Softened water is water that has had the hardness minerals (calcium and magnesium) removed.

What kind of damage does hard water do?

Calcium and magnesium, commonly referred to as lime, form scale in plumbing whenever the temperature of the water is increased even slightly. Soap curd formation is another problem caused by hardness minerals in the water. A sticky, gray film is left on all objects that come into contact with your hard water. A prime example is the scum around your bathtub. Mineral particles can become deposited between cloth fibers, leaving laundry a dingy or dirty color, while deteriorating the fabric. Hard water also deteriorates water heaters, causing a shorter life expectancy to shorten, as well as causing them to be less energy efficient.

The amount of hardness depends on the source of the water supply, and/or the substrata (e.g. soil, dirt, limestone, etc.). The water must travel through to reach an aquifer. Water below 20 grains of hardness per gallon that is softened contains very low levels of sodium. If sodium is not desired in drinking water, it’s usually not difficult to bypass cold water at the kitchen sink.

In water softening – also called ion exchange softening – an ion (an electronically charged particle) is attracted to ions of the opposite charge. Both calcium and magnesium have strong positive charges, as does water-borne iron. The positive ions are attracted to the strong, negative ions of the ion exchange resin found in water softeners.

Water hardness in the U.S. varies from one geographical area to another. Hardness in water is the most common contaminant in water.

The resin looks like amber sand, but is actually a plastic, bead-like material coated temporarily with weakly bound sodium ions.

Other important parts to water softeners in addition to the resin, are the resin tank which is usually a fiberglass tank. Threaded in to the top of the resin tank is the control valve, which directs water through the tank and makes regeneration possible. The last component is the brine tank, a storage area for salt and a few gallons of salt brine.

How does a water softener work?