,000 grains per
regeneration, a softening system in this case would
optimally be regenerated every three to five days.
The Sodium Issue
For some consumers, the fact that sodium is used to
soften water raises a concern about their drinking
water and a potential health risk. However, what many
people may not know is that when doctors and
researchers discuss salt and its effects on a person's
health, they usually refer to sodium chloride, and not
sodium bicarbonate which is the result of softening.
Further, according to Dr. Andrew Zeifer, Director of
the Hypertension Clinic at the University of Michigan,
"Drinking water represents a very small part of sodium
intake in most persons. Even water softening systems
using salt don't introduce enough salt to be of
concern." Similar view were expressed in the New
England Journal of Medicine, and by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
If consumers do not want to add any additional sodium
to their diet, or if they are on a medically
prescribed diet, they may choose to connect their
water softener to the hot water line only, thus
leaving consumers able to drink and cook with
unsoftened cold water. Another option would be to
install a reverse osmosis or distillation system, and
have the full benefits of both technologies in their
home.
Benefits of Softened Water
Even for those whose water is slightly hard,
significant benefits can result from using softened
water:
Water heating efficiencies on systems using softened
water may be increased up to 29 percent if heating
with gas, and 22 percent if using electricity.
(Source: New Mexico State University Study)
The life of the plumbing system may increase because
clogging from scale within pipes will be reduced.
Many appliances may last longer and perform better.
Soapy residue on clothes is reduced so they may look
and wear better.
Skin and hair can be rinsed more completely, making
hair look shinier and skin cleaner.
Film on tubs and shower tiles may be reduced, as will
scratching to bathroom fixtures and sinks.
A final tip: Look for the WQA Gold Seal on home water
treatment systems. This recognizeable symbol gives the
consumer the assurance that the equipment has been
tested against industry standards, and successfully
passed these tests, and has been validated for
performance capabilities.