What is water conditioning?

Water conditioning is that branch of engineering that determines the chemical characteristics of a tap

water supply, as it enters your home, and treats these characteristics so as to provide water more 

suitable and economical for household use.

 

 

Why is it essential to improve water quality?

Beyond being an absolute necessity of life, water is an outstanding cleaning agent. The trouble is that

nature does a lot of things with water long before you have a chance to use it in your laundry or at

your kitchen sink. You get it, as it were, second hand. Therefore, improving your water quality by

water conditioning is just as essential as any other home appliance. 

 

 

Does the conditioned water have a "different" taste?

Taste is difficult to define as no two people have the same sense of taste. A water conditioner will

remove certain minerals and turbidity from the water, giving you a cleaner, better tasting water.

 

 

Will conditioned water give a cleaner, brighter wash?

Yes. For best results, you should use the proper amount of laundering agent. Keep in mind a 60 to

80% soap saving can be achieved with conditioned water. Learn to use less laundering agent

because none of the cleansing compound will be wasted as in hard water cleaning. The amount of

laundering agent you use depends on: (1) its effectiveness, (2) the volume and temperature of water,

(3) the size of the wash load, and (4) the type and amount of dirt and grime.

 

What effect will conditioned water have on plumbing?

Before the water was conditioned, the hard water caused a scale buildup in the hot water pipes and

water heater. Scale acts as an insulating material. In the water heater, scale reduces heat

transmission, wastes fuel and often causes heating coil and tube failure. The installation of a water

conditioner not only prevents further scale formation but will gradually remove previously formed 

scale deposits. A recent study indicates that softened water offers a saving of 23% in energy cost in 

the operation of a hot water heater.

 

Are the minerals which a conditioner removes from hard water essential to health?

No. The quantity of minerals found in hard water are not essential to good health.

 

Is the sodium in softened water harmful to people on restrictive diets?

Much depends on the strictness of the diet itself. When the patient is on an extremely restrictive diet,

he should drink neither hard nor softened water. Under these conditions he should have

demineralized water, distilled water, or water known to be free of sodium for drinking and for the

cooking of foods. Such patients are commonly hospitalized.

 

In establishing a salt-free diet for patients, physicians should not overlook the fact that even hard

water may contain appreciable amounts of sodium. To determine the amount a complete analysis of

the water is necessary.

 

How much sodium is added to softened water?

Each grain per gallon (GPG) hardness removed adds 7.875 milligrams (mg) of sodium to a liter of

water, which is approximately one quart. The average daily sodium intake of an adult individual is

3,000 to 4,000 milligrams and the average fluid intake is 1.6 to 2.0 liters per day. A liter is slightly

more than four 8-ounce glasses of water. Two liters per day or 8.4 eight-ounce glasses of water

amounts to a total sodium intake from a source of softened 8 GPG water of 125.16 milligrams. This is

approximately 3% of the average daily sodium intake.

 

There is another way to answer this question, and that depends on the hardness of your raw water.

The following table shows the additional amount of sodium consumed by drinking ONE quart of

softened water.