Water softeners have been around for years, but more and more people are bringing them into their homes. That’s because there is a lot more research today than ever before that tells us how dangerous hard water can be. Read on to learn how a water softener works and why you want one in your house.

We know what you’re thinking—isn’t “hard water” just ice? Actually, when we talk about water’s hardness or softness, we’re referring to the number of calcium and magnesium molecules in the water. When your water has more calcium and magnesium ions, it is “harder.”

Water softeners turn hard water soft through “ion exchange.” It may sound like a complicated process, but the results are simple. Ion exchange pulls the hardness minerals of calcium and magnesium from the water to make it soft. This happens by running the hard water through a mineral tank full of small resin beads. The resin beads have sodium ions that influence their atomic charge.

When calcium and magnesium pass by the negatively charged beads, their positively charged molecules get stuck in place. The water then moves out of the mineral tank, free of calcium and magnesium.

To discover more about how water softeners work, learn about all the internal components—from the mineral tank with resin beads to the brine tank with salt.

Hard water is extremely bad for your pipes. Calcium and magnesium ions aren’t only known for getting stuck in the mineral bath of water softeners—those molecules can also get stuck inside your pipes. Over time, they build up to form scale. Scale can clog up your plumbing and cause massive headaches.

The worst part is, when you address the problem once, you know you’ll have to deal with it again unless you use a water softener to solve it permanently.

Now that you know how a water softener works and why you want one, contact a professional water softener installer today and start enjoying your softened water.