Have you ever experienced dry thinning hair or dry itchy skin right after showering?
Well, one of the causes can actually be hard water.
Because there is a high concentration of hard minerals in the water, they act like “sandpaper” on your skin every time you take a shower.
Moreover, because our skin absorbs water, all those particles go straight into our skin.
Fortunately there are ways to help or even prevent this!
The most common solutions are systems known as water softeners and water conditioners.
Let’s go over how they work and what they do to help (or not).
A water softener is a specific type of water conditioner that reduces water hardness to one grain per gallon or less. And most of the time that is the only thing it does.
Hard water contains dissolved ions of calcium or magnesium. These ions occur naturally as water runs through limestone deposits on its way to your house. If you have hard water in your home, you might notice a whitish film on your glassware, shower doors etc.
You may have to use more soap than you would in a house with soft water. This happens because the dissolved minerals inhibit the soap.
A home water softener works by swapping calcium and magnesium for another ion. Inside the softener, water runs over a bed of tiny plastic beads that are covered with sodium or potassium ions. The water releases its calcium and magnesium and picks up sodium. Unfortunately, water softeners generally don’t do anything to purify, condition, or remove any impurities in your water.
Most of them are made to treat water as hard as, up to 10-15 gpg (grains per gallon) hard, which makes them unusable in cities like Las Vegas for example, where the water is on average around 22-25 grains hard.
In those conditions, water softeners tend to give up easily and break down in just 2-3 years, due to not being able to handle the water hardness.
A water conditioner on the other hand is a general term for equipment that changes the water in your home in some way. A water conditioner might filter, soften, remove impurities or improve the taste of water.
It is a more sophisticated piece of equipment and can work in a variety of different ways. It could use carbon filtration, electromagnetic waves, magnets or ceramic media to remove particles. There is no set standard for how “pure” a conditioner must make the water, so there are varieties.
Some water conditioners add an ingredient like chlorine to filtered water to kill any bacteria that may be living in the water. If you live in an area where groundwater is often contaminated or if someone in your family has a compromised immune system, then a water conditioner with disinfectant might be beneficial.
The minerals in hard water not only create a film on dishware, they can also leave their sediment on the inside of pipes. When the sediment thickens, it affects water flow through the pipes. When the sediment builds up around a heating element — in a boiler for example — it acts like insulation and prevents the heating element from doing its job of heating water.
When the heat can’t dissipate into the water, it builds up on the element and can cause overheating and breakage. In very hard-water areas, water conditioners can help household appliances like dishwashers, washing machines, boilers, water heaters as well as plumbing to last longer.
In areas affected by hard water, a sophisticated water conditioner can definitely make a difference to your home and way of living by softening and purifying your water.
Fortunately, Ameritek Water provides affordable solutions for pure fresh soft water to protect your home and family, so you never have to worry about the bad effects of hard water, purity or alkalinity.
Schedule your FREE in-home Water Test by clicking HERE or contacting us directly at (702)521-6409 to see exactly how soft or healthy is your water.
We will test your tap water for hardness, quality, TDS as well as your store bought Alkaline water or any existing system and put it to the challenge! Our kind team would be happy to answer any questions or provide you with the information you need!
For more information on our family of high-efficiency Water Conditioning products system, click HERE.