Water Softener Installation – Corona CA

Corona CA Area Has Hard Water

Hard water is filled with minerals and other sediment.

It leaves behind what’s known as limescale, which are hard, chalky water deposits you see on your water faucets, sinks, shower heads, bath and shower doors, tiles, and in the foggy appearance of “clean” glasses from a dishwasher, etc.

It’s not just appliances and fixtures that are affected:

• Inside you pipes and appliances a buildup of minerals occurs and begins to clog water flow, increase pressure, and create leaks.
• Clothing washed in hard water fades and deteriorates more quickly than clothing washed in soft water.
• Fine dishes and glasses are gradually etched by hard water until they become less shiny or fogged in appearance.
• Your hair and skin are dried by hard water, increasing the need for lotions and conditioners.

Three Types of Water Softeners

Salt-free water conditioner

(NO salt or potassium)

SALT-FREE systems are actually water conditioners. They are sometimes called “descalers.”

Salt-free conditioners use a filtering media that does not remove the hard water minerals but instead crystalizes most of them so that they don’t stick to most surfaces. 

PROS

• greatly reduces scale buildup inside pipes and appliances, on faucets, shower doors, tile, toilets, sinks, and bath.
• extends the lifespan of plumbing pipes, water heater, and appliances.
• doesn’t clog your skin’s pores to better allow natural skin oils to flow.
• saves money by requiring less soaps, shampoos, and detergents.
• not only greatly reduces scale buildup but also helps remove existing scale .
• No salt or potassium needed to monitor, buy, and add to system (save $9/mo in salt)
  there are no ion-exchange resins and therefore no regeneration is required
.
• save 80-100 gallons of water monthly (required for regeneration of ion-exchange resins)
  there is no controller needed and no electricity required for it
.

• requires a carbon tank pre-filter to protect conditioning media from deterioration due to other water contaminants.

  CONS

• doesn’t leave your skin and hair feeling soft, smooth, and silky.

• doesn’t help brighten, whiten, or soften clothing during washes.

• doesn’t help reduce spots on glassware in dishwasher.

Comparison Summary:

Both systems greatly reduce scale buildup and stop causing damage to your pipes, water heater, and appliances. The water conditioner will help remove some of the existing scale.

Both systems increase the performance of soaps and detergents and use less of them as a result (must use pure soaps without hard water conditioners to save).

The ion-exchange water softener systems that use salt or potassium also feel better on your skin and hair, helps remove spots from glassware, and gets your clothes whiter, brighter, and softer.

The differences of the feeling on your skin has been described as like coming out of the water after swimming in a lake (salt-free conditioner) compared to a saltwater pool (ion-exchange softener). Plain versus soft and silky.

The salt-free water conditioning systems are simpler, easier, and cheaper to install and maintain and are the only solution in places where salt-based ion-exchange systems are banned by the city (due to the salt).

You’ll still have dishwasher spots, and your skin won’t feel soft and silky with a salt-free system but most importantly you will be protecting your pipes, water heater, and appliances.

The size you need of either a salt-free or ion-exchange system is determined by how “hard” your water is (measured in grains per gallon GPG), and how much water your household uses each month.

There is another category of “water softeners,” called magnetic softeners.

MAGNETIC “SOFTENING” SYSTEMS are not actually water softeners either but are often marketed as softeners.

They attach to your main water intake line and use a magnetic field to reverse the charge of the hard water ions, causing them to resist the pipes and each other and just flow away down the drain.

This is unproven technology with conflicting scientific data.

PROS

• They are inexpensive, costing only $200-$300.
• There are anecdotal reports of satisfied customers.
  

CONS

There have been many scientific studies done on “magnetic water softeners,” and none are conclusive enough to show anything more than minimal scale reduction.

The Water Quality Association’s (WQA) conclusions were that the research submitted by the manufacturers show conflicting results and recommends the magnetic industry conduct additional research.

EITHER WAY, YOU STILL HAVE A PROBLEM! 

You protect and take good care of your home, pipes, and appliances with a water softener, but what about you and your family?

No matter what water softening solution you choose, there are still other things lurking in your home’s tap water, and most bottled waters, that are nasty, taste bad, cost you money, and can even do harm to your health.

Different whole-house water filters and reverse osmosis systems may be needed to remove those other unwanted contaminants.

More Water Softener Information