Water Softeners | Plumbing Fort Worth
As rain water filters through the soil into underground water reservoirs, it picks up minerals from the soil and rock. Magnesium and calcium are two common minerals picked up by water in this process, and is present in 85% of the U.S.’s ground water supply. Water softeners are used to prevent the negative effects of hard water.
High levels of calcium can cause numerous problems with your plumbing in Fort Worth, including build-up on faucets and shower heads, and shortened water heater life cycles. It reduces the ability of soaps to lather and causes dull hair, spotted dishes and unsightly scale in toilets and can clog faucet aerators.
There are a number of types of water softening systems available, and each is designed to address specific minerals in water. A standard water softener may not take care of your water problem, requiring a system specifically designed for your water quality issue. The most common minerals causing issues in a home’s plumbing in Fort Worth is calcium and magnesium.
How it Works
A water softener removes the calcium and magnesium in hard water by use of negatively charged plastic beads and cleans itself periodically by a process called “regeneration.”
Water softeners are comprised of three main components: A mineral tank, brine tank and control valve. In smaller capacity models the mineral tank and brine tanks are combined into one cabinet, but the two tanks remain separate inside of the cabinet.
Mineral Tank:
The mineral tank is where water filtration occurs and the hard water is softened (calcium and magnesium are removed) by passing through the plastic beads.
The negatively charged beads attract the positively charged calcium and magnesium minerals from the water with the attachment of the minerals to the beads, removing them from the water and the potential for harm to your appliances and the plumbing in Fort Worth.
The Brine Tank
The brine tank contains a brine solution of water saturated with salt or sodium. If you’re on a restricted low sodium diet, this type of water softener may not be for you, as some of the sodium is transmitted into the drinking water.
Furthermore, sodium chloride can have a detrimental effect on the bacteria in septic systems required for the breakdown of waste. This is why sodium chloride brine discharge into septic systems has been banned or limited in numerous states. The affected states use potassium chloride, rather than sodium chloride. Potassium chloride is considered environmentally friendly, and doesn’t affect your health, watersheds, the environment or your septic system. Potassium chloride works the same way as sodium chloride, without the problems that sodium causes.
The Control Valve and Regeneration
The control valve regulates when the plastic beads are cleaned of the calcium and magnesium that they hold. This enables the system to provide softened water, and continued protection of the home’s plumbing in Fort Worth. Regeneration cleans the beads through the three cycles of backwash, recharge and rinse.
Backwash
Regeneration begins with the backwash cycle, in which the valve reverses water flow in the tank and flushes the tank debris out of the drain.
Recharge or Regeneration
In the recharge cycle, the brine solution is pumped into the mineral tank. The concentrated salt solution with its positive electrical charge is attracted to the negatively charged plastic beads and forces the minerals off the beads. The magnesium and calcium rich brine solution is flushed from the tank and out of the drain.
Rinse
The tank is then filled and rinsed with water and the process repeats itself, with the beads once more coated in either sodium chloride or potassium chloride providing softened water, and continued protection for your home’s plumbing in Fort Worth.
Summary
Water softeners utilize chemistry to remove minerals from the water, providing softened water for your use, and extending the life span of water using appliances, and other plumbing in Fort Worth. A Benjamin Franklin professional will be glad to assist you in the selection of an appropriate water softener, and provide the professional installation into your home’s plumbing in Fort Worth. Our plumbers serve Fort Worth, Arlington and the surrounding areas, and are a member of the BBB with an A+ rating.