WATER SOFTENER

INTRODUCTION

•Water softening is the removal of calcium, magnesium, and certain other metal cations in hard water. The resulting soft water requires less soap for the same cleaning effort, as soap is not wasted mopping up calcium ions. Soft water also extends the lifetime of plumbing by reducing or eliminating scale build-up in pipes and fittings. Water softening is usually achieved using lime softening or ion-exchange resins.

HARD WATER/SOFT WATER :-

•The water supply is labelled "soft" or "hard" is dependent on the presence of two highly soluble minerals, calcium and magnesium. From a health standpoint, these minerals have no adverse effects and are, in fact, essential daily nutrients. It is minerals that give water the refreshing flavor many people find desirable.

•SOFT WATER:

• It is treated water. It is left with only cations and that is sodium. It has a salty taste.

• Water hardness is expressed in one of two units of measurement. The first unit is parts per million (ppm) of calcium carbonate, a term equivalent to the concentration of dissolved calcium and magnesium. Using this equivalent simplifies hardness calculations. One ppm means that one unit of calcium carbonate is dissolved in one million units of water.

• If the water tested, the report will use one or both of these units to tell how hard the water is. Since the level of calcium carbonate means little to water consumers, water specialists have classified levels of hardness.

THE WATER SOFTENING PROCESS :-

•Once water hardness is known, there are two options. we can identify with the hardness level, recognizing that levels below 7.0 will probably not cause major scaling and soap film, or treat the water to reduce the calcium and magnesium present. A water softener, also called an ion exchange unit.

ION EXCHANGE

•The water softening devices have long been available in the water treatment industry, the technology is highly developed and in most cases works well to reduce the hardness level.

•HOW DOES ION EXCHANGE WORK?

•A physical and chemical process filters the water through an exchange media known as resin or zeolite. Typically, the resin is a synthetic or natural, sand-like material coated with positively charged sodium ions. As the calcium and magnesium dissolves into positively charged ions, an ion exchange environment is created. The water flows through the unit while the resin releases its sodium ions and readily trades them for the calcium and magnesium ions. The water flowing out of the device is now considered soft.

REGENERATION

•The resin is not an inexhaustible exchange site. When all the sodium exchange sites are replaced with hardness minerals, the resin is spent and will no longer soften water. At this point, the water softener will need to be run on an alternate cycle called regeneration. During this cycle, resin is backwashed with a salt solution. The brine is reverse flushed through the system taking with it the calcium and magnesium ions that had been adsorbed on the resin. Once backwashing is complete, the softener can be returned to use. Some water softeners will automatically switch to the operation cycle. Others have a manual switch.

water softener showing ion exchange and regeneration.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF WATER SOFTENING

ADVANTAGES

•It reduces the amount of ph [ Potential Hydrogen] in the water.

•Water softening also reduces the irritation on hands and body.

•Assists in saving on expenses used to buy soap. Hard water makes very hard for efficient laundry. Therefore, a lot of soap must be utilized for lather formation.

•Helps in recovering the shininess of the water.

•There will be decreased water usage because soap forms lather quickly with the water.

•No scale deposits will be formed in home appliances such as pipes and plastic water heaters.

•Equipment will not be eroded quickly thus leading to longer equipment life.

•Water will be safe for both human and animal consumption. Some chemicals are found in hard water, and they can significantly affect the health of individuals as well as animals. If water is softened, both human beings and animals will be free from any risk.

DISADVANTAGES

•Some of the minerals that are done away with are important in performing bodily functions. For instance, a mineral such as calcium which is found in hard water assists in stronger bone formation.

•SELECTING A WATER SOFTENER

Guidelines for estimating water use.