Owning a water softener shouldn’t be a luxury — it should be a necessity. The harsh chemicals and minerals that make water hard can be treated with a water softener to ensure everyone in the home has access to water as it should be: pure.
If you don’t already have a water softener installed in your home, here are a few different types of water softeners currently on the market:
Salt-based ion exchange softeners
This is the most traditional softening system on the market. Salt-based ion exchange softeners require salt to perform ion exchange, which is a process that exchanges calcium and magnesium hardness ions with sodium ions, thereby removing water hardness.
This type of system must perform a regeneration cycle, typically twice a week, to eliminate the hardness minerals and flush them down the drain. During this cycle, the unit will replenish the resin bed with sodium.
Salt-free water conditioners
Though this isn’t technically a water softener, a salt-free water conditioner removes limescale from water through a crystallization method, such as template-assisted crystallization (TAC). During this process, hard water minerals are crystallized and therefore unable to stick to surfaces.
Dual tank water softeners
These softeners use two resin tanks, thereby preventing a gap in soft water production. Dual tank water softeners are commonly used by small businesses like coffee shops and restaurants, but they can also be installed in homes.
Electronic or magnetic descalers
Electronic descalers attach to the main water line and send out an electromagnetic wave that alters the composition of hard water minerals and prevents them from forming scale.
Through the use of magnets or a coil of wire, magnetic or electronic descalers condition water. Because they don’t use salt or water, they don’t need to regenerate. Descalers are low maintenance and are the least expensive scale treatment on the market.
Before You Make A Purchase
It’s important to determine the proper size you need, your budget, and maintenance requirements. At Blue Apple Electric, we’re happy to walk you through the purchase process, make recommendations, and take care of the installation process. Just give us a call to schedule an appointment!