Will Soft Water Clean Pipes?

If you’re looking to add more life to your water-using appliances and save money on soap and detergent in the process, it may be worth looking into buying a water softener. Using softened water will start to remove scale from your home in two weeks.

Water softeners also work to eliminate hard water scales inside pipes and appliances by reducing hard calcium and magnesium that can result in clogs and corrosion. Soft water can also eliminate “soap scum” left behind when cleaning with hard water.

Typically:

• ● In six weeks, scale will be gone from your kettle
• ● In six months, scale will be gone from your heat exchanger
• ● In two years, scale will be gone from the rest of your steel pipies

How water softeners remove scale: 

So, what’s wrong with hard water?

Water is considered hard if it contains an abundance of minerals as compared to ordinary water. This is a problem, because things like calcium and magnesium can build up as lime scale on the insides of pipes, water heaters, and even in appliances like ice and coffee makers. Over time, water flow decreases and the lines can become completely clogged.

Another issue with hard water is it makes it difficult for soap to lather. Not only is this frustrating in the shower, it can also prevent clothes and dishwashers from performing optimally and tends to produce more soap scum.

Hard water comes into the home at approximately 300 parts-per million (ppm). After it passes through a water softener, it’s at virtually zero.

This means when the water enters your pipes, it dissolves the chalk and limescale – reflecting the natural process when water goes underground to create cave networks.

Over time, hardness is filtered from your pipes and goes down the drain, leaving you with softened water. During this process, water comes out of your tap at around 10-15 ppm of hardness. New customers will notice a change of taste in water and start to see a difference in appliances such as a kettle.

Will a water softener remove calcium from pipes?

Note: Copper pipes do not collect deposit in the first place due to its metal properties.

Is Soft Water Bad for pipes?

Does soft water clean better?

How does a water softener work? Home water softeners, also called ion exchange units, are appliances that remove calcium, magnesium, and other minerals from drinking water. Resin beads inside the softener trap the calcium and magnesium and exchange them for sodium or potassium. Once the resin beads become full of calcium and magnesium, a highly-concentrated salt or potassium solution removes the calcium and magnesium from the beads. After passing through the beads, the resulting chloride solution becomes a waste stream that goes down the drain and ultimately into the environment.

The impact soft water makes on your water heater alone is monumental. Hard water creates an inefficient water heating system, which forces you to run the unit at a higher temperature. This raises your utility bill, and increases wear and tear on your expensive water heater, causing it to run out much more quickly.

Your softener will improve the efficiency of several of your other appliances as well. You will use approximately 50% less detergent, which prevents wear on your clothes. Your dishwasher will run cleaner, preventing scale buildup on your dishes and the premature wearing out of your machine. Soft water will also reduce the amount of harmful buildup on your pipes and shower heads, saving you an expensive call to the plumber.

Benefits of a Water Softener

• Extends the life of all water-using appliances (e.g. dishwashers, refrigerators, hot water heaters, clothes washers, shower heads, etc.).
• Reduces soap scum and residue, which keeps sinks, tubs, and washers cleaner.
• Helps keep pipes clear and prevents freezing.
• Hair, skin, and clothes feel cleaner and softer after washing.
• Improves efficiency of hot water heaters by 20%.

When in doubt

When in doubt, always contact a licensed plumber and have him/her provide you with a professional assessment of what you may require to remove the deposits. Before hiring a water conditioning or softening company, make sure you research the company and know whether or not they offer a money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the results. Learn how hard the water is in your area and research the products and companies. Be sure to work with a reputable company that offers a money-back guarantee and whose installers are certified by the Water Quality Association. To find out more about water softeners or to have your water tested, contact Aquatell today!