Definition

• A water softener is an appliance that turns hard water into soft water. This device is hooked up to your home plumbing system. The main function of a water softening device is to exchange calcium and magnesium ion with sodium ions. Sodium ions do not damage plumbing or cause soap scum.
  
  

How It Works

• A water softening device consists of two tanks. The first one, called the mineral tank, is hooked up to your direct water source and is where incoming water is stored. Also in this tank are many tiny plastic-type beads (called zeolite or resin). Attached is a second tank, called the brine tank, which contains a sodium solution. During what is called a regeneration phase, the brine solution is pumped into the first tank and flushes out all the "bad" ions. These ions are then flushed out, leaving a tank of soft water ready for use. Most water softeners have an automatic regeneration cycle.
  
  

Why It Works

• The key to water softeners is the exchange of ions. Because calcium and magnesium ions both have positive charges, they are attracted to the negatively charged resin beads in the mineral tank. When the brine solution is introduced, because there are so many sodium ions--which are also positively charged--they push the calcium and magnesium ions off the beads. This allows the device to flush the unwanted ions out of the system.
  
  

Test Your Water

• If you think you need a water softener, you should first test your water. Hard water will be more than 60 grains per gallon (GPG). If your water is over 100 GPG, even the use of a water softener may not remove all the hard minerals from your water. You can figure this out by buying a test kit.
  
  

Concerns

• Because water softeners add sodium to the water supply, they could possibly cause health problems for people with a sodium-restricted diet. They can also cause your water to taste slightly salty. If these issues cause concern, you can opt for the significantly more expensive method of using potassium chloride in your softener instead of sodium.