5 Things To Consider Before Buying A Water Softener

A lot of homeowners are asking the Internet ‘what is the best water softener for my home’. However, it is not the type of water softener that matters here as much as your needs. Also, it is important to know the purpose of every water softener before actually purchasing it for your home.

Basically, hard water that comes from your tap contains minerals, iron and other impurities. These can cause many water appliances in your home (water heaters, washing machines etc.) to become clogged up and not last as long as you would expect them to. Hard water can also affect your laundry and work surface, as well as the bathroom, building up over time.

Tips For Buying A Water Softener

However, you have to be cautious when buying a water softener – and always refer to the following tips before making your decision.

1) Make sure you have hard water that needs softening – First and foremost, you should make sure that your home has hard water to begin with. Hard water is defined as one that has more hardness minerals than one grain per gallon – which can be tested easily.

2) Determine how much softened water you need daily – Buying a water softener is not an easy decision, especially with all those different models out there. So, make sure to determine whether it should be fully manual, semi-automatic or fully automatic – all based on the needs of your household daily and the output of all the equipment you are reviewing.

3) Is it necessary to remove iron and manganese – If your water softener is salt-based, make sure to see if the salt may cause health problems for you, mostly because of the sodium salts and the possibility of overloading your septic system.

4) Review the cost of installation – The price of a water softener is not the same when you see it – and when you add the installation cost to it. So, make sure to not be ripped off by the company that does the installation and negotiate the price accordingly.

5) See if you are willing to maintain it – Water softeners need maintenance. Even if you get a fully automatic one, maintenance is still necessary – and it basically includes restocking the salt supply for the brine solution and cleaning the brine tank periodically.

Final Thoughts on Buying A Water Softener

As you can see from what’s mentioned above, there are numerous considerations when it comes to choosing a water softener for your needs. The most popular water softeners are salt-based but the reality is that there are four different processes for softening water, all in need of proper maintenance and cleaning.

At Reynolds Water Conditioning Company we are here to help make sure our clients don’t buy water treatment systems that they don’t need. We are here to make sure you find a water softening system that gives you the results you are looking for, whether it is to remove iron or odor from you water; we have a solution that will help! For more information contact our experts at 800.572.9575 or at our website https://reynoldswater.com.

Like this post? Share it!

New Project Could Ensure Cleaner Water For Millions

Scientists at the University of Leeds are to work on a project which could help ensure cleaner drinking water for millions of people in the developing world.

The £1m project led by G2O Water Technologies to develop new, graphene-based water filters has teamed up with the interdisciplinary team at water@leeds, part of the University of Leeds.

G2O Water Technologies, a Manchester-based company has now taken its innovative, patented graphene oxide technology for comprehensive testing and evaluation by the Leeds tream.

This collaboration adds further weight to the company’s two Innovate UK-supported projects focused initially on oil/water separation and domestic water filters, totalling almost £2m in research and development expenditure. The ultimate aim is to develop the capability to treat water at a much lower cost and make it more affordable worldwide.

G2O will be working with the Public Health Laboratories within the School of Civil Engineering at the university to address real issues relating to water treatment in the water industry, including sieving of molecules or ions, removal of salts, oil, nuclear waste, dyes and other chemicals.

A pilot water treatment plant designed to test and develop the graphene water filters is scheduled for operation next year. If successful the filters could mean that all water on the planet could effectively be made drinkable.

Tim Harper, chief executive and founder of G2O Water Technologies, said: “We believe we are currently the only company transferring its graphene water filter technology from an R&D laboratory to an industrial setting to prove how it could help solve real-world water problems.

“This will involve working directly with water industry experts to understand their challenges in detail and evaluate how our graphene oxide membranes would complement their operations and help deliver what consumers need from their water supply.

“Our work with water@leeds, along with having highly-experienced water industry professionals on our advisory board, means we are using the latest science and knowledge to address the right applications for the industry; helping treat water at a much lower cost and making it more affordable worldwide.”

Professor Martin Tillotson from the University of Leeds said: “water@leeds is one of the world’s leading interdisciplinary centres looking at various aspects of water treatment and we are happy to share our expertise with G2O. The university is committed to making a real and telling difference to the world around us by supporting industry in developing innovative products, tackling the challenges which society faces.” Professor Tillotson said the joint project would involve developing commercially-viable water filtration membranes derived from G2O’s graphene technology that can be scaled-up for industrial application. The company is also exploring a number of partnerships with major consumer product manufacturers and energy companies in order to accelerate the process of bringing a graphene water filter product to market.

G2O’s patented technology works by creating low-cost printed graphene filters or by applying a graphene coating to existing membranes used in water filtration processes. This technique reduces the amount of energy needed to filter the water passing through the membrane by up to 50 per cent, increasing throughput of purified water while combating contamination and lowering the cost.

