Treating Common Residential Water Problems

There are a number of issues that are common to residential water systems. Knowing what type of water treatment gets rid of your specific water problem is crucial in getting the highest quality water for your family. Water softeners, water filters, water purification, and water conditioners are all effective solutions in treating common issues in residential water supplies. Knowing what plagues your water allows you to have the proper equipment installed to treat it.

Depending on where you live the quality of your homes water can vary a great deal. It is crucial to have your homes water quality tested before installing any type of water treatment system. You need to know what type of issue you are dealing with before it can be treated.

Most Common Water Problems

Hard Water

Hard water is not necessarily a hazard to your health however it can be harmful to your home. There are many common indications that you are dealing with hard water such as: film and stains on dishes and appliances, dull hair, spotted dishes, dry irritated skin, and an increase in the amount of soap and detergent that is needed for cleaning clothes and dishes.

Water softeners are the most common treatment option for hard water. Water softeners are used to remove the calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions which creates soft water. This helps eliminate nasty build up on appliances, plumbing, fixtures, skin, and so on.

Iron and Rust

It is pretty obvious to see when there is a large amount of rust and iron build up in your homes water. You will begin to see orange streaks staining the sink and spots on clothing. High iron content in your homes water is annoying to homeowners and also damages appliances including washers, water heaters, dishwashers, and bathtubs.

The most common solution for treating high levels of iron in your home water is to have a whole house water filtration system installed. Treating the high iron content with a filter helps to protect against iron build up in your homes plumbing, prevents unsightly build up, removes the smell and taste of iron, keeps appliances running more efficiently, and offers you better tasting, higher quality water.

Foul Taste in Drinking Water

A number of water problems can cause smelly, bad-tasting water. Water with high levels of chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, dissolved solids, arsenic, or iron can all add to the taste of your homes water and not in a good way.

There are a number of problems that can result in smelly and/or foul-tasting water. It is important to have the water tested so that you know exactly what problem you are dealing with when treating your homes water.

The solution for foul tasting, bad smelling water is to have a water filtration and conditioning system installed. These systems address the smell and taste of chlorine through the use of active carbon filters. Oxidation tends to destroy oily tastes and gas smells and more.

The experts at Reynolds Water Conditioning have a solution to your homes unique water quality needs including: arsenic, bacteria, chlorine, rotten egg smell, fluoride, hard water, iron, lead, acid, tannins, radon, and more. More information on our water treatment solutions including water softeners and conditioners, water filtration and purification, reverse osmosis drinking water, and iron & odor removal can be found online at https://reynoldswater.com.

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Filters, Purifiers, and Softeners – What’s the Difference?

Water treatment terms are often switched between one another. Many people, mistakenly, believe that the process between filtration, purification, conditioning, and softening are all one in the same. With all of the confusion that surrounds the process of bringing quality water to your home and family it is important to have a basic understanding of the difference between each process.

Most homeowners believe, although it is incorrect, that when they are looking for cleaner drinking water, free of lead and chlorine that the installation of a water softener will meet this goal. Of course, as stated previously, this is not the case at all. Water softeners are installed in homes as a way of removing minerals in the water. The minerals that are removed are those that cause your homes water to feel “hard” and create buildup in your plumbing. To bring cleaner water, that is free of contaminants a water purification system would better suit your goal.

What Are We Trying to Eliminate in Our Water Anyhow?

Before we can truly understand the processes involved with taking the impurities out of our water it is important we understand what we are removing and why. Pure water is simply hydrogen and oxygen, H20; however, water doesn’t occur in this form naturally. It picks up minerals, impurities, and a number of other chemical compounds as it makes its way to your faucet.

Mineral sediments in our water systems can be both good and bad. Things like calcium and magnesium are needed whereas like chlorine, pesticides, herbicides, waste, bacteria, and viruses in your homes water supply can be quite harmful. Impurities in the water are removed using two different kinds of water treatment systems: filters and purifiers.

Along with creating healthy water there are other reasons that people would want to treat the water in their home such as a reduction of in scale build-up which increases the lifespan of your appliances. Water softeners are the system, once installed prevent minerals from passing through the water supply in your home into your home’s pipes and appliances.

Water Filters

Water filtration systems eliminate and work to decrease chlorine, lead, mercury, magnesium, copper, chromium, nickel, iron, hydrogen sulfide, and more.

Water Purifiers

Water purification systems work to remove bacteria and viruses. Purification does not mean that the water is free of chemical contaminants that are removed by filters.

Water Softeners

Water softening systems work to replace the “hard” elements in the water with salt or potassium that will not create build-up.

A water treatment option should be chosen only after an analysis of water is done. Many homeowners find that a combination of treatment systems work best to bring them the quality water they are looking for.

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Well Water: Removing Iron from Your Homes Water

There are many issues that can affect your homes water with the two most common being hard water and increased iron levels. Using the correct water filtration system, iron can be removed from your well water in a simple and efficient manner. Water treatment systems such as water softeners and water filtration units are most often the ideal choice for homeowners looking to remove iron while reverse osmosis units are more ideal for the removal of harmful minerals and other substances. Your homes water must be analyzed before homeowners can determine what water treatment option should be installed to properly treat their unique water supply.

As mentioned above, if your homes water is affected by iron the two best options in treating your water are the installation of a water softener and/or a filtration unit. When a water softener is installed it is important for the homeowner to know what minerals are in the water. When an excess amount of iron is found in the water it is important that the water softener that is installed that exclusively removes iron from the water source. Water softeners use a process in which iron in the water is replaced with healthier minerals. The drawback is that if the water also contains more harmful materials such as arsenic or sulfur a water softener may not be the right choice for treating your water supply.

If you are restricting your sodium a water softener that uses potassium chloride will offer you similar results without the use of salt. Other methods of removing a high iron content from your water are oxidation filtration and reverse osmosis.

Oxidation filtration is used to not only remove iron from your water but also arsenic. Oxidation filters are more powerful than water softeners and therefore chemical elements such as arsenic are removed when they are used to treat your water. An oxidation filtration system can also help homeowners who have a problem with water that smells like rotten eggs or a unique flavor, both caused by sulfur in the water. Increased arsenic levels are common in well water.

Another option as mentioned above is a reverse osmosis filtration system. RO filters are used in water that has a number of different trace mineral elements including: iron, salt, arsenic, fluoride, lead, and manganese. The one drawback of using reverse osmosis when treating your homes water supply is that not only does the process remove harmful minerals, it can also eliminate good minerals, such as calcium, that is naturally in your water.

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How Do I Know If I Need A Water Softener?

Are you experiencing any of the following?

Dry skin?

Yellowing clothes?

Stained bathtubs?

Non-stop issue with plumbing?

Spotted dishes?

Scale build up?

The above is commonly caused by the hard water in your home. The good news is that each and every problem you are experiencing with your homes hard water can be fixed by having the correct water treatment system installed. In order to determine what option is best for your homes water an analysis will need to be run to determine what type of hard water your home has. From whole house iron water filters, reverse osmosis systems, and water softeners there is a solution for your problematic water.

Water softeners are the most commonly used appliance to assist homeowners in the removal of hard water and the issues it presents. Not only does hard water have an effect on your skin and hair it can wreak havoc to the plumbing throughout your home which can become quite costly to repair.

As mentioned above, each and every household’s water contains more than just water. The quality of water differs from each home and where your water source is delivered from: a private well, a city source, or private municipality. All water contains minerals, which ones your water has will determine the level of hardness in your water. Calcium and magnesium are commonly found in water. If a water softener is installed in your home, it will remove the hard minerals through a process of ion exchange. This will make it easier to keep your home cleaner, your skin and hair healthier, and prolong your plumbing and household appliances.

What Happens During the Ion Exchange?

Water softeners remove minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese, replacing them with sodium ions through a process known as an ion exchange. Ions carry a positive or negative charge due to an imbalance of electrons and protons.

The hard minerals are trapped by resin beads or zeolite crystals during the exchange. Resin and zeolite are negatively charged and has space that holds on to positive ions. The weaker sodium ions are held onto as the hard water passes through the water softener tank. The calcium and magnesium minerals are stronger and pulled to the media as a type of magnet. With the hard minerals having a higher positive charge than sodium they know them off and take over their place. The hard minerals will stay trapped in the tank and the water with a little sodium will be dispersed for use as the homes water supply.

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Soft water offers brings an array of benefits

Laundry — COLOR STAY — One of the benefits of soft water is that it’s said to help keep clothes cleaner and brighter.

Water touches nearly every aspect of people’s lives. Only one percent of water that comes into a home is used for drinking. The other 99 percent is working water, proving that the benefits of high-quality water extend far beyond the kitchen faucet. When water quality is sub-par, the effects reverberate throughout the home. The elements in hard water build up in pipes and appliances and cause increased wear on clothes and glassware because those elements are harder to clean. Whole house water treatment systems offer whole body benefits.

Bathing in softened water leaves hair and skin softer and more hydrated than hard water. Soft water also:

• Cuts down on cleaning time and costs

• Keeps clothes cleaner and brighter

• Helps keep dishes spot-free

• Helps prevent soap scum and hard water deposits on bathroom fixtures

• Helps protect against plumbing problems such as mineral scale build-up

• Contributes to longer appliance life—appliances using soft water can last 30 percent longer

• Saves on energy costs. Water heaters function 30 percent more efficiently with soft water.

The Water Quality Association reports laundry costs can double for people using hard water. Clothes become stiff and rough when hard water deposits react with the chemicals in laundry detergents, and because more detergent is needed, colors fade, and fabrics wear up to 15 percent faster.

Washing machines can wear out nearly 30 times faster when using hard water. In fact, any appliance that uses or processes water works less efficiently with hard water. From coffeemakers to hot water heaters, users will not experience the desired result without using uninterrupted soft water, made possible through twin tank softening systems. Twin tank softeners provide an endless supply of treated water and only regenerate when necessary or on demand. Twin tank systems are more efficient too, using far less salt and water than a traditional softener.

Whole house water treatment systems can benefit nearly every aspect of users’ lives, from limiting time spent cleaning, to keeping skin and hair radiant, to lengthening appliance lives. The highest quality water helps people live the highest quality lives.

Original Source: http://kokomoperspective.com/kp/lifestyles/soft-water-offers-brings-an-array-of-benefits/article_ee18d2b2-bb64-11e8-8650-e3209ff9eef9.html

Published Date: Sept 21 2018

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How Do Water Softeners and Conditioners Really Work?

Do you notice a build-up of scum in your shower or dishwasher? Is your home’s shower not supplying you with water that feels “right” as you rinse off the day? If you are encountering issues or experiencing a change in your water supply, it may be so to hard water or that the treatment option that you are currently using for your homes water is not the right one.

One of the most common solutions to treat a hard water supply is with a water softener or conditioner. In this installment, we shall briefly discuss the problem of hard water, how water softener systems and water conditioner work, and the difference between both.

Problems with Hard Water

Hard water is caused by the presence of too many metals or minerals in the water, such as magnesium, calcium, and others. These minerals dissolve into your household water through the dissolution of the surrounding soil and rock. Water hardness is calculated in milligrams per liter (mg/L) or grains per gallon (GPG). If your water tests 1 GPG or less, then you have soft water.

Hard water does not flow easily through because of the build-up of scale which accumulates inside your water pipes, heater or other appliances. In extreme cases, hard water can clog up water pipes and stop the flow of water all together. Hard water also influences household appliances and everyday activities. For instance, hard water reduces soap lathering, causing the water to become sticky and scum-like inside of lather.

How Water Softening Works

If you have a problem with hard water in your home, one of the best solutions is to install a water softener. Of course, it is important to speak with a professional who will test your homes water to see if this is the right option for your family. A water softener reacts with the calcium and magnesium ions and replaces them with sodium ion which results in a softer water. The added sodium is well below the FDA standard which makes the water fit for life.

The ion replacement is done in a tank filled with resin. The beads are negatively charged and attract the sodium ions which are positively charged. Once water flows across these beads, magnesium, and calcium ions are replaced with sodium ions.

Once the softening is completed, there is a need to recycle the beads in sodium chloride solution (water softening salt). This solution will remove the magnesium and calcium ions attracted to the beads and replace them with sodium. This bead can then be used for further softening session.

Choosing a Water Softener or Conditioner?

The term water softener and water conditioner are often used interchangeably. However, there is a huge difference between the two appliances.

Water conditioners remove chlorine, sediments, chemicals, and other foreign materials while treating water hardness while water softener system does not treat water for any other reason other than hardness. Of course, both appliances are used to treat water hardness, but the results are always different.

Water conditioner system processes water through a process that prevents scales. This causes a slight drop in the water pressure and causes the hardness-causing minerals to be suspended for three days. Usually, a catalyst in form of a magnetic field is used to enhance the process. In the end, the system displaces bad tastes, minerals, and prevents bacterial growth. Although the water is not technically soft, it still possesses the properties of a soft water. This means that the water will not precipitate and will lather easily with soap.

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.

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Complete Guide to Iron Filters

Due to recent news reports of tainted water passing into the drinking system of major cities around the world, there has been a renewed interest in the quality of water that people drink. After all, not all water is the same. There has also been an increase in demand for iron water filters and water treatment systems that help supplement the naturally-occurring minerals in most of the water we drink. Communities that live far from the city typically rely on well water for their needs. While this water is generally safe, it needs to be treated with iron filters or water treatment systems to ensure it has the right properties at the proper concentrations.

Why iron filters?

Naturally-occurring water may contain iron, hydrogen sulfide, and manganese among others. While these metals do occur in the human body in minuet quantities, they can be more concentrated in water thus becoming contaminants. High dosages of undissolved ferric or ferrous iron can also be present. This is responsible for the characteristic “orange-brown” water that sometimes comes out of the faucet the first time its turned on. If your water has iron in concentrations of 3 to 4 parts-per-million, then an iron filtration system is necessary. In a nutshell, how can you tell you need to purchase and install an iron filter?

When the water coming out of your faucet is orange-brown
When the water has a distinctive “metallic” taste
When the water pressure seems low
When the water-based beverages made from that water taste different
When the clothes washed in that water transform into a dull color

How does an iron filter work?

The best iron filters will begin the process by pre-treating the water via oxidation. This is achieved using an oxidant such as ozone, chlorine or hydrogen peroxide. This pre-treatment serves to enlarge the iron particles making them easier to remove.

Next comes the actual filtration process. This is the mechanism whereby the enlarged iron particles are removed. The best iron filters in the market are those that are able to do the best job when it comes to pretreatment.

Filtration is not a complicated science. Once the iron particles are enlarged, they are unable to pass through the chemical filter which only allows clean water. This process also continues into backwashing where the iron particles are completely forced out and eliminated by the filter.

Iron filtration achieves the following:

It completely removes ferric iron from the water. The result is clean, sparkling water which looks and tastes great
It eliminates the metallic taste in making water taste awesome
It eliminates any odor which is common in unfiltered water

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The Reality of Hard Water In Your Home

The water supply in your household can arguably be stated to be the single most important within your home. Next, in order of importance for the comfort of its occupants being waste drain and electrical systems. The water in your home is of absolute importance in order to live comfortably within your home. Running water is not only convenient it is crucial. The quality of the water in your home is extremely important as it not only affects the appliances and plumbing systems, it can affect the health of your family.

Undesirable Effects of Hard Water

Water supplies throughout the United States are not all created equally which is why it is of the utmost importance that your household water is evaluated prior to use. There are however, some tell-tale signs that can be seen throughout your home that are dead giveaways on whether your home has or does not have hard water or water that has arsenic or other adverse elements within it.

Many homeowners may not even be aware of the damage that hard water can actually create physical damage to their home. Often times hard water can cause serious damage to your homes plumbing while also doing damage to appliances such as your dishwasher and washer and families clothing.

One tell-tale sign that you have hard water is finding a film on dishes after running a load of dishes through the dishwasher, staining on the faucets and fixtures within the home or landscaping, or a smaller than normal lather when working with soaps and shampoos.

How Water Softener Systems Work to Combat the Undesirable Effects of Hard Water

Many residential water systems work in the same manner, they hook up to your homes water inlet from the city or well system. In order for water to be softened the outside source of water must be hooked up to a water treatment system. There are many different options in water treatment systems that can be installed in your home to treat your homes hard water, the most common being a water softener system using salt or potassium chloride.

The typical process of water softening uses a typical Ion Exchange which uses salt or potassium chloride to replace the minerals in the water that makes it hard. This ion exchange system consists of using more than one tank and a flow control system that first removes all of the minerals and mixes the salt back into the water before discharging it into the household’s water system.

How Safe Is Softener Water?

According to most health experts, softened water is safe to use a s a source of usable water and quality drinking water although an excess can be harmful as we can see in the excess consumption of anything. An excess of sodium or a reduction in naturally occurring minerals within a water supply can be unhealthy however when used normally as is seen within household water usage the health benefits of soft water our weigh the possible harmful effects.

Most water softener systems use some sort of process that strips away most of the minerals and replaces them with higher levels of sodium. This means if you have high blood pressure or one of several heart-related conditions your doctor will likely have you on a no or low sodium diet. If this is the case, then you may want to consider the source of your water before choosing a water softening treatment system for your home.

Sodium is not the only health concern, trace minerals and other nutrients that you may not be aware that are in found in your typical “hard water” are actually extremely good for you. Without them you would need to resort to other sources, such as supplementation or altering your daily diet to increase the amount of the important minerals. Water softening does not eliminate minerals it does however, decrease the amount that can be found to a healthy amount to ingest.

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Removing Hard Water With A Water Softener

Before we discuss water softeners, it’s essential that one gains an understanding of what hard water is and how it affects you and your family. Hard water refers to water with a higher-than-usual mineral content. This is typically the case with water that is extracted from areas with large deposits of calcium and magnesium carbonates (naturally occurring in areas with limestone and chalk). While it can be argued that hard water does have some health benefits for humans, it can also pose some serious problems to homes and industry found in these areas.

Recognizing Hard Water

Here are a few ways you can recognize the presence of hard water:

If your water fails to foam or lather up when exposed to soap, you most likely have hard water.
Hard water is also responsible for corroding metal. This will show in faucets and sinks that are not covered with an anti-corrosive coating. Other equipment exposed to this water may also begin to corrode over time.
If used to fill a swimming pool, it manifests a “milky” cloud in the water. This occurs when the calcium in the water reacts with the carbon dioxide present in the air.

Softening Hard Water

Hard water can be “softened” using a water softener. Water softening is the chemical process of removing calcium and magnesium (among other metals) from the water. The end result is water that responds well to soap and which has little or no corrosive effect on metals. Water softening is thus a good idea especially in residential and business buildings because there will be less corrosion in the plumbing system and other critical equipment.

If you suspect you have hard water, then you may want to consider purchasing and installing a water softening system. A quick search online will yield high-quality, local, water softener installation and repair companies. Some are costlier than others depending on the features and capacity. Sometimes they’re known as water purification systems, water conditioners, or water filtration.

For residential homes, water softeners can be installed as a complete system costing thousands of dollars or a point of use filter which has a lower capacity and can be more affordable.

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Common Mistakes When Selecting a Water Treatment

It is a known fact that water obtained from a well is not the best option when used for drinking or cooking purposes. It includes certain minerals and particles that can adversely affect your health, how your skin feels, staining on your fixtures, and more. Many professionals recommend water treatment options that purify your homes well water. The water analysis will help tell professionals which of the available water treatment options are best for your homes water. Water treatment options include the use of a water softener, iron filters, reverse osmosis, water purifiers, and water conditioning systems.

There are many of the different well water treatment options. However, selecting the right one can should be left up to professionals after an analysis of your water. Many people make some common mistakes when selecting a water treatment options for well water especially when they do not listen to the advice of water treatment professionals. These mistakes affects your homes water quality. Many common issues DIY homeowners forget to consider are:

Not Taking Impurities into Consideration

A very common mistake people make is that they do not take water impurities into consideration when selecting the water treatment option. There are different types of impurities in well water; hence, an appropriate treatment option must be selected considering those impurities. For example, if you are using an iron filter as a well water treatment, it won’t perform efficiently if the water is acidic in nature, which, generally, well water is.

Not Taking the Location of Well into Consideration

Many people opt for tried and tested water treatment options for well water without taking the location into consideration. This is an absolutely wrong approach as a well that is located in an area that has high pollution rate requires a different treatment method than that of an area with low pollution rate. Similarly, more chemicals, toxins, and impurities are found in the water that is obtained from wells located in an industrial area.

Not Having Ample Understanding of Pressure & Pump Flow Rate

It is another common mistake made by homeowners. They do not understand two important aspects of water system i.e. pressure and pump flow rate. As a result, they are unable to select the right treatment method for removing contaminations from the water. Therefore, it is recommended to have a deep understanding of these aspects along with others vital factors of the well water system so that you can select the most appropriate well water treatment option.

Wrongly Identifying or Not Identifying Well Water Problems

Some people go for a well water treatment simply because it is known to produce effective results. They make this mistake of not identifying the problems before selecting the solution. Similarly, some people wrongly identify the well water problem. The result, in such situations, is impure water that still contains harmful chemicals or toxins. Using this water for drinking or cooking purposes can lead to fatal health conditions.

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