Water Softener Basics

Water softeners can be a mysterious concept to homeowners who are new to the area. In many parts of the country hard water isn’t an issue, but in Arizona it’s necessary to remove calcium and magnesium from our water to protect plumbing and heating systems, appliances, plumbing fixtures and even dishes and glassware. Hard water deposits lime scale and can leave water spots or a white residue behind on everything from your sink and vanity top to your finest dishes. It can make detergents and soaps less effective as well.

A water softener is a system that exchanges the “hard” minerals such as calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium. This happens in the mineral tank, where the household water is run over plastic beads which are covered in sodium ions. The sodium ions are swapped with the undesirable mineral ions. When there are no more sodium ions left, the beads must be regenerated, so they are flushed with a strong brine solution that is made from keeping your water softener stocked with salt. This removes all of the stored calcium and magnesium ions and replenishes the beads with sodium ions.

Water softener systems are low-maintenance, in that you really just need to check your softener to make sure the salt level doesn’t get too low. If it drops below one-third, refill with the recommended salt pellets to the fill line. If you notice a large amount of salt residue, you may need to have your unit checked out or cleaned by a professional.

There are quite a few options for installing or upgrading your water softener, from all-in-one units to those with multiple tanks and some systems that also remove bacteria, pesticides and other harmful chemicals.