Benefits of Having a Water Softener In your Home

Are you curious about how your water softener is able to provide your entire house with water that is free of iron and other minerals? It always amazes me the difference between water that has gone through the ionization process and water that has not. Admittedly there are times when the salt in the softener runs out and we are left to deal with a shower or two where the water is less than soft, and we definitely notice the difference.

In the article from Popular Mechanics, “How a Water Softener Works (And Why You Might Want One)” homeowners learn about the inner workings of a water softener, how hard water affects your lives, and how a variety of other water treatment systems can improve the quality of the water in your home. Water softeners are a terrific tool for bringing soft water to faucets throughout the entire house but for true high-quality drinking water straight from the tap homeowners may consider the installation of an under sink reverse osmosis filter.

The experts at Reynolds Water Conditioning want to bring quality water to homes throughout Southeast Michigan. Let us test your water sample today to determine what water treatment system would best improve the water quality in your home.

June 18, 2019

Sprinklers and Hard Water Don’t Mix Well for This Florida Home Owner

Having sprinkler systems installed while living in South Florida is pretty common, however having brown iron spots covering the outside of your siding is not exactly what homeowners are happy to see when living there.

Where does this brown coloring on siding coming from? The answer is from the hard water inside the sprinklers. The mineral filled water hits the siding on your house and although it seems harmless at first, it will start to produce more and more iron stains.

A local woman named Karen Clarke had this very issue at her condo. Her sprinkler was set to spray only the grass but somehow had gotten turned which made it begin hitting the home instead. The article done by WSVN gives further details on this occurrence. Reynolds Water Conditioning Company specializes in these hard water needs and has options available such as Irrigation Stain Control Systems to help provide prevention from such hard water stains from occurring in the first place.

June 5, 2019

Do You Trust the Quality of Water Coming from Your Tap?

Ever since the water crisis in Flint, MI many homeowners all around the United States have started to pay closer attention to the water coming from their tap. Issues with the water supply in Milwaukee have recently surfaced as well, more info can be found at NPR WUWM 89.7. This focus on tap water quality has led to research, both official and unofficial, being done on where people are getting their drinking water from. It is safe to say that most homeowners are still enjoying quality water from their taps, 51% remarking they drink straight from the tap and 40% saying they filter tap water before drinking it. This isn’t really a surprise considering the multitude of water treatment options available to remove the contaminants in water throughout the home. If you are one of the many homeowners questioning the quality of your tap water the experts at Reynolds water Conditioning Company help!

May 30, 2019

WQA calls attention to phony door-to-door solicitations

“We don’t use scare tactics to generate business”

LISLE, Ill. (May 1, 2019) – Now that spring has arrived, with solicitors busy knocking on doors, the Water Quality Association reminds homeowners that anyone claiming to represent the WQA in door-to-door solicitations should be considered an imposter.

“The Water Quality Association does not solicit door-to-door, period,” said WQA Executive Director Pauli Undesser. “WQA has a strict c ode of ethics for our members and for manufacturers of water treatment products. We don’t use scare tactics to generate business.”

Even so, WQA hears frequently from homeowners who say someone claiming to be from WQA has asked to test their water or tried to sell them a water treatment device. In just a few days this April, homeowners from three cities in Texas and Florida notified WQA of people claiming to have been sent by WQA to do inspections, solicitors wearing shirts with the WQA logo, and people passing out flyers that falsely claim membership in the WQA. One homeowner even provided a doorbell camera photo.

WQA recommends homeowners have their water tested by a water treatment professional or certified lab. Water treatment professionals who hold membership in WQA are allowed to use the “WQA Member” logo in specific ways but not to claim to represent the Association instead of a dealership; WQA members in your area can be found using WQA’s Find Water Treatment Providers tool. The Association offers other suggestions for finding reputable water treatment professionals on its website.

In addition, WQA recommends treatment products that have been certified to work as claimed. Consumers can visit WQA’s product certification listings to search WQA’s database of certified products.

August 10, 2018

3 Things You Should Know About Well Water in Your Home

Does your home have a well? Here are some things you may want to consider when it comes to the quality of the water that is flowing throughout your home.

What is the difference between a well check vs comprehensive water testing?

Many homeowners are under a misconception that having their private wells checked will expose issues with the quality of the water as well. This however is not the way it works. There are major differences between what testing is required by mortgage companies in order to obtain a home loan verse the actual health aspect of the water. Most mortgage providers are only looking to ensure that the well water system to the home isn’t faulty not the content of the actual water. In a comprehensive water test the actual water from the well is tested for chemicals such as lead, arsenic, chromium 6, mercury, and VOCs. As a homeowner it is up to you to have a comprehensive water analysis done on your homes water as well as the waters source. Many companies that sell water treatment systems, such as Reynolds Water Conditioning, offer free water analysis before recommending a solution for treating your homes well water.

Where does well water contamination come from?

It is often news to homeowners to find out that contamination from water is often from natural sources verse human contamination. Owners of homes with private wells often are shocked to find out that their water has become contaminated. Most often there are no obvious signs of sources that could contaminate the water nearby, so homeowners do not suspect anything. The truth of the matter is that many contaminants within water such as arsenic occur naturally in groundwater at levels that are not safe for drinking.

Why does well water often contain more lead?

Well water is corrosive. Corrosive water often leak lead from pipes, soldered joints and plumbing fixtures. Many homeowners are unaware of this fact. If a homes plumbing predates 2014, which is when lead-free standards in home plumbing components were put in place, the potential exists that lead will seep into the tap water within the home.

It is important that homeowners with private wells understand that their water source is not regulated by the EPA or State Regulators. Homeowners are responsible for the quality of their water. It is important that proper water treatment systems are put in place to ensure that their homes have high quality water running throughout the home. For a more comprehensive look at your homes water it is important to have a comprehensive water test done. The next crucial step after the results of water testing are done is to put a system, or a number of systems, in place to ensure that the water your family is ingesting and using on a regular basis is free of harmful bacteria and containments.

At Reynolds Water Conditioning Company, we are here to help make sure our clients don’t buy water treatment systems that they don’t need. We are here to make sure you find a water softening system that gives you the results you are looking for, whether it is to remove iron or odor from you water; we have a solution that will help! For more information contact our experts at 800.572.9575 or at our website https://reynoldswater.com.

March 8, 2018

How do Water Softeners Work?

A water softener is a special type of filter that eliminates calcium and magnesium in hard water and replaces them with sodium through the ion exchange system. Since calcium and magnesium interfere with the action of soaps and detergents while sodium does not, a water softening system is important to ensure detergents are able to eliminate dirt and oil stains more effectively. It also provides a slippery feel to the skin when you wash.

Components Of A Water Softener

A water softener is made up of three major components –a resin or mineral tank, a control valve, and a salt-water tank. The mineral tank is the area where water softening takes place and incoming water passes through plastic-like beads also known as resin and made of polystyrene. These beads have a charge that is negative, attracting calcium and magnesium from the water since they are positively charged.

The attraction ensures calcium and magnesium adheres to the plastic beads as water flows through the tank. As the water gets to the bottom area of the tank, “softening” would have taken place. The “softened” or conditioned water now passes through a riser tube and outlet manifold, before it is distributed through a cold-water pipe to the house.

Over time, the resin droplets become caked with calcium and magnesium and must be “recharged” or cleaned to be as efficient as it should be. The control valve exerts some form of control in the system since the recharge process is designed to take place based on the amount of water processed. Each cubic foot of resin can efficiently eliminate calcium and magnesium minerals from about 3,200 gallons of hard water. By contrast, about 750mg of sodium is in turn added each water gallon. This sodium content is considered as low range. However, for people who are concerned about sodium intake in general, resins that release potassium is the best option – although it is expensive.

A Process Of A Brine Tank

In association with the mineral tank, a brine tank helps with the regeneration process. During the “brine cycle”, salty or brine water is pumped out from the brine tank into the mineral tank. As water passes through the plastic beads, sodium is exchanged with the ions in the hard water, regenerating the attraction of the plastic beads in the process. When the brine tank is empty, a “slow rinse process” begins, which is followed by a more forceful rinse. These two cycles allow fresh water to rinse excess salts from the mineral tank, expelling it down the drain before the brine tank is refilled.

After the washing away of the hard water ions and any excess sodium, the brine tank is refilled, returning the system back to service cycle to begin the water softening process again. Since the regeneration process allows for the dissolution of salt in the brine tank, it is important that salt is replenished from time to time.

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March 1, 2018

Reasons to Purchase a Whole House Water Filter

One of the most vital elements that homeowners need to think about is the water in their home. Is the water safe? Can you drink water from the tap? Is the water hard? Does it leave stains on clothes or landscape? The water in your home is important and its importance increases every day because our water supply can be severely impacted due to several different elements. Contaminants can find their way into a homes water supply either by accident or by incident. Unfortunately, this keeps happening and at quiet an alarming rate. It is important for homeowners to be more aware of what is in the water coming from their homes.

In order to keep your homes water, it is essential to remove what is lurking in your homes water. One of the best ways that this can be accomplished is by installing a water softener, purification, arsenic removal, or filtration system. These water treatment solutions help keep your homes water safe for drinking, cooking, bathing, laundry, and a host of other activities.

Water treatment systems including a whole house water filtering system are important for a variety of reasons including:

First Line of Defense

A whole house water filter is important when it comes to the drinking water quality in your home. The water treatment systems that are in place within the house are the first line of defense in eliminating contaminants within your homes water supply.

High Mineral Content

If your homes water has high levels of minerals it can result in hard water throughout the home with can be a real problem for homeowners. Hard water allows plaque to build up in your homes plumbing equipment, is unhealthy to drink, wears out clothing quickly, reduces the later in soap, and causes stains to clothe and landscape. Having a whole house water filter and water treatment system is a good investment not only for your home but for your health and wardrobe as well.

Convenience

Water treatment systems removes the stress of having individual point of use products. Having a different filter for the shower, the garden, the bath, the water pitcher, and so on can be quite exhausting. A water treatment system for the whole house, at the point of entry to your home is the best way to go.

Everyone understands the importance of having a quality water supply throughout the house. The risk of an unhealthy water supply is completely eliminated by having a whole house water treatment and filtration system.

February 22, 2018

Say Goodbye to Rust in Your Home’s Water

High concentration of certain minerals such as iron in your water is an indication of either a plumbing problem or an issue causing leakage of sediments from the pipes to the tap. Rust is a common term which refers to the presence of compounds such as iron and oxygen in water and it is usually formed when there is an exposure of free iron to water and oxygen in the air. There are different ways rust sediment can be eliminated. Two of the major water purification methods include the use of a water softener and water filter.

Water Softener

You may have tried different rust elimination options but still cannot get rid of rust stains on your sinks or shower. This is a common problem today and one that people battle with regularly. However, water softeners are just an ideal solution as they do not just reduce the rust stains from the water, they eliminate rust altogether.

An ion exchange water softener contains minerals such as sodium which combines chemically with iron to remove rust. When connected to your water supply, water softeners remove a wide variety of mineral compounds that make water “hard” and difficult to use. However, experts recommend that a water softener should only be used for drinking water with iron concentration below 2ppm.

Water Filtration

Water filtration for the elimination of rust is especially ideal if the iron concentration in your municipal water supply or well water is high. The best water filters are particularly designed to eliminate iron and any other contaminants such as manganese that often accompany it. Although water softening devices may be able to remove iron and even prevent staining, the resin bed can gradually become fouled with iron over time leading to decreased iron elimination efficiency. A better solution would be to install a water filter for iron elimination before water reaches the water softener. You could also install a special water filter to the main water supply line of your home if you prefer not to use a water softener.

Contact The Experts

It is best to avoid wasting money on trying out different iron elimination methods for water purification if you have any ongoing problems. It would be ideal to contact your local water filtration or water softener expert, so they can find the most suitable iron filter according to the water analysis of your home. Getting the right fit will save you costs in the long run as water purification systems that are too big or too small for your water contamination or water usage level will only cause energy wastage. With the best decisions for your home water, you can say goodbye to rust and welcome only clean, fresh water.

February 16, 2018

How Does Water Softener Work?

There are two types of water, hard and soft. Hard water is the most natural type of water that hasn’t been tainted by any chemical process. It becomes hard because before it reaches your taps at home, it seeps through the ground where it’s filtered by stones and mineral deposits containing all of the natural minerals such as iron, calcium, magnesium, etc. Drinking hard water is not harmful and could be a major contributor to cardiovascular disease mortality as well as that of calcium and magnesium to our diet.

Difficulties Of Cleaning With Hard Water

Hard water does, however, make cleaning task from laundering, dishwashing to bathing, and personal hygiene challenging. It makes soaps and detergents lose some effectiveness, and instead of lathering or dissolving completely, soaps tend to combine with the hard minerals to form a soapy mess.

This effect is evident because it leaves insoluble soap scum in your bathtub, washing basins, your shower, dishes, laundry machines, and roughens clothes too. Water softening is the process through which calcium and magnesium ions are eliminated from the water by using a mechanical appliance that is plumbed into your home’s water supply system.

Ion Exchange Method

There are different technologies including water filtration, and water purification methods that can be used to make hard water soft. Some water softeners use a process called ion exchange, which is the most popular and commonly used methods of removing the calcium and magnesium ions from water in your water to exchange it with two sodium ions.

The ion exchange system uses a mineral tank containing zeolite beads that carry a negative charge to attract and cling to the positive charge carried by calcium and magnesium ions. This means that these minerals will adhere to the beads as the hard water passes through the tank.

A very powerful solution of sodium ion is then flushed through a tank that has beads already soaked with calcium and magnesium so as to drive the calcium and magnesium ions off, the unit then enters a 3-phase regenerating cycle to produce soft water:

The backwash phase flashes out dirt from the tank
The sodium-rich salt solution replaces the calcium and magnesium in the recharge phase
The final phase flushes off the excess brine then refills the brine tank

This process is very effective, but it increases the salt content in the water, which might not be favorable to everyone.

Distillation is another water purification method of effectively softening and removing impurities for small quantities of water. It entails boiling the water to produce vapor, then condensing it back into pure water.

Where To Get Started

Before installing a water softener, use a water testing kit that measures hardness from 0-1000 ppm or 0-59 grains of hardness. Values of more than 1 GPG are usually considered to be hard water. Use a water softener that either has an automatic regenerating system that flushes and recharges the system on a regular basis or the type that uses a mechanical water meter to measure water usage and initiate recharging only when necessary.

February 9, 2018

The Benefits of Salt Free Water Softeners

People with fresh, high-quality water can be taken for granted in many parts of the world. In others however water can be full of minerals, contaminants, and be extremely hard. This can lead to nasty tasting water that is affected by high amounts of minerals in the water. One of the best solutions to hard water is to install a water treatment system in your home that can provide a softer, better tasting, higher quality water supply.

Treating Your Water At Home

Water softeners essentially work by adding other minerals to the water in order for the water to taste good. There are a number of ways this is done and one includes a salt process. Many people however, have concerns with adding extra salt to their bodies. Some people have diseases and conditions where they need to limit the amount of sodium in their bodies so a traditional water softener that uses salt to soften the water may not be ideal. Another alternative for treating the water in your home can come from a potassium water softener, water conditioning, or a water filtration/purification system.

People often consider water softeners and water conditioners as one of the same. A salt-free water softener can more accurately be called a water conditioner or de-scaler. A traditional water softener using salt, works by removing magnesium and calcium from the water and replacing it with sodium. Another option that works on the same principal is replacing the salt with potassium, also known as a saltless or salt-free water system.

Difference Between Water Softeners

A salt-free water filtration system doesn’t work exactly the same way as the salted one. Instead of removing hard water minerals, it keeps them from sticking to the pipes. This is a special process where the hard water minerals are crystallized, so that they can no longer stick to surfaces, which includes your pipes or your dishes.

The unsalted system also helps by reducing the buildup of limescale. This is that chalky substance you see on dried hard water spots and can be filled with other minerals or chemicals. While it’s not harmful, it can be unsightly and embarrassing if you are serving guests, or are a food-based business that must have 100% clean dishes.

The salt free water filtration system works by altering the chemical structure of the water minerals through a special descaling process. This helps to prevent solids from being deposited into your pipes and other water-using fixtures.

Talk With an Expert

A salt free water purification system is as effective as a salt-based system and it may suit your needs if your city’s water isn’t as hard as others. It is best to speak to a water filtration specialist to fulfill the needs of your home. When choosing salt-free water purification system it will also come with a filter. This helps to filter out the hard water minerals in your water, while providing water softener properties. For assistance in finding the best water softener or water purification system for your house, contact us today.