Have you ever spotted soap scum on your silverware or noticed that your washing machine is suddenly causing your clothes to come out dingy rather than clean? You aren’t imagining things — your home is probably one of the thousands of Tulsa properties affected by hard water. “Hard water” is a phrase used to refer to water with high mineral content (typically calcium and magnesium). While trace amounts of these minerals are not harmful to human health, hard water can wreak havoc on your plumbing system in a variety of ways, whether it’s affecting your faucets, hot water heater, or washing machine.
Luckily, there’s a simple and straightforward solution: whole-house water softener systems! From improved drinking water taste to healthier skin and hair, there are numerous benefits to installing a water softener system. Let’s explore a few of these awesome advantages.
How Water Softener Systems Work
Before learning about the benefits of water softener systems, it may be helpful to understand how exactly they work. Water softening technology is typically divided into two categories: salt-based and salt-free. Here’s a short explanation of each type:
Salt-Based Water Softeners
These systems are the traditional choice for softening water. Utilizing tiny resin beads, they exchange calcium and magnesium ions with sodium or potassium ions in a process called ion exchange. This effectively removes calcium carbonate, magnesium, and other dissolved minerals that cause scale buildup, leaving the water softer and more efficient for cleaning and appliance performance.
Salt-Free Water Softeners
Rather than utilizing ion exchange, salt-free systems alter the structure of mineral ions in other ways, using technologies such as Template Assisted Crystallization (TAC). TAC relies on the use of specialized media coated with microscopic “template sites” that act as catalysts. As hard water flows through the system, calcium and magnesium ions are attracted to these templates. The ions are induced to form stable, insoluble micro-crystals. These micro-crystals remain suspended in the water and no longer stick to surfaces like pipes, fixtures, or appliances, effectively preventing scale buildup.
Salt-free water softeners are a low-maintenance, eco-friendly alternative for homes that don’t want to add salt to their water. However, they may not be as effective as salt-based systems in homes with extremely hard water. They work best in environments where preventing scale buildup is the primary concern rather than complete hardness removal.
Benefits of Installing a Water Softener System
Better-Tasting Water
How does your tap water taste? If the thought of drinking straight from the faucet makes you cringe, your water supply is probably chock-full of hard minerals, heavy metals, and other unpleasant contaminants that directly affect taste and quality. Installing a water softening device and a water filtration system will help remove these harsh minerals from your home’s water system, so you’ll actually enjoy the taste coming from your taps.
Longer-Lasting Appliances
Hard water isn’t just hard on your pipes; it’s also hard (pun intended!) on every water-using appliance in your house, from your washing machine and dishwasher to your hot water heater and ice maker. Lingering mineral buildup in pipes and water lines increases energy consumption by restricting water flow, forcing these essential systems to work harder than necessary. Over time, this can compromise their effectiveness and efficiency or even result in costly repair bills. Installing a water softener system will result in lower gas or electric bills, brighter laundry, cleaner dishes, a more effective water heater, and overall peace of mind.
Healthier & Softer Skin and Hair
Calcium and magnesium strip away the natural oils that your body produces, affecting your skin and hair’s pH level and causing dryness and dullness. Attaching a water softener to your water system helps eliminate these mineral deposits, meaning you can enjoy cleaner hair and skin. Plus, not only will you no longer struggle with the negative effects of dry skin and hair, but removing mineral buildup also ensures you’ll need to use less soap and cleaning products — which means you save money.
Improved Water Pressure
Do your morning showers feel more like a slow trickle than a torrential downpour? Calcium, magnesium, and limescale buildup in your pipes and drains might be clogging your showerheads, faucets, and hot water heater lines, compromising water pressure.
Addressing water hardness using a soft water system can clear out this scale buildup and restore optimal water flow, preventing this irritating issue. Plus, you’ll no longer get those ugly soap scum spots on your faucet handles and shower fixtures.
Wonderful Water Quality
If your home’s water quality isn’t up to snuff, you might be used to buying bottled water, constantly refilling a countertop pitcher, or hauling home jugs from the supermarket. But with a water softener system — especially if it’s combined with or added to an existing water filter — you can enjoy clean, fresh, and soft drinking water from every tap without these cumbersome chores.
Cost Savings
What do you get when you combine lower utility bills, reduced energy consumption and water usage, less spending on soap and cleaning products, and no more bottled water? Significant savings, of course! Installing a whole-house water softener system won’t just remove limescale buildup and soap scum — it’ll help your whole household save money in ways you never expected, from improving washing machine performance to optimizing your hot water heater.
Enjoy Soft Water With Williams Plumbing & Drain!
Are you ready to say goodbye to hard water for good and experience the benefits of installing a water softener system? Contact Williams Plumbing & Drain to book a water softener installation or other plumbing services in Tulsa, OK, or one of the surrounding areas.
We’ll help you find the perfect solution to your hard water problems. Our skilled plumbers are looking forward to helping you enjoy cleaner clothes, better-tasting water, and a more energy-efficient lifestyle!