What is Soft Water?
The water in and around Salt Lake City naturally contains minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Although you can’t see the minerals in a glass of water, you can see the white residue left behind after the water evaporates. It is most commonly seen on your drinking glasses, glass shower doors, and bathroom faucets and fixtures. Softened water has had these minerals mechanically removed from it.
How Does a Water Softener Work?
A water softener is comprised of four basic parts: a mineral tank, a brine tank, a valve, and resin beads. The mineral tank is partially filled with the resin beads and the valve is attached to the top. The brine tank sits next to the mineral tank and is essentially a big bucket filled with salt water. The valve on the mineral tank is plumbed into the main water line of your home. As the water runs through the mineral tank, the resin beads attract and cling to the minerals in the water and allow the softened water to pass through. After a day or two, the resin beads become saturated with mineral deposits and need to be recharged. During the night, the valve draws brine from the brine tank and flushes the resin beads with the brine. This removes the deposits from the resin beads and the brine/mineral solution is sent down the drain. The valve flushes out any remaining brine from the mineral tank with fresh water and the system is ready to go again.
Why Soft Water?
We spend valuable resources to build and maintain our homes. Hard water deposits actually degrade the value of our homes by encrusting kitchen and bathroom faucets and fixtures, clogging pipes, water heaters, dishwashers, and washing machines. Removal of theses deposits can either be done chemically or mechanically. You can choose to purchase extra cleansing agents and spend the time scrubbing, or you can install a softener from Aspen Water. Detergents, soaps, and shampoos are far more effective (up to 400%) when they do not have to counteract the minerals in hard water. The cost benefit is simple: Over time it costs less to purchase a water softener than it does to buy extra cleaning products. Water softeners actually save you money while they maintain and even improve the value of your home. More importantly, those mineral deposits are also left in our hair and on our skin, resulting in dull, lifeless hair, and clogged pores and dry skin. Soft water leaves you luxuriously clean. The same will happen for your dishes and laundry.
What is a Water Purifier?
Believe it or not, even water “purified” by municipal water systems still contain many unwanted elements. Cities are required by law to reduce the presence of these elements below a specified “Particles Per Million” (PPM) rating. That does not mean absolutely pure. Heavy metals, bacteria, chlorine, cysts, and other substances are present in our water and often cause unpleasant tastes and odors, not to mention health risks. Aspen Water’s purifier systems <products page>use a four stage filtration system to remove sediment, dirt, chlorine, salts, metals, chemicals, micro-organisms, bad tastes, and odors. The water from the purifier is up to 98% pure H2O and best of all tastes great. It rivals bottled water and is far more convenient.
What Does Reverse Osmosis Mean?
Reverse osmosis is the method used to remove the smallest impurities in the water. Basically, the filter uses a semi-permeable membrane which allows water to pass through but not the impurities. |