How to Treat Hard Water

Posted on August 19, 2020 by oozle

Hard water is very common with more than 85% of households having some amount of hard water with only 15% having naturally occurring soft water. The hardness of water can actually be a natural result in the water cycle when calcium and magnesium and other dissolved minerals accumulate.

According to the Water Quality Association of the United States, hard water is classified by how many 1 GPG (grains per gallon) of hard minerals there are in the water. To help break it down for you, we’ll share with you the summary we have of this available on our Las Vegas Hard Water Tool page:

In Las Vegas, we are in the classification of “very hard” but the levels can vary from place to place. Feel free to plug your zip code into the hard water tool mentioned above if you want to know exactly how hard your water is.

Problems That Come From Hard Water

Hard water can have numerous effects on your hair, skin, and household. The most common problems people face with hard water in their homes are:

• Dry and irritated skin and hair
• Mineral buildup around faucets
• Soap scum in tubs and showers
• Shorter life-span of appliances
• Spotty glasses and dishes
• Unpleasant drinking water
• Corrosion and rust stains
• Faded clothes

Have you experienced any of these problems in your house? Let’s talk about a solution that can help eliminate these troubles!

How To Remove Hard Water

The best and most-effective way to remove hard water problems in your home is to invest in a water softener. This household appliance removes the hard minerals from your water through a process called ion exchange. Through this process, sodium ions are replaced with the hard magnesium and calcium ions—removing them from the water and, thus, creating “soft” water.

Let’s take a deeper look at the water softening process:

1. Hard water enters the resin tank.
2. Tiny beads in the resin bed attract the hard minerals, removing them from the water.
3. Soft water enters your home.

Once the resin tank fills with hard water ions, it can’t soften any more water. This is when the regeneration process takes place:

1. The water softener goes offline
2. Salt from the brine tank is pumped into the resin to flush the mineral tank.
3. The brine washes away the hard ions and replaces them with a fresh new batch of sodium ions ready to start the softening process once more.

How to Take Care of Your Water Softener

Taking proper care of your water softener can prolong the lifespan even longer than the recommended 15-year life span. Although certain situations can happen even when taking the proper care, there is some household maintenance you can do to have a healthy water softener.

Watch Your Salt

Salt is a major component of the regeneration process. It’s up to you which kind of salt pellets, crystals, or blocks you would like to use in your tank. There are four common types of salt to choose from:

• Evaporating salt (highly recommend)
• Potassium Chloride
• Solar salt
• Rock salt (not recommended but cheapest)

Fill and Refill Your Brine Tank

If there’s too little or not enough salt in the brine tank, you’re not going to have soft water. Always check your brine tank to make sure it’s full. We suggest keeping your tank at least one-quarter full of water softener salt at all times, and no more than four to six inches below the top of the tank. How often you’ll need to refill the tank depending on the size of your tank, how hard your water is, and how much water your house is using on a daily basis.

Remove Salt Bridges From Tank

A salt bridge occurs in the brine tank when the salt forms a hard crust inside of it. They most commonly occur when the wrong salt is used or in high humidity areas. The salt crust forms an empty space between the water and the salt. This prevents the salt from dissolving into the water in order to make the brine salt solution, which rinses the resin inside your water softener. Without the brine, the resin beads that soften your water can’t do their job.

To get rid of salt bridges, first turn off the system using the bypass valve. Then, get a broom or something with a long handle to gently push and break the salt bridge. After this, you will need to make sure all the other salt crust around the tank is cleared.

Ready To Invest in a Water Softener?

ProServ Las Vegas proudly serves local residents and businesses. We’re here to answer any questions or concerns you may have regarding investing in a water softener or maintaining your current one. Simply give us a call us today at 702-425-5512, and we’ll be happy to serve you!

If you’re curious to know how a water softener works, check out our infographic for a more detailed description: