Water Treatment – Softening & Iron Removal

As rain falls it becomes acidic by absorbing a variety of dissolved gasses within our atmosphere. The aggressive rain water soaks into the ground picking up various minerals which results in hard water. Hardness is a combination of dissolved calcium and magnesium. Hardness is measured in both Grains Per Gallon (GPG), and Parts Per Million (PPM). To convert PPM to GPG, divide PPM by 17.1.

Hardness in water is generally more of an concern with people on well water because it is typically much harder than city water. But did you know that most city water is also considered hard? The most effective and economical way to soften your water is with an ion exchange softener.

Hardness Table (in GPG)
0 – 1	Soft Water
1 – 3.5	Slightly hard water
3.5 – 7	Moderately hard water
7 – 10.5	Hard water
Over 10.5	Very hard water

Softener Mechanics

Softeners contain a resin which is made up of tiny man-made plastic beads. This resin uses sodium chloride (salt) to regenerate. As water passes through the resin, hardness minerals in the water attach themselves to the resin beads releasing the sodium ions that were previously attached. This process is called ion exchange. The resin must often be recharged or regenerated so that the ion exchange process may continue. During this regeneration the resin is recharged by flushing with brine (salt water). In this process the hardness ions are released from the resin beads and flushed to drain. The sodium charged resin is now ready for ion exchange to again take place. The regeneration process, depending on the model of softener typically takes 1.5 hours to complete.

Advantages of Softened Water

Plumbing fixtures will not clog with hardness scale, maintaining pressure efficiency
Spot free car wash
Cut detergent and soap use in half
Prevents premature failure of all water related equipment and appliances
Cleaner laundry, skin and hair
Prevents skin irritation caused by hardness, and diaper rash

Manufacturer

Wellmaster Pumps installs and maintains Novatek water softening and iron removal products. They have an excellent selection of high quality devices for residences and businesses.

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