Water Softeners, Water Treatment and Water Conditioning

Water needs to be softened or treated in areas with high calcium and limescale. Without treatment scale will build up on plumbing fixtures, inside water heaters and boilers, and cause discolouring of shower doors, walls and curtains.

Limescale in cold water lines is a soft powder that builds up inside pipes and evaporates on countertops, coffee pots, etc. But, limescale in hot water lines turns to calcite, a very hard scale that is difficult to clean. And will shorten the life of your water heater, dishwasher, washing machines, faucets, and hot water dispenser.

The best way to solve this problem is to soften the water. Water can be softened two ways. The first way is with an ion exchange. By taking the calcium out of the water you will get soft water. I install about 5 of these type annually. These units are about one foot by on foot by three and half feet high. Some have a separate tank for the salt and others have the tank and resin chamber together. As with any mechanical device or appliance there will be breakdowns at some point.

Most systems sell for between $500 and $1200 and last about 12 years. Most plumbers charge between $350 and $450 to install the softener. The installation requires the unit to be installed and the kitchen and lawn service to be isolated. You do not want to be drinking salt water and there is no benefit to feeding salt water to your lawn and plants. The unit will need to be installed close to an electrical outlet.

On top of the initial costs you will also have water and electrical costs to operate the unit as well as salt. Everyday the unit will need to backwash, which will require water flowing thru the system flushing it out and washing down the drain. Many areas are beginning to ban this type of water softener because of the salt flowing into our water system. The costs of operating including water and electricity will be about $300 per year plus the cost of salt depending how hard the water is in your area. Total first year costs are up to $1850 and then $300 plus salt thereafter. And the biggest downfall is this type of softener is hard on your water heater.

Magnetic Water Treatment

Magnetic water treatment has been around for years. In fact if you look through the Thomas Registry at your local library you will find that there are many more full page ads for magnetic water treatment, or magnetic water conditioning then there is for any other form of water treatment. Most of what you will find there is for large industrial applications. And at the cost for each page of advertising it is obvious these guys are offering a much superior method to water conditioning or water treatment.

I learned this fact back in 1998. At that point I started to research many of the products available. Many of the products I looked into were for commercial and industrial water lines and for improving large boiler efficiency. These are great for large application, but even their smaller sizes were out of reach for a homeowner. I felt I was not doing my clients justice if the pay back on their money was 15 to 20 years. So, based on price, ease of installation, and how well the product works I have found a product that I use and offer to my clients. Click here to see this product.

Thanks for reading my article on water softeners and water treatment.