There are many issues that can affect your homes water with the two most common being hard water and increased iron levels.   Using the correct water filtration system, iron can be removed from your well water in a simple and efficient manner.  Water treatment systems such as water softeners and water filtration units are most often the ideal choice for homeowners looking to remove iron while reverse osmosis units are more ideal for the removal of harmful minerals and other substances.  Your homes water must be analyzed before homeowners can determine what water treatment option should be installed to properly treat their unique water supply.

As mentioned above, if your homes water is affected by iron the two best options in treating your water are the installation of a water softener and/or a filtration unit.   When a water softener is installed it is important for the homeowner to know what minerals are in the water.  When an excess amount of iron is found in the water it is important that the water softener that is installed that exclusively removes iron from the water source.  Water softeners use a process in which iron in the water is replaced with healthier minerals.  The drawback is that if the water also contains more harmful materials such as arsenic or sulfur a water softener may not be the right choice for treating your water supply.

If you are restricting your sodium a water softener that uses potassium chloride will offer you similar results without the use of salt.  Other methods of removing a high iron content from your water are oxidation filtration and reverse osmosis.

Oxidation filtration is used to not only remove iron from your water but also arsenic.  Oxidation filters are more powerful than water softeners and therefore chemical elements such as arsenic are removed when they are used to treat your water.  An oxidation filtration system can also help homeowners who have a problem with water that smells like rotten eggs or a unique flavor, both caused by sulfur in the water.  Increased arsenic levels are common in well water.

Another option as mentioned above is a reverse osmosis filtration system.  RO filters are used in water that has a number of different trace mineral elements including: iron, salt, arsenic, fluoride, lead, and manganese.   The one drawback of using reverse osmosis when treating your homes water supply is that not only does the process remove harmful minerals, it can also eliminate good minerals, such as calcium, that is naturally in your water.

The experts at Reynolds Water Conditioning have a solution to your homes unique water quality needs including: arsenic, bacteria, chlorine, rotten egg smell, fluoride, hