Understanding Water Softener San Antonio Systems And How They Work

Hard water can offer many challenges to daily living, and can bring a number of complications to home ownership. Depending on location, the age of a home, and other factors, water may contain a higher dissolved mineral content. These minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium, aren’t toxic, but can make things difficult and just be unpleasant overall. A Water Softener San Antonio may be necessary. Hard water problems can be greatly mitigated with the introduction of a Water Softeners System San Antonio. 

What Problems Can Come With Hard Water?

Hard water can bring many effects that can range from small annoyances to potentially costly and destructive results. These elevated mineral levels are not typically dangerous to consume, and typical hard water does not carry a bad taste or odor, but the effects can certainly be harmful and bothersome. 
water softener San Antonio
  • Mineral Build Up
    Water that is heavy in dissolved minerals is going to leave mineral residue on anything it comes in contact with. This means spotty dishes, mineral grime build up in sinks, bathtubs and any other drains. This buildup can become so heavy that problems with water based appliances such as washing machines and dishwashers can arise from the mechanical mechanisms getting caked in mineral build up.
  • Detergent And Soap Efficacy
    The other thing about hard water that can be incredibly frustrating is that higher mineral content in water will reduce the lathering and rinsing solvency of soaps and detergents. This means that clothing can look washed out and faded, and when showering, multiple shampoos may be needed and completely rinsing out shampoos or soaps from your body can be an ordeal. Soap can often feel like it can’t be rinsed off.
  • Plumbing Systems
    This is also back to mineral build up. Mineral residue build up can be very harmful to plumbing systems and pipes in a home. Faucets, showerheads, toilets, water heaters, and more can all experience hard crusty mineral deposits. This may begin harmless enough, but if left unchecked, these buildups may plug drains and showerheads, clog pipes, and cause valve sealing problems.

How Can Hard Water Be Determined?

Chances are, when it comes to calcium and magnesium levels, it will be well known for the area that is being moved into. That being said, for a more comprehensive breakdown and to know exactly what is being dealt with in a water supply, the best method is to bring a sample to a certified testing facility. This will offer a full breakdown of all mineral content, as well as bacteria and other substances such as nitrates, sodium, and chlorine levels. 
There are other methods however. In-home water testing kits can be purchased at most home improvement or hardware stores. These kits can give a pretty good baseline and show at least if you should be considering a Water Softeners System San Antonio. 

How Can A Water Softener San Antonio Help?

A Water Softeners System San Antonio functions in two stages with two tanks hooked up to your water tank. 
The first stage is the softener tank stage. Water enters the softener tank and filters through layers of resin bead. This resin has a negative ionic charge and therefore it attracts the positively charged minerals. So as the water flows through, it is cleaned of some of the mineral solid contents and flows out as softened water. 
The second stage involves a brine tank. This is because these resin beads can only attract so many positively charged particles before they lose their attraction strength. Depending on water usage, when this happens a brine solution is rinsed through the beads to recharge them and to rinse the mineral deposits out.  
A Modern Water Softener San Antonio system will be virtually maintenance free, but installation is still a task best trusted to a skilled professional, and yearly tuneups and inspections are highly recommended.
For more information about Water Softener San Antonio, visit water softener.