Hard water and treatments system is one method of reducing the contaminants found in tap water in order to improve its quality. When someone describes water as “hard,” it means that the water contains high amounts of calcium and magnesium dissolved in it. This high level of mineral content results in two problems:
Scale Formation
First, it can cause “scale” to form. Scales are formed through precipitation of soluble salts, such as calcium carbonate. When scales build up, they form an encrustation on the inside surfaces of pipes and other such surfaces of devices where water is used for heating or as a coolant.
Other forms of scales include calcium sulphate, calcium phosphate, barium sulphate, magnesium hydroxide, iron hydroxides, zinc phosphate, and silica, all of which occur naturally in raw water supplies.
The scale formation itself is not the problem that hard water and treatments system solves. At least, not at first. Rather, it is the build up of such scale formation that presents a problem which hard water and treatment systems provides a solution thereto.
Scales do not conduct heat well. Moreover, they reduce the flow of water through pipes since the scale deposits have the effect of clogging the passageway. It costs a lot of money to maintain boiler and water heating systems. By using hard water and treatments systems, you can greatly reduce the cost of maintenance and at the same time improve the efficiency of the device.
Soap Reaction
Another adverse effect of hard water is that it can reduce the efficiency of soap detergents. This is a special concern for those operating a laundering service. The water with high mineral content reacts with soap by forming a sticky scum and does not lather. It thus becomes less productive to use soap for washing, a problem since most of us like to use soap for cleaning purposes.
With the use of hard water and treatments system, you can avoid this problem. By reducing the mineral content in your water, especially calcium and magnesium, you can reduce the adverse reaction between soap and water and thus produce more lather needed for washing.
How Hard Water and Treatments Work
The other term for hard water and treatments system is “water softener.” Basically, the system “softens” the water by replacing magnesium and calcium ions in the water with sodium ions.
Sodium does not precipitate in pipes. Moreover, it does not react badly with soap. Thus, it is a far more desirable compound to have in your water than calcium and magnesium.
Hard Water Treatment
Hard water is water that is high in dissolved minerals, especially magnesium and calcium. It should be noted that although it is highly undesirable, hard water is not a serious health risk. Rather, it is more of a nuisance since it has the tendency to create mineral buildup in water pipes and in heating systems. Moreover, hard water causes poor soap and/or detergent performance.
How Water Collects Minerals
A universal solvent, water is highly susceptible to contamination. It can easily absorb impurities, whether organic/inorganic or biological/non-biological. Water becomes even more solvent when it combines with carbon dioxide in the air. As the oxygen in H20 mixes with the carbon in CO2, it results in the formation of a substance, called carbonic acid.
Carbonic acid is highly solvent, even more so than regular H2O. As water travels through soil and rock, carbonic acid is likewise carried along with it. Because of this, minerals encountered by water as it moves are slowly dissolved, creating a solution that makes water “hard.” As more calcium, magnesium, and other minerals are dissolved into the water, the degree of hardness likewise increases.
Simple Water Treatment Methods
What can you do in order to reduce the effects of hard water? There are simple steps you can take in order to do so. Here are a few commercial systems that are commonly used for hard water treatment:
Chemical Water Softeners
This hard water treatment method involves the addition of chemicals in the water you use for laundry. Since one of the problems of hard water is the poor performance of detergent, the aim of this treatment method is to allow detergents to produce more soap suds even in hard water.
Instead of changing the type of detergent to use, you can continue using the detergent you have always been using (Detergents specially made for hard water are more expensive). The chemicals added in the water have the effect of “softening” the water – that is, reducing calcium and magnesium, thereby making it more susceptible to the action of soap and/or detergent.
Water Filters
Another hard water treatment method available is the water filter system. In this method, tap water is filtered using a portable unit in order to “soften” it. However, unlike Chemical Water Softeners, the water filter system produces water that is drinkable, with chlorine removed and many of the minerals filtered out.
Mechanical Water Softeners
This method of hard water treatment uses the same principle as the water filter system. However, instead of using a portable unit, mechanical water softeners are more permanent – i.e. they are installed in the plumbing system.
To “soften” hard water, mechanical water softeners essentially replace magnesium and calcium with sodium. The result is water that free of limescale and with increased heat efficiency.
Home Water Treatment
You will never find water that is 100 percent pure. Always, it contains contaminants, whether from natural causes or from man-made sources. While many of these contaminants are harmless, there are some impurities that can adversely affect your health. That is why, home water treatment is important.
Home water treatment is the process by which contaminants found in your home’s tap water system are removed. There are several methods of treating water, ranging from the simple (such as a filtration) to complex (adding of chemicals and other substances to “purify” water).
However, before you delve deeper into the various methods involved in home water treatment, consider the following steps first in making sure that the water you use at home is safe for use and consumption.
Identifying Water Problems
Before you can take serious steps in lessening contaminants in your home water, you first need to assess the situation in order to find out if there is any problem.
How do you identify a problem in your water? Well, if your water comes from a municipal or public water system, then there should not be any problem, and hence you do not need to employ home water treatment methods. There are federal and state regulations that regularly test water systems for contaminants, including microbial pathogens, toxic chemicals, and radioactive elements, to ensure that the water you use are clean and safe.
However, there might be other problems that are undesirable, although nevertheless not hazardous to your health. These problems include hardness, staining, bad tastes/smell/color, corrosivity, and foaming.
Now, the story is different when your water comes from a private well, in which case you are responsible for testing and treating your water.
Home Water Treatment Methods
A home water treatment system focuses on removing the harmful contaminants in tap water so that it is clean and safe for drinking. Examples of contaminants that a home water treatment system can remove are high levels of nitrates, coliform, pesticides, lead, and arsenic.
Here are a few home water treatment methods that are used to “purify” your water:
* Activated carbon filtration
* Distillation
* Ultra-violet treatment
* Chlorination disinfection
* Water softener or cation exchange
* Neutralizing filtration
* Oxidation filtration
* Mechanical or sedimentation filtration
* Reverse osmosis or membrane filtration
Point of Entry and Point of Use Home Water Treatment Systems
Home water treatment systems sold commercially are categorized into two: point of entry or point of use treatment systems. The difference between the two is that while point of entry treatment systems treat all of the water that are being used in the home, point of use treatment systems only treat parts of the water being distributed in the home.
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