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The Benefits of Soft Water
The entire household runs more smoothly when there is a plentiful supply of soft, conditioned water. With a Water Conditioning system from Pickett Plumbing, all these advantages can be yours. Call 713-896-9700 today.
1. Whiter, Brighter Clothes. Conditioned water eliminates the soap curd that clings to clothes. By rinsing away the soil holding scum that makes clothes look grey and dingy, soft water makes clothes cleaner and brighter.
2. Luxurious shampoos Conditioned, soft water floods away soap and dirt film and leaves your hair really clean, silky soft and manageable.
3. More refreshing baths. Conditioned, soft water cleans the pores in your skin and rinses away soap residues that cause chapping and redness. Your complexion will glow and even shaving becomes smooth and easy.
4. Easier dish washing. With conditioned water, there's no dull sticky film or water spots. Dishes and glassware sparkle!
5. More flavorful foods and beverages. Even the food you eat and drink will look and taste better. With conditioned water, The natural flavor of foods is retained because hard water minerals are not cooked in. Coffee and tea taste better too!
6. More efficient cleaning. Soft, conditioned water floats away dirt and grime and makes dozens of cleaning chores easier. Sinks, tubs and fixtures are easier to clean and they dry without streaking
7. Save up to 70% of soaps and detergents. You will save money on detergents and laundry additives. Smaller quantities of detergents are needed with Soft water because all the soap is used to clean the clothes.
8. Save on clothing costs. Laboratory tests have shown that clothing washed in Soft water will last up to 30% longer.
9. Save on plumbing. Conditioned, soft water prevents 'lime scale' which clogs pipes and water heaters, reduces water flow and can lead to expensive repairs
10. Soft water can prevent formation of hard water scale in laundry equipment and dishwashers which can lead to malfunctioning of equipment and wasted fuel.
Water is the basic support structure for all life an earth. Without it, life as we know it simply could not exist. While it seems that there is an endless supply of water, in reality, the amount is finite. The same water that was on the earth millions of years ago is still here. This is because of the hydrologic cycle.
Because it is a continuous loop, a cycle, it is difficult to say where it begins. Lets start with water as a vapor. This vapor provides protection from the sun's ultraviolet radiation and helps the ecosystem maintain it's thermal balance. For instance, when the air is very dry, temperatures can vary in the extreme. Daytime temperatures in desert areas can be in the 100's while the temperature can drop near freezing at night.
In it's vapor state, water is as near to being pure as it ever gets in nature. the longer the vapor stays suspended in the atmosphere, the more contaminants are picked up and the more 'impure' it becomes. As the water vapor rises through the air, it cools. As it cools, it condenses and becomes liquid. The droplets of water combine and become heavy enough to fall to the earth as precipitation. Precipitation falls to earth in many forms, such as rain, snow, sleet, hail and dew. It is estimated that 16 million tons of these various types of precipitation fall to the ground each second.At the same time, water is being evaporated from the surface of lakes, rivers and oceans. Even some of the rain itself evaporates as it is falling.In the balance maintained by nature, precipitation always equals evaporation on a global scale.
Because the hydrologic cycle is continuous, it constantly cleans both the atmosphere and the earth. No doubt, you have noticed the clean smell of the air after a shower or rainstorm. This is because the moisture has removed particles of suspended matter, such as odors, gasses, dirt particles and smoke from the air. While this cleansing effect is continuous, it never completely removes all impurities from the air.
One of the impurities removed from the air as water passes through is carbon dioxide. This carbon dioxide collects and forms a type of carbonic acid. The strength of the acid will vary in proportion to the amount of carbon dioxide dissolved. Other acids can be added in the same way. For instance, when smoke from burning coal passes through the air it forms sulfuric acid.
In addition, the water vapor may pick up microorganisms such as spoors and bacteria.
When rain falls for a long time, the first rain to fall may contain a great deal more suspended matter then that which falls later
Usually, when rain reaches the earth, it is basically soft, somewhat corrosive and mildly acid. After it reaches the ground it will pick up additional carbon dioxide from decaying vegetable matter. This adds to the water's ability to dissolve minerals as it seeps into the earth.
About 70% of the precipitation evaporates before it can penetrate the ground. Additional amounts become surface runoff. This water picks up minerals and impurities from the surface and transports them as it flows through streams and rivers eventually to the ocean. Water can also pick up colors, tastes and odors from vegetation as it slowly filters through them.
Only a small portion of the precipitation actually penetrates the soil . This water actually can be 'cleaned' somewhat of particulate matter as it passes through the layers of soil.
It also can pick up quantities of calcium (hardness) and iron as well as other minerals. The water that seeps into the earth begins a journey that could cover extreme distances and many years before it again comes to the surface.
Determining the age of water can be done through the analysis of tritium, nitrates or carbon 14 dating. Water that is as old as the last glacial peri
od is not at all uncommon. Water located deep in geologic structures could move at a rate of a foot an hour or a foot a year, depending on the geology.
SURFACE WATER
Water in lakes, rivers, streams and ponds are classified as surface water. This is water which collects from runoff and directly from precipitation. Surface water can also be supplemented by ground water from springs.
Surface water generally has a lower mineral content, but can contain higher amounts of surface contaminants such as chemical pollution. In addition, there is also more opportunity for the water to be contaminated by animal and human waste products. Surface water supplies are often good environments for algae and bacterias.
GROUND WATER
Usually, ground water supplies contain greater amounts of minerals than surface water. It loses much of the suspended solids, color and bacterial contamination as it passes through layers of soil. Because of this, water supplies from deep wells are usually clear, relatively bacteria free and contain larger amounts of minerals.
Some of the troublesome minerals found in ground water are; calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, and hydrogen sulfide. Mineral content of wells in close proximity can vary widely.
High capacity resin comes 'from the factory' in the sodium state. That is to say that it has an abundance of sodium ions (na) attached to each resin bead. As the process of 'water softening through ion exchange' proceeds, the sodium ions are replaced by calcium ions (ca) from the raw water.
If the process were allowed to continue without interruption, the resin would eventually reach a point of saturation with the calcium ions and 'softening' would cease. To prevent this from happening, the water conditioner periodically must 'regenerate'. When regeneration occurs, a quantity of brine is extracted from the brine tank and slowly allowed to soak through the bed of resin. The saturated brine solution simply overwhelms the calcium ions on the resin and replaces them with sodium again.
This process of 'ion exchange' can continue for many years if the resin does not become fouled with other minerals or bacteria.
The pH scale
Each single point of increase or decrease in the pH scale has a multi-faction of 10 as the scale is logarithmic.
The pH scale is used to express the intensity of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution. As commonly used, this scale ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 7.0 is neutral, indicating a balance between acidity and alkalinity. Values ranging below 7.0 indicate increasing acid strength. Values ranging above 7.0 indicate increasing alkaline strength.
Waters with a pH below 7.0 (acid waters) tend to cause iron or copper pick up in piping systems and contribute to staining problems. Blue to green staining will result if the piping is copper or red staining if the piping is iron. The lower the pH, the greater the corrosive tendency of the water. The recomended pH limits of water for use in the home is 7.0 to 10.6. Waters with a pH less than 6.8 contain sufficient acidity to cause significant corrosion and should always be treated.
Excess acidity in water is treated by neutralizing the acidity through the addition of alkaline materials. This is most often accomplished by installing a neutralizing filter which contains a mineral which reacts with acidity to raise the pH of the water. This process slowly dissolves the mineral and adds a few grains of hardness to the water. Because of the increased hardness, installation of a water softener following the neutralizing filter is necessary.
