If you have a water heater, but the water is not hot, it becomes pretty apparent
when you try and take a shower. Unfortunately, if you have a water softener and the water is not soft, the results are not as apparent initially, but over time, the hard water damage is undeniable. Not having soft water is not as “in your face” as not having hot water, but the results can be even more devastating.
The purpose of this blog is to help you to understand that even if you have a
water softener, you may not have soft water, but what can you do about it? First of all, I have had soft water for over six decades. I know how it feels and can tell if the water is soft when I get into the shower or even wash my hands. Some people say they hate the “slick” feel of soft water on their skin. I love it so much that I cannot imagine being without it. Before I dive into the details, let me review a few things you may or may not know.

What is Hard Water and How Does it Get That Way?

Hard water contains hard minerals like calcium and magnesium. It gets that way by contacting underground rock strata containing calcium and magnesium. A high percentage of the USA sits on ground that contains significant amounts of these hard minerals.

Aren’t Minerals Good for You?

Yes, minerals such as calcium and magnesium are good for you, but devastating to your plumbing. Additionally, even if you drank a bathtub full of water daily, you would only get a fraction of the minerals your body needs. Water is not a significant source of minerals. You get your minerals from the food you eat and the supplements you take. That is something many people get hung up on.
While calcium and magnesium are good for the human body, they are usually
devastating to things such as pipes, water heaters, dishwashers, washing
machines, drains, faucets, shower walls, shower doors, clothing, silverware, and glasses. When hard water is heated, it undergoes chemical changes that can lead to plumbing damage. Here's a detailed explanation of what happens and how it causes damage.

1. Formation of Scale

• Mineral Precipitation: When hard water is heated, the solubility of calcium and magnesium decreases. As a result, these minerals precipitate out of the water, forming solid deposits.
• Scale Buildup: These precipitated minerals accumulate as a hard, crusty substance known as scale (calcium carbonate or lime scale) on surfaces such as the insides of pipes, water heaters, and appliances.     

2.  Effects on Plumbing           

• Reduced Water Flow: Scale buildup inside pipes can narrow the diameter, reducing water flow and pressure. This can lead to decreased efficiency in plumbing systems and appliances.
• Increased Wear and Tear: The rough, abrasive nature of scale can cause increased wear on valves, seals, and other components, leading to leaks and premature failure.
• Blockages: In severe cases, scale can completely block pipes, necessitating costly repairs or replacements.

3. Water Heater Efficiency

• Insulation of Heating Elements: Scale deposits on heating elements in water heaters act as an insulating layer, making it harder for the elements to transfer heat to the water. This reduces the efficiency of the water heater and increases energy consumption.
• Overheating and Damage: As the heater works harder to achieve the desired temperature, it can overheat, leading to potential damage or failure of the heating elements and the water heater itself.

4. Increased Maintenance Costs

• Frequent Repairs: Plumbing systems affected by scale buildup require frequent maintenance and repairs. This can include descaling procedures, replacing corroded or damaged parts, and sometimes even replacing entire sections of plumbing.
• Shortened Lifespan: The overall lifespan of plumbing systems and water-using appliances is often reduced due to the cumulative effects of hard water damage.

5. Corrosion

• Galvanic Corrosion: In certain cases, the presence scale can lead to galvanic corrosion, where different metals in contact with each other (e.g., copper pipes with steel fittings) corrode more quickly.
• Chemical Corrosion: The minerals in hard water can also contribute to chemical corrosion, especially if the water has a high chloride content.

Mitigation Strategy

Installing a water softener can remove calcium and magnesium ions from the water, reducing the potential for scale formation. You could have a water softener, but you are uncertain if it is working properly. You probably think your water softener is not working properly because you see signs of damage to your plumbing. There could be spots on items that come out of the dishwasher and perhaps you do not feel silky after showering. What do you do? First, let’s see what hardness level you have in your home. You can test this for yourself with a water hardness test kit. There are test kits that use titration methods utilizing three chemicals. There are hardness test strips that you dip into the water to determine the hardness, such as the Water Works Total Hardness Test Strips which we sell on our website.

 Water Hardness Levels

Soft water is defined by American National Standards NSF/ANSI 44 and NSF/ANSI 330 as water containing <1 grain of hardness per gallon (or <17.1
mg/L hardness). So, if you find that your water is above 1 GPG of hardness, what should you do? Be sure you know your untreated water hardness level beforehand. Let’s say that your water is 12 GPG of hardness. If you use mg/l (milligrams per liter), it would be 206 mg/l. The formula for changing GPM to mg/l is multiplying the GPG by 17.1.

A water softener works with cation exchange resin. This resin has a natural affinity for calcium and magnesium and the softening process exchanges a sodium (or potassium) ion for a calcium or magnesium ion. While cation exchange resins have slightly different capacities, a cubic foot of cation exchange resin usually has a total grain capacity of 32,000 to 35,000. However, after several regenerations, the capacity of the cation exchange resin is effectively 30,000 grains. However, remember this is at 15 pounds of salt per cubic foot. You will use a lot of salt at that level so most people opt to use 3 to 10 pounds of salt per cubic foot in the interest of efficiency.

For example, a one cubic foot water softener will deliver the following
capacities:
• 30,000 grains on 15 pounds of salt.
• 24,000 grains on 6 pounds of salt.
• 15,000 grains on 3 pounds of salt.

Each application is different, but as you can see, you can get 30,000 grains of
capacity on 15 pounds of salt or 30,000 grains of capacity on 6 pounds of salt with two regenerations. Of course, you will waste a little more water, but the salt savings is significant. Additionally, the water will not feel as "slick” at the 3-pound regeneration level as at the 15-pound regeneration level. Ok, here’s another problem, the softener is set at the three-pound level and you run out of salt for a few days. What then? If you add salt to the brine tank and think the water will be fine, it won’t! Unless you regenerate it the first time at 15 pounds of salt, it will never come back to a full charge and you will swear your softener is not working. You will need to add 3 or 4 gallons of warm water (warm water dissolves salt quicker) to the brine tank and then regenerate it.

Every gallon of water dissolves about 3 pounds of salt, so you need to add
enough water to get that 15 pounds per cubic foot regeneration the first time…
and don’t let the softener run out of salt again! Over time, you may have a drip or small leak that the water softener meter fails to detect, this can cause intermittent hard water. Occasionally giving your softener an additional regeneration solves that problem and keeps it in top operating condition. Additionally, I recommend using a bottle of Reskleen Water Softener Cleaner every few months. Pour the contents of the bottle into the brine well which is located in the brine tank and regenerate it. I recommend doing this at least 4 times yearly on city water and monthly on well water. It just keeps things in top operating condition and extends the life of the resin. Remember, if your water is not quite up to par, the softener may just need another regeneration. It might be as simple as that!