Tired of dealing with the nasty effects of hard water?
We don’t blame you. Nobody likes scale buildup on dishes or reduced water pressure from faucets or showers.
Luckily, you can combat Meridian’s hard water by installing a whole-home water softener. A water softener is the best (and easiest) way to reduce hard water in your home.
In a nutshell, a water softener is a filtration system that removes or crystallizes calcium and magnesium ions, which are the minerals that cause the nasty effects of hard water.
There are 4 main types of water softeners:
- Ion-exchange
- Salt-free
- Dual-tank
- Magnetic
We’ll explain how each of these water softeners works below to give you a better idea of the options available for your home.
Interested in a whole-home water softener? We can give you a free quote to install one in your home.
Ion-exchange
The most common water softener is an ion-exchange system. The ion-exchange process begins as hard water enters your home and collects in a resin or media tank. Here, tiny resin beads “strip” the hard water of calcium and magnesium ions, replacing them with sodium and potassium, which softens the water.
Eventually, the resin beads need to be recharged to continue softening the hard water. A second tank (called a brine tank) dumps a salt and potassium solution into the media tank, which recharges the resin beads and allows them to continue removing calcium and magnesium from the water.
Ion-exchange water softeners are popular because they are highly effective and require relatively little maintenance. You’ll only need to add salt to the brine tank every few weeks or months, depending on the model you choose.
Salt-free
Certain salt-free softeners work by not removing hard minerals, but by conditioning them instead, which is why they are often referred to as, “salt-free water conditioners”.
Systems like this work by using a low-frequency, electromagnetic signal that pulses throughout your entire plumbing system. The electromagnetic signal reverses the positive charge of the hard minerals currently dissolved in the water.
With the hard minerals now in a new state, they are forced to crystalize, which prevents them from sticking to your pipes and plumbing. This results in little or no limescale stains or calcium/magnesium deposits in your system.
Dual-tank
A dual-tank water softener is basically the combination of two ion-exchange systems.
While one of the systems is actively working to remove calcium and magnesium from the water, the other system is recharging its resins to take over after the first system needs to recharge.
Your home will now have soft water 24/7 because one system is always supporting the other during recharge times.
That said, dual-tank systems are more expensive to install than a single ion-exchange system.
Magnetic
As their name suggests, magnetic water softeners use magnetism to condition hard water. In magnetic systems, powerful magnets are installed on water supply lines in your home. As water passes by the magnets, the hard-water minerals are crystallized so they don’t stick to surfaces and clog your home’s plumbing system.
In that way, magnetic systems are similar to salt-free conditioners—they don’t chemically alter the minerals in hard water, they simply change their physical make-up to prevent scale buildup.
While they are not as effective as a salt-based water softener, homeowners with mild scale buildup often opt for a magnetic system because it’s affordable and requires little maintenance
Interested in a water softener for your Meridian home?
Our team of trained plumbing experts can help you choose the right water softener for your home, based on your hard-water needs and budget.
Visit our water softener page to learn more about the systems we offer and what to expect when you hire us.
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