Water is and always has been an essential material for human life, for drinking, washing, cooking, sanitation, and more. Without it, people suffer dehydration and washing and cooking become impossible, but even when it’s available, this liquid may become ruined through contamination of elements, bacteria, viruses, or more. There are ways to fight back and preserve water quality, however, and there are ways to check this liquid’s quality in a home to see if improvements must be made. “Where can I get a water softener system?” or “What does a water softener do?” are some of the questions a homeowner may ask if their plumbing’s quality declines, especially if undesirable symptoms start to appear. “What does a water softener do?” is a good line of thinking whenever a home’s water quality suffers.
The Importance of Water
Having access to clean, sanitary water is vital for any human life. Unfortunately, some 768 million people around the globe do not even have access to clean water supplies, and nearly 2.5 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation. Dehydration is a danger for anyone: losing even 1-3% of body water can impair brain function, and losing 9-12% can result in death.
What are the benefits of water treatment? To some extent, Americans are already taking responsibility for their water quality and for drinking enough of it per day. For example, the Water Quality Association has shown that around 40% of Americans make use of home water treatment systems, and they can range from low-end filters all the way to expensive reverse osmosis units. Many filters are rated for the largest size of particles allowed through based on microns, where about 500 microns measure the distance of a period in average size text. Viruses will get through all but the toughest filters, but bacteria may get strained out.
The Business of Water
Of all water filter and sanitized by public services, only about 1% goes toward drinking and cooking, while the rest goes toward dishes washing, washing machines, showers, toilets, and other uses. But through these plumbing systems, it may soon become clear that home’s water quality is not up to snuff.
Hard water is any water with calcium or magnesium dissolved in it at or above a certain concentration, and one grain of hardness measures as 17.1 ppm, or parts per million. Water hardness is on a scale that is based on dissolved parts per million. Often, hard water will result in spots of calcium appearing on dishes, and the dissolved elements stiffen clothes and can irritate a person’s hair or skin after contact. Water softeners are often the best bet.
What does a water softener do? And what does a water softener do? They filters and water tanks that can make use of small beads and ions to filter out dissolved calcium and magnesium in water before it reaches utilities in a home. Often, these ions will attract the dissolved particles onto small beads in the filter system, and once a bead is fully saturated, salts at the system’s bottom will scrub the beads clean, and they are ready to continue filtering. There is plenty of need; nearly 80% of the United States’ utilities suffer from hard water, and drinking too much of it can exceed a person’s recommended intake of calcium or magnesium, which can lead to health issues.
Anyone wondering “What are water softeners?” or “What is reverse osmosis?” is probably on the market for water filters, and his or her house’s water is probably hard and interfering with cooking and laundry, or the water has bacteria that are getting people sick. However, professional services are available for experts to examine a home’s water and test its quality, then recommend or install filters to restore water quality. Water softener dealers will know what to look for and how to treat it.
