A whopping 85% of people in the United States have hard water, and in our part of Arizona, the majority of us have hard water or very hard water. It’s no surprise then, that over the years, companies have come up with a number of hard water treatment options.
Hard Water 101
Before we get into hard water treatment options and their specifics, it’s helpful to know a little bit about what you’re dealing with. Hard water gets its name from the fact that it’s hard to wash in. If you have hard water, it takes extra soap or shampoo to get things clean.
Hard water also gets the name because it has dissolved hard minerals in it, including calcium, magnesium and other metallic elements, including iron. These dissolved minerals result in:
- Speedy soap scum buildup in the bathtub and shower
- Scale buildup on faucets and shower heads
- Spots and rings on dishes and pots
- Rust stains in your toilet if there is iron in the water
- Stiff, dingy laundry
- Decreased life expectancy of appliances using water
- Dry skin and dull hair
Measuring Hard Water
Your local water supplier may measure water hardness and release that information in their annual report. The water company, you, or your plumber can measure for hard water with a simple water sample. We measure water hardness in grains per gallon (gpg) or (ppm) of calcium carbonate. The American Society of Agricultural Engineers and the Water Quality Association set the standard for the varying degrees of hard water. The table below lays out the varying levels of water hardness:
| Degree of Hardness | Grains per Gallon (gpg) | Ppm or (mg/L) |
| Soft | <1.0 | <17.0 |
| Slightly Hard | 1.0-3.5 | 17.1-60 |
| Moderately Hard | 3.5-7.0 | 60-120 |
| Hard | 7.0-10.5 | 120-180 |
| Very Hard | >10.5 | >180 |
Hard Water Treatment Options
Most water treatment options are whole house treatment options, where your water is treated before it goes through your plumbing system and out the faucet. That being said, if all you are worried about is your drinking water, there are a number of filter pitchers on the market that you fill with water, the water goes through the activated carbon filter, and filter out limescale as well as other minerals and pollutants. Some filters can also absorb the smell and taste of chlorine used at water treatment plants.
Water Softener System
The most well known, whole-house hard water treatment option is a water softener system. A water softener does just that. It uses resin beads loaded with sodium to soften your water by removing the hard water minerals.
How a Water Softener Works
(A diagram would be helpful here.)
Here’s how a water softener works. The process is the same regardless of how big the water softener itself is.
- Hard water enters the water softener.
- Resin beads in the resin bed attract the hard water minerals in an electrical process.
- Soft water enters your home’s plumbing system.
- When the resin beads are full of hard water minerals, the regeneration process begins.
- Salty brine pumps through the tank to begin the regeneration of the resin beads.
- The system flushes the brine solution and hard minerals from the tank and down the drain before the process starts again.
A Water Softener is Easy to Use and Saves You Money
A water softener system is easy to use. Simply follow the directions and add salt to the water softener as needed. Your plumber can help maintain the system if there are any issues. A water softener system will actually pay for itself over time. This is because you will use less soap in an effort to get things clean, and by eliminating the hard water, you will extend the life (rather than shorten) of major appliances such as your washing machine, dishwasher, refrigerator, and hot water heater.
Call Plumbing By Jake for Hard Water Treatment Solutions
Plumbing By Jake offers water treatment solutions to all of Mohave County, including Kingman, Bullhead City, Golden Valley, and Lake Havasu areas. Call 928-377-5910, or use our contact form to get more information on a water softener system for your home or business. An accurate quote depends on your answering a few questions about the size of your home, how many people live there, and your typical water usage. Once we have the answers, we can recommend a water softener system for your home or business, and get your installation scheduled. At Plumbing By Jake, we back every system with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.