Do You Need a Water Softener for Your Home?

If you find that soaps and detergents don’t produce enough suds, or stubborn stains and scale deposits develop on your kitchen and bathroom fixtures, hard water is likely the culprit. Over time, hard water can wreak havoc on your home’s plumbing system and shorten the service life of appliances like the dishwasher, ice maker and water heater. High levels of naturally-occurring minerals in your home’s water supply are the cause of hard water, and it can occur whether you’re on a municipal line or have your own well. Installing a water softener can help alleviate a hard water problem.

How Does a Water Softener Work?

Water softeners employ a process known as ion exchange. A tank containing negatively-charged resin beads is installed on the water supply line where it enters your home. As incoming water flows through the tank, most of the positively-charged magnesium and calcium ions it contains stick to the beads and remain in the tank. When the beads are fully coated with ions, the system automatically flushes the tank with sodium brine to remove the buildup. The “softened” water that exits the tank for distribution throughout your home contains only trace amounts of any problematic minerals, and this brings you a number of benefits including:

• Laundered items are cleaner and feel softer because detergent and dirt doesn’t stay trapped in the fabric.
• Glassware and dishes come out of the dishwasher sparkling and spot-free.
• Your water heating energy consumption can drop significantly.
• Noticeable savings on your use of shampoos, detergents and soaps.
• Less wear on your costly water-using appliances, which prolongs their lifespan.
• Cleaning the kitchen and bathroom is less of a chore.
• Fewer issues with sluggish or clogged drains, low water pressure and premature deterioration of your plumbing system components.

At Sobieski Services, Inc., our goal is to help our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey learn more about energy and home comfort issues – especially HVAC and plumbing issues – so that they can save money and live in healthier, more comfortable homes.

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