Water Softeners Explained by Our San Leandro Plumbing Contractors
A conservative estimate from the National Science Foundation claims that almost 85% of homes in the United States suffer from problems caused by hard water. So, it is more than likely that your home could benefit from the installation of a water softener system. While the problems associated with hard wat 
er are rarely cause heath problems, they can be quite a nuisance and end up costing you quite a bit of money in the long run.
Hard water contains significant amounts of magnesium and calcium dissolved within it. These minerals play havoc with all of the systems in your home from the actual delivery pipes to the dishwasher, water heater and shower heads. One of the most common problems can be seen after you run a load of dishes and are left with spots all over your glasses. These spots are the residual calcium from the water. The reason that it is there is two-fold. First, the calcium and magnesium in the water prevent soap from completely dissolving. Instead is creates a slimy residue. This is the same residue you see around your bathtub and on your shower curtains. When the dishes go through a drying cycle, the residue dries out leaving the calcium behind. The hard water soap residue happens wherever soap is used, including the clothes washer. This can lead to clothing looking dull and listless.
Mineral Removal Is What It's All About
Another major problem with hard water is that the minerals precipitate and start to form blockages in the pipelines. These blockages are extremely hard to remove and can cause ev 
erything from pressure issues in the pipe to fully blocked pipes that end up bursting.
Our San Leandro plumbing contractors suggest installing a water softener or reverse osmosis water purification system to remove these hard minerals from your home water supply. The mechanical process of mineral elimination in a standard water softener is a simple substitution that replaces the calcium and magnesium with sodium. The sodium doesn't cause soap residue and eliminates build-up inside of your pipes. A reverse osmosis system uses an electrical unit to separate the water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen gases that are piped into a new tank and reconstituted without the impurities that were present in the original sample.