What is the Water Softening Process?
Introduction Water softening is a process that deals with a problem called “hard water.” Hard water is any type of water that contains more minerals than average tap water. Mostly it has to do with elevated levels of calcium and magnesium, which can make it difficult for products like soap to dissolve in the water. It can also leave hard water stains on bathtubs or sinks and clog pipes. What is Water Softening? Water softening is a process in which the ions of calcium, magnesium and sometimes iron are removed. It is these ions in hard water that make it difficult for products with other positively charged ions to dissolve in the water. By doing this, the water softening removes the offending minerals from the water. How it Works A water softener is a device that exchanges cations. What this essentially does is take the cations of calcium and magnesium (the two most common causes of hard water) and replace them with the cations of another substance. Most typically the ions are exchanged
