What are Water Softeners?
Soap scum. Stiff clothing. Clogged pipes. No matter what you try, it’s hard to get your surfaces clean. Scale builds up. Dishes come out of the dishwasher with spots on them. All of these problems occur because of hard water, a frustrating but fixable situation. The term, “”hard water,”” refers to water with a high mineral content. The most common minerals that cause water hardness are calcium and magnesium. As water is absorbed into the ground, the minerals are pulled from the earth and eventually end up in a household’s water supply. Hard water can clog household plumbing. Water hardness, or how much of a mineral is present in water, is measured in grains per gallon (GPG), parts per million (PPM), or milligrams per liter (MG/L). Water up to 1 GPG is considered soft, water; from 1 to 3.5 GPG is considered moderate, and water 3.5 to 7 GPG is hard water. Kits used to test water hardness can be purchased at a pool supplier or from a water softener dealer. Many water softeners plug right
