Water, we drink it, we bathe in it, we use it for all manner of industrial and social purposes. What many people do not realize, until they learn the hard way, is that there are basically two different types of water. There is hard water, and there is soft water. The difference is usually not noticeable for people who are solely accustomed to one type, and then are forced to confront the other. Then, it is a sort of panicked enlightenment.

When a person moves into a new house or apartment, in a new part of town. They notice a difference in water quality a lot of times.  Even though the water is safe to drink there can be a noticeable difference between so called hard water and soft water.

Some of the water agencies operated by local municipalities choose to filter and soften the water before it heads to homes and offices in its jurisdiction. This soft water is simply water that is missing most of the minerals, metal deposits and calcium deposits that come naturally.

Soft water is best for use in bathrooms and showers, as it leaves no stains or rings to metal, porcelain fixtures or tile.

If you dislike hard water, or are tired of constantly scrubbing your tub, shower and sink after every use, you may be ready to start looking into house water softeners. Here is a brief overview of the types of water softeners, how they work, and which may be best for your particular situation.

Hard Water

Hard water is simply water that is chock full of all of the normal minerals and calcium deposits that naturally come with it in local reservoirs and aquifers. Hard water is not in any way dangerous, or bad for you, but it tastes “dirtier” (according to some) and it can leave unsightly calcium and mineral stains on your plumbing fixtures.

Also, some of the minerals in hard water react with the chemistry of most types of soaps, preventing the generation of good lathering. Over time, hard water poses a significant detriment to your plumbing system, as the minerals and calcium build up in the pipes, causing all sorts of problems.

How  Water Softeners Work

Water softeners work through an ion exchange process that uses an element resin filter, through which hard water passes. After it passes through this element filter, it becomes soft water, and continues on into the pipes leading to your home.

There are three predominant types of element filters for water softeners. Each type of element filter uses a different type of “salt” to filter water:

Potassium

Hydrogen

Sodium

Each of these types has certain drawbacks and advantages, but on the whole, there is little difference between them, when used as an element filter.

Water softeners work, because these element filters contain negatively charged electrons that attract and bind themselves to the positively charged electrons in the minerals and calcium found in hard water. These are then trapped in the filter, as the remaining soft water is passed on through into the plumbing system.

Depending upon the type of element filter that you use, remember that as the minerals and calcium are removed, they are replaced by larger amounts of whatever “salt” is used to filter them. So you will have heightened levels of hydrogen, potassium or sodium, depending upon the type of filter salt used.

Water softeners of each of these three types can be regenerated, by releasing a specially made agent into the water stream, and allowing it pass through the water softener’s element filter. This will “recharge” the salts used, and save the hassle of having to reinstall an entirely new water softener system.

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