WATER SOFTENERS
Water softeners? How the heck can water be "hard", anyway? My young Son asked me that awhile back and I was glad I knew the answer! Most of our supplies of water come from the ground. Water that sits in and travels through the ground will pick up many minerals and, unfortunately, chemicals. The things that qualify water as being hard are, for the most part, calcium and magnesium. These are two common elements that are water "soluble" or , in other words, will go into solution in the water. So "hard" water is just water that has a considerable amount of these two elements in it. "Soft" water, therefore, is water that does not have calcium and magnesium in solution. A water softener is a device that removes these hardness minerals.
Hard water is actually rarely harmful to your health. Our bodies, of course, need calcium and magnesium. So what's the big deal with "soft" water? First of all, because these hardness minerals are soluble in water, they use up a majority of the soap you use when you wash your clothes. Since the soap cannot take the minerals "out of solution", they actually remain on your clothes after they wash and rinse. Have you ever noticed a sort of "crispiness" on your just washed towels? That is from the high concentration of left-behind minerals on the towels. The same goes for all your washed items. When you use your dishwasher and you have to wipe the spots off your glassware when you take them out, you are wiping off the left-behind calcium and magnesium. As a life-long plumber I must tell you, even though it might cost ARIZONA PLUMBING SERVICES some business, that soft water is SO MUCH BETTER for your entire plumbing system! Your water heater won't fill up at the bottom with minerals. That means you will use less energy to heat your water. Your faucets won't get that ugly, scaly "corroded" look anywhere near as soon. Your water delivery and drainage piping won't get so corroded on the inside, thereby giving that piping a MUCH longer service life. (You can't see that corrosion inside your pipes, but take it from this old plumber, it's there!) So, to make a long story short, a softener will save on your energy bill, make your washed clothes softer and brighter, and save you lots of money long-term on your plumbing repair/replacement costs. (Darn!)
YES......YES......YES! A softener is a wise investment and you'll no doubt be very happy you got it! It may take awhile for you to adjust to "the feel" of soft water. There is a sensation that the soap won't rinse off. After showering your skin will feel very smooth, almost "oily". That is due to the absence of the hard water minerals, and actually is quite soothing after you adjust. You will notice that you use much less soap in the shower, for your laundry, and in your dishwasher. You won't have to clean the "soap scum" from your shower nearly as often. Boy, doesn't that aggravate the heck out of you?! I recommend that you buy a softener that suits the needs of your size household and I recommend that you buy it from Sears. Their prices are good, their warranty is outstanding, and, yes, ARIZONA PLUMBING SERVICES is an Installer for Sears Plumbing Products! So you get a great product from a first rate and long established Company with a quality warranty, and, if you buy it from a Sears Store that we Service, you'll have it installed by the best Plumbing Company in the State of Arizona! Now, how can you beat that? That concern is exactly what prevents many folks from enjoying the benefits of softened water. There are, fortunately, ways to get around that legitimate issue. If you look at the picture above on the right or below on the left you will see faucets. They are "reverse osmosis" faucets. Install an "R.O." under your sink and, VOILA, no salt in the softened water. Or. there are "whole house" filtration systems and "water conditioners". There are pages on this website for each. You can also use potassium chloride rather that sodium (salt) as the "ion exchanger" if you are on a low sodium diet.
If you have questions about water softeners, we will have an in-depth article about them on this website very soon. Until then, just click right here on and thanks for using:
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