What Does A Water Softener Remove?
Water purifiers/filters do a great job of bringing us clean water, but sometimes they leave behind excess minerals that can affect the flavor and quality of it. We call water containing a higher-than-normal concentration of particular materials hard.
Drinking hard water isn’t dangerous, but it can complicate things for people with weak immunity. Hard water can have potential health impacts, so it’s best to avoid drinking it.
Luckily, we can rely on a water softener to rid us of hard water. A water softener does exactly what it sounds like; it removes the minerals responsible for creating hard water and makes it soft.
The most common minerals in excess in hard water are calcium and magnesium. But other minerals like aluminum, iron, and manganese might also be present.
Soft water is healthy and much easier to drink. Soft water doesn’t have a bitter/metallic taste and is easy to digest, while hard water is not.
But what does a water softener remove from water, and how does it do it? Let’s find out.
How Does a Water Softener Work?
Although removing minerals from water sounds easy, the work of a water softener is a little complicated. A water softener works through multiple processes, but let’s talk a bit about the appliance before we get to them.
Parts of a Water Softener
A water softener contains three main parts, a control valve, a resin or mineral tank, and a brine tank. The three work together to remove minerals from the hard water and make it soft.
1. Control Valve
The control valve of a water softener is its brain. It sits at the very top of the water softener and controls the softening process.
The control valve has two separate tubes; the first connects to the brine tank with an injector (we will explain this later), and the second connects to the mineral tank.
2. Resin/Mineral Tank
The resin/mineral tank is elongated, and that is where the softening process takes place.
This mineral tank contains special resin beads bound by sodium ions. The sodium ions in the mineral tank are the key to the softening process; a water softener doesn’t work without them.
Types of Resin
There are two main variations of resin; gel resins and macroporous resin.
1. Gel Resins
Gel resin is a plastic-like solid with extremely fine pores. It is the most common resin used in water softeners.
Most gel resins are bound by sodium ions, although some softeners use other minerals too.
2. Macroporous Resins
The pores in a macroporous resin are quite small, but they are bigger than gel resins. Macroporous resins aren’t frequent choices for softeners, but some companies rely on them.
3. Brine Tank
The brine tank contains sodium chloride (salt). The brine tank cleans and renews resin beads after completely softening the water.
The brine tank is extremely important for a water softener to work, so it needs regular check-ups and refilling. A water softener may work only for a bit without the brine tank, but its lifespan will reduce, eventually stopping the appliance completely.
Understanding the Water Softening Process
It was important to know the parts of a water softener to understand how it works, so let’s look into the processes involved.
Ion Exchange
Ion exchange is when the ions of the minerals in hard water are exchanged with the ions of the resin. In simpler words, a softener replaces the hard minerals in the water with softer ones. This ion exchange process is what softens the water, so it’s extremely crucial to the appliance.
Hard water contains minerals like calcium, magnesium, and occasionally iron and manganese, so using a standard resin isn’t enough. A softener needs a mineral resin capable of attracting more than one mineral.
Sodium can instantly attract calcium, magnesium and other minerals, so we use sodium resin as a softener. The sodium ions attract the calcium/magnesium ions, pulling them to the resin beads and filtering them from the water.
The water that runs through these rein beads no longer has calcium and magnesium, so it becomes soft.
Regeneration
The second process involved in water softening is regeneration, in which the brine tank rewashes the resin beads, so they’re ready for the next cycle.
The brine tank contains sodium chloride, which goes through the tube, from the injector, into the mineral tank. The sodium from the brine tank replaces the ‘used’ sodium in the resin beads so they can continue softening the water.
Step-by-step Process of a Water Softener
You know the parts of a softener and its most important procedures, so let’s see how they all tie down together.
- A pipe connects your main water line to the water softener. The hard water enters through this pipe and moves into the mineral tank.
- The sodium ions in the resin beads attract the mineral (calcium and magnesium) ions in the water. Ion exchange takes place.
This attraction pulls the hard minerals away from the water (de-mineralization) and sticks them to the resin.
- The de-mineralized or softened water exits through another pipe to the main water pipe in the household.
- The brine tank flushes sodium chloride (salt) to the resin beads when all of them have been used up, preparing them for the next cycle.
What Does a Water Softener Remove?
A water softener removes hard minerals from water. These hard minerals have a concentration high enough to impact water pH, taste, and quality.
What Minerals Do Water Softeners Remove?
Water softeners typically remove calcium and magnesium. However, water softeners can also remove iron, zinc, and manganese from the water.
Do Water Softeners Affect Water Quality?
The high concentration of minerals like calcium and magnesium increases water pH, so removing these minerals can lower it. Water softeners reduce water pH but keep it at a safe level.
Water softeners can also improve the taste and overall quality of the water.
Do Water Softeners Remove Impurities?
Water softeners can remove minerals, but they can’t filter other contaminants. Water softeners work by attracting mineral ions and don’t have a physical mesh to filter other contaminants. This is why it’s best to pre-filter softened water.
Water softeners are not filters, so they’ll allow any bacteria, dirt, and dust to pass through. Most water companies recommend using a combination of filters and water softeners to get high-quality drinking water.
Additional Benefits of a Water Softener
Did you know a water softener does more than remove minerals? Yes, a water softener has many benefits, including:
● Improving Water Quality
Calcium and magnesium can increase water pH, creating a bitter/metallic taste and a low quality overall.
Softening reduces water pH, removes potential odor and bad taste, and improves overall water quality.
● Aiding Lathering
Soaps and shampoos not lathering even after continuous rubbing is a tell-tale sign of hard water. The minerals in hard water make it impossible to lather soap/shampoo, so using a water softener helps them foam and bubble.
Hard water can also cause hair and skin dryness, which can be painful for people with eczema or other skin problems.
● Extending Lifespan of Home Appliances
The minerals in hard water can damage most home water appliances like dispensers and bidets, reducing their lifespan. Using a water softener prevents this from happening and lets your appliances live a long life.
● Protecting Plumbing and Water Fixtures
Plumbing and water fixtures can get rusty from excess calcium and magnesium, causing frequent breakdowns that can jack up house maintenance costs.
Water softeners protect plumbing and fixtures from rust, improving overall quality and lowering maintenance costs.
Conclusion
Water softeners are a lifesaver because they remove excess minerals like calcium and magnesium from water. Drinking hard water can be risky because it has a higher pH and can affect digestion.
A water softener pushes hard water through a mineral tank filled with sodium resin beads. The resin beads attract and remove calcium and magnesium from the hard water, softening it and returning it to the main plumbing.
The two main processes involved in water softening are ion exchange and regeneration.
Water softeners improve overall water quality and protect plumbing and fixtures from rusting. Water softeners also improve the lathering ability of soap and prevent skin and hair from dryness.