This new technology allows more water to pass through a membrane, therefore removing the need for, and expense of, electricity needed to run pumps and controls in existing water treatment plants. The technology wants to reduce the size and complexity of the plants, thereby potentially opening up the technology to less developed areas of the world.

Independent market research suggests that the global market for membranes used in water filtration to be worth more than $25bn.

Original Author: Mark Casci

Original Date: Dec 13 2017

Like this post? Share it!

Manganese In The Water: What It Means For You

When you turn on the faucet, you want your water to be clear, but several folks around the Triad reported their water being a brown or golden color Tuesday.

The Piedmont Triad Regional Reservoir Authority attributes the discolored water to higher levels of manganese in Randleman Lake Reservoir. They’re already working to correct the problem by flushing in water with lower levels of the element. They expect impacted water supplies to return to normal Tuesday evening.

But what exactly is manganese? It’s a natural element found in the earth’s crust, soil and water. Water plants will test manganese levels everyday.

“Generally speaking manganese is not an issue,” explains Joe Johnson, an Environmental Health Manager with the Guilford County Department of Health and Human Services. “If it is, it’s usually at a low enough level that it is an aesthetics problem.”

That’s where water will get the golden or brown tint, but despite the looks, it’s actually safe to consume.

“Municipal supplies are tested on a daily basis and so if there was a health risk, if they had high enough levels then it would be put out there to the citizens that there was a problem and they would be put on a notice to not drink the water,” Johnson says.

The discoloration could impact your clothes, though. The discolored water could stain laundry or your pipes. So if higher levels of manganese ever impact your water supply, you might want to wait on that next load of laundry.

If you want to avoid manganese in the water all together, you can always invest in a water filter or water softener. Both will work to rid water of certain minerals, but the systems could cost you anywhere from a few hundred dollars to more than $1,000.

Original Source: http://www.wfmynews2.com/news/local/manganese-in-the-water-what-it-means-for-you/491800065

Original Date: Nov 14 2017

Original Author: Erica Stapleton

Like this post? Share it!

Your Basic Water Softener Questions and Concerns

More and more people are choosing to install water softeners in their homes and offices. There are many questions that we get asked regularly regarding our water softeners. Are there actual health benefits that are derived from soft water? How does the softener work so that it improves the quality of the water? What are the drawbacks of not installing one?

What Does A Water Softener Do?

Water softeners are designed to remove calcium and magnesium from the water supply where is enters the home by process of reverse osmosis. This is often referred to as ion exchange. The hard water enters a series of the resin filters in the system containing tiny polymeric beads which are specially formulated to enable them to be charges with sodium ions.

As the hard water filters through the water softener, the ions of calcium and magnesium are exchanged for sodium ions. Sodium, more commonly known as salt, is highly soluble, unlike calcium, and can remain in solution while your home water systems and not be deposited in the form of lime scale and scum as is the case with untreated hard water. Once the resin filters have exchanged all their sodium charged ions for calcium and magnesium ions, it is a simple matter to recharge the water filter by flushing it through with a salt water solution. Water softeners for the home come in a variety of sizes. With the help our water conditioning experts it is simple to have a water softener that meets your capacity needs installed.

How Does A Water Conditioner Work?

Another alternative to water softeners is to install a water conditioner. These are usually electrostatic or electromagnetic devices that work by introducing an electric charge to the water supply as it enters the home. This encourages the formation of crystals within the water to which, when heated, the calcium particles will attach themselves instead of the pipe work or other metal work. While lower in price and simpler to install they are not always the right choice for homeowners. With extremely hard water a conditioner over a softener may not be as efficient and may lack the health benefits found with softened water.

One of the first things that most people notice after installing a water softening systems is the reduction in cleaning time spent on taps, showers, basins, just about everywhere that is touched by water. Not only will you spend a fraction of your previous amount on cleaning products and other harsh chemicals, your new soft water will lather up much more than before allowing you to also save on household soaps, shampoo, and detergent.

By eliminating the buildup of lime scale in your pipe work, radiators and central heating boiler, enabling them to operate more efficiently, you will unintentionally save money on heating bills and prolong the lifespan of these units within your home.

Water Treatments and Health Benefits

Water treatments can also have health benefits. By using fewer chemicals to clean yourself you will notice softer skin and hair without the need to purchase expensive moisturizers and conditioners. Many customers have seen beneficial effects on skin conditions such as Eczema and Psoriasis. Hard water, in recent studies, has shown to increase incidents of these conditions upwards of fifty percent.

Less obvious is the beneficial effects the fitting of a water softener installed at your home or business can have on the environment. By drastically reducing the number of chemicals homeowners use in both personal hygiene and cleaning products not only will you save money but you will be producing far less wastewater that contains harmful materials.

Like this post? Share it!