How Does A 水 Softener Work And Why Should I Care?

如果你的淋浴喷头上有肥皂渣或矿物结痂, 你可能已经发现你有硬水，需要用软水器来处理它，以达到持久的效果——但是软水器是什么呢, and how does a water softener work?

For those unfamiliar with how to treat hard water, having a water softener installed may seem daunting and expensive. 然而, the good news is that in most cases, 水软化剂可以很容易地添加到你现有的管道-通常比房主可能意识到的更低的价格. Though there are a number of different styles and brands of water softeners, 典型的软水器是一种包括储存盐和软化水的介质罐(大多数类型比冰箱小)的设备。. 在加拿大28走势图深入研究软水器是如何工作的之前，让加拿大28走势图回顾一下是什么让水变得“硬”.”

硬水vs. 软水

不管你家的水是来自私人水井还是从当地市政当局通过管道输送到你家, there’s more in your home’s water than just H2O. Both sources are known to contain hardness minerals, which is what makes some water “harder” than others. Calcium and magnesium are the most common minerals found in water. 通常, minerals get there because groundwater will dissolve rock like limestone, 或金属, 如铁, and the remnants travel with the water.

人们在私人井里喝到的水比公共水“更硬”是很常见的，因为市政当局的处理过程在正常过滤和处理过程中可能会无意中消除一些硬度矿物. 话虽如此, nearly 90% of homes across the United States will have hard water, and most municipalities do not treat water for hardness.

产生硬水的矿物质会导致从盘子到管道的所有东西上都有鳞片堆积, to the heating elements of your appliances, 对你自己的身体. Soap scum and clogged plumbing are usually the result of hard water.

In the most basic sense, 软水器实际上是通过在水流经你的家之前捕获那些坚硬的矿物质来“软化”水. This makes it easier to clean your home and your laun干, while prolonging the life of appliances that use water. Let’s take a look at the science behind how a water softener works.

How 硬水 Becomes Soft — The Ion Exchange Process

不管你家的水是来自私人水井还是从当地市政当局通过管道输送到你家, there’s more in your home’s water than just H2O. Both sources are known to contain hardness minerals, which is what makes some water “harder” than others. Calcium and magnesium are the most common minerals found in water.

通常, minerals get there because groundwater will dissolve rock like limestone, 或金属, 如铁, and the remnants travel with the water. 人们在私人井里喝到的水比公共水“更硬”是很常见的，因为市政当局的处理过程在正常过滤和处理过程中可能会无意中消除一些硬度矿物. 话虽如此, nearly 90% of homes across the United States will have hard water, and most municipalities do not treat water for hardness.

产生硬水的矿物质会导致从盘子到管道的所有东西上都有鳞片堆积, to the heating elements of your appliances, 对你自己的身体. Soap scum and clogged plumbing are usually the result of hard water.

In the most basic sense, 软水器实际上是通过在水流经你的家之前捕获那些坚硬的矿物质来“软化”水. This makes it easier to clean your home and your laun干, while prolonging the life of appliances that use water. Let’s take a look at the science behind how a water softener works.

The Ion Exchange Process in 水 Softening

In order to have an ion exchange, and thus be able to soften our water, 必须有一种媒体或环境为这一切的发生创造条件. The media our water softeners use is either ion-exchange resin beads or zeolite, which is a special inorganic mineral that comes in the form of tiny crystals. Learn more about our exclusive zeolite material at Mineral-Right.com.

每个树脂珠或沸石晶体都带负电荷，并有空间容纳正离子. The fresh media starts by holding on to the positively charged sodium ions. As hard water passes through your water softener tank, the stronger charged calcium or magnesium are pulled to the media like a magnet. Since the hardness minerals have a higher positive charge than the sodium, they will knock the sodium ions off and take their place.

所有的硬度矿物都被困在软水罐中，而水, 还有一些钠离子, disperse throughout your home for use. 分散在你家里的水不再含有所有导致鳞片堆积和其他问题的硬矿物质!

It’s important to remember that soft water is not salt water, as it only contains a small amount of sodium due to the ion exchange process. 残留的微量盐比吃两盎司切达奶酪还少!

In the animation below, you can see how a water softener works. The water flows from the external source, through the media that removes minerals, and then provides your home with softened water.

Watch How a 水 Softener Works

你可能想知道被困在软化剂罐里的硬度矿物发生了什么. If all the media beads or crystals are full of the calcium, magnesium, etc., how can treatment more water in the future? 这就是水软化过程的第二部分:再生!

Ion Exchange During Regeneration

再生过程通常发生在午夜，那时你的家人都睡着了，没有人需要用水.

Regeneration – How 水软化剂 Keep Working

再生是水软化系统如何清洁和自我充电，这样它就可以继续为你的家提供软水. 你们应该还记得, 软水器有两个主要组成部分:离子交换发生的储罐和二次盐储罐.

二级储存罐是房主需要添加水软化剂盐的地方. 水 is added to the tank to create a salt solution called brine, 而且经常, this component is known as the brine tank. 在再生, the water softener will take the brine solution into the softener tank, and the ion exchange process happens again, only this time in reverse.

The media gets a bath in the salt solution. 树脂(或沸石)中的硬矿物质被释放出来，介质得到钠离子的补充. The water softener is also cleaned and disinfected during regeneration. 最后，含有硬矿物质和其他废物的水被排出系统.

Your water softener works through the ion exchange process, 减少硬水，并通过盐水溶液中的另一种离子交换给系统充电. 尽管你的软水器会继续工作，几乎不需要房主的注意(除了添加盐), 建议定期检查软水机，以进行预防性保养.

How Do I Know If I Need a 水 Softener?

If you notice a lot of soap scum around your home, if your towels are hard and stiff, 或者如果你在淋浴时很难洗出漂亮的肥皂泡，那你可能有硬水问题.

有些人认为只有当你有一口私人井，里面的水非常硬的时候，才需要软水器. 事实是，硬水——无论硬度如何——都会对你和你的家产生负面影响，在向居民供水之前，你的城市不会把硬水清除掉. 许多生活在市政供水的城市或村庄的人可以从水龙头获得硬水. Municipalities are required to treat the water for impurities, 但它们通常不会去除硬度矿物质，因为它们对你的健康无害.

如果你有一口井, 你可能还需要其他类型的过滤来改善水质，因为你没有得到市政当局预处理的水. 让当地的水处理专家测试一下你的水的硬度，这将帮助你确定你的水有多硬，以及你需要哪种类型的系统.

Why You Should Care if Your Home Has a 水 Softener

Hard water can cause significant problems in your home and for you personally. When it comes to your plumbing and appliances, hard water build up can degrade their performance and longevity. The modern home depends on soft water. 高效率的电器一旦受到硬水的影响，就不能按设计的方式运行. 洗碗机和洗衣机的寿命可能会短得多，因为硬水会侵蚀重要部件, causing them to prematurely break down or stop functioning altogether.

硬水也会让你更难保持家里的清洁，因为典型的家用清洁剂在硬水里很难工作. 洗涤槽染色, 淋浴, 浴室以及淋浴喷头和水龙头上的矿物结痂会使原本干净的空间看起来很脏.

Individually, hard water can also negatively impact 你的头发和皮肤. Those with hard water are more susceptible to having 干 skin, and it can also make hair frizzy, 干, and lifeless as a result of buildup. 在一天结束的时候, 有一个软水器是很重要的，因为硬水会对你的管道造成严重破坏, 你的头发和皮肤, and make it harder to keep the house clean. Now that you know how a water softener works and who needs one, you can take the steps to find a water softener company near you, 测试你的水, and have your hard water treated as necessary.