Water Softener And How It Works

Water softener is anything that assists in rendering the insoluble mineral ions soluble. When hard, it contains metal cations such as calcium and magnesium. To make it soft, the concentration of these cations has to be reduced through the process of softening. There are various ways through which these can be done. The use of sodium ions to replace the calcium and magnesium ions is one of the softening methods. For this process to work effectively, a chemical medium called zeolite is covered with sodium ions. The water will flow through the zeolite and the cations will be replaced by the sodium ions. The zeolite is covered with calcium and magnesium ions and softening stops. The zeolite has to be regenerated by soaking it in sodium ions for softening to continue. reverse osmosis can also be used. In this process, water molecules move from a region of low concentration to a region of high concentration, through a membrane and against a concentration gradient. This method is mostly used in residential and commercial filtration as well as desalination. Some softeners make the insoluble minerals soluble by applying the citrus base method. This formula brings the ions together thus preventing them from separating from the water. This process does not remove the minerals because they are useful to the human body but solves the problem of formation of scale. water softener such as lime can also be used in softening. Lime or calcium hydroxide removes calcium and magnesium ions through precipitation. This process also removes other micro-organisms and organic matter. Chelators are used as ingredients in most commercial products. Such commercial products include food preservatives and shampoos. Water softener has been effective in dealing with the problem of hard water. Customers have benefited fully from it. It is up to individuals to choose that method which best satisfies their needs.