Water softener

Water softener for the home

From the contents of this article you will learn:

1. What is hard water

2. How to soften hard water

3 What a softener consists of

4. Recommendations

1. What is hard water

Very often you can hear the phrase "hard water". What does it mean? And how can a liquid substance be hard? This is a relatively figurative expression. The hardness of water depends on its composition. More precisely from the presence in it of such elements as calcium and magnesium. It is they that make it so dangerous. The presence of these elements is easy enough to see. To do this, water is subjected to thermal treatment, boiling. Hardness salts precipitate, forming a deposit on the bottom of the container. On the one hand, there seems to be nothing terrible. It can be removed using various special substances or folk remedies. But this is suitable for household appliances that can be washed completely. For example, a kettle. And that no one will be engaged in cleaning after each boiling. Dishwashers or washing machines just so do not wash. Existing descaling agents give only a short-term effect and are not able to keep the device clean all the time. In addition, it will be a huge expense. The pipes can't be cleaned easily either. In the meantime, they will continue to thin due to scale. It is inconvenient to clean the plumbing every day. Hard water leaves streaks on it and, again, plaque.

Fig. 1 Consequences of hard water

In terms of health hazards, hardness salts have an impact in this area as well. They are deposited in the body, form stones and clog blood vessels. In addition, they have an accumulative effect. In addition to internal diseases, such elements give and external negative effect. When washing with hard water strongly dries the skin. Hair becomes more brittle, nails too. Hardness salts can be present in any water and in any source. The composition of borehole water depends on the groundwater. Tap water depends on the quality of pre-treatment and the condition of the pipeline. So hard water can be anywhere. Softening is required to avoid all the consequences and prevent deterioration of comfort levels.

2. How to soften hard water

There are several ways to soften water. The simplest is boiling. But it is quite costly and time-consuming. In addition, a large volume of water can not be purified. In addition, folk methods are no longer relevant and their effectiveness is questionable. It is impossible to say for sure whether all the calcium and magnesium salts have been removed. Special filters are checked and tested, so the results of their work can be seen in the instructions or passport. Magnetic filters can be used. They will not allow hardness salts to stick to the surface, forming plaque. But this method is more suitable for technical water, that is, for softening in the operation of washing machines. As drinking water is not suitable.

Fig. 2 Polyphosphate filter for washing machine

The reagent method is considered to be more effective. It is based on the addition of chemical agents to water. But it is rather complicated for domestic conditions, due to the need for accurate calculations and complexity of installation. In addition, water purified in this way is not desirable to drink. There may remain some chemical compounds that will harm the body. For other domestic purposes, the water is quite suitable. But the dosing of chemicals should be treated very carefully. After all, these are reagents. When installing such a system, dosing devices are mandatory and automation is desirable.

Fig. 3 Reagent water softener

Reverse osmosis is also effective in removing hardness salts. The filter is a porous membrane that traps all impurities. If the performance deteriorates, the filter is washed. For this purpose, a water flow is applied, but in the opposite direction. All impurities are washed out of the membrane and the water is discharged to the drain. Membranes can be of different types. They differ in pore diameter and manufactured material. They are used only for pre-treatment of water. Can be used for drinking water treatment.

Fig. 4 Reverse osmosis system

The optimal option for household purification would be to install ionic filters. This is a very interesting and simple way to soften water. Ionic resin consists of uniformly sized granules saturated with sodium ions. As the water passes through the filter, the hardness salts bond tightly to the granules. In exchange releasing sodium ions. This is such a unique technology. Sodium is completely safe and does not cause any harm to the body and equipment. The filter can be cleaned in this way for quite a long time. But here again there are some clarifications. It depends on the concentration of salts in the water. If there are a lot of them, with constant filtration, the element is depleted faster. When the filter is filled with impurities, it is necessary to clean it. In this technology it is called regeneration. The point is not to completely replace the filter medium, but to saturate it. The load is simply washed with very salty water. All impurities are washed out, the ionic resin is saturated with sodium, and the solution is discharged into the sewer. Then the filtration process begins again. The washing speed depends on the filter load and capacity. For domestic use, this option is the most optimal. Taking into account the possibility of modernization of the system and its design variety, it is always possible to find a suitable variant.

3. What does a softener consist of?

Softener filters, given the different methods of purification, have a different set of equipment. If we talk about the general standard configuration of devices, then in the composition there is necessarily a water tank, a purifying element, a drainage outlet and a control valve. But this is a very approximate structure of the composition of the equipment.

If we consider, for example, a reverse osmosis system. There the main element is a membrane. The composition includes a housing, a water tank and a pump. A prerequisite will be the installation of a coarse filter. Without it, the membrane can be damaged by large contaminants. This can be scale, dirt particles. Speaking of ion exchange plants, the package will be bigger. As in any system in the composition there is a body and a container for water. Cleaning element-filter with ionic resin. Also in the composition is obligatory tank or reservoir for creating a salt solution for regeneration. And the control unit, which can be manual or automatic.

We should not forget that any system can be improved. For this purpose, certain elements are selected and synchronized with the system.

Fig. 5 Water softener configuration

4. Recommendations

If signs of hard water are visible, it is better to think in advance about installing a softener. Household devices are quite compact and not very expensive. Before you start looking for a system, you need to take water for analysis. The laboratory is suitable for any laboratory that has certificates. After obtaining composition data, the required performance is studied. Usually household installations are oriented to a low or medium degree of load. Then you can proceed to the choice of filtration method and equipment. The following requirements are imposed on household installations:

• Cleaning quality
• Minimal maintenance
• Quiet filter operation
• No additional costs
• Compactness
• The water specifications meet the requirements of the system.

In principle, the demands are not so high. There are so many softening devices on the equipment market, of different configuration and performance. That you can easily pick up to your needs. After installing the filtering element, it is desirable to again send water to analyze, checking the quality of the equipment.

Considering the filtration system for the apartment should think about the size of the system. Often household softener filters are quite compact. The simplest filter, magnetic or reagent, is mounted on a pipe. Of course, it will soften the water, but only for one appliance. You can buy a cartridge filter with ionic resin. Such a device is designed for six months of purification. The most ideal option-cabinet filter, which also uses ion exchange technology. The convenience of such devices in the work without rinsing, and, therefore, there is no need for a tank for saline solution. When the service life is over, the filter is replaced with a new one.

For cottages and country houses, due to the larger space for installation, you can install softening columns. The method is the same-ion replacement. Only in this case, the salt tank is mandatory. Because the system is more voluminous and the filter is not changed when filling, but washed. In case of deterioration of water characteristics it is necessary to check the softening system for malfunctions.

Below is a video on the assembly of a water softener with clack valve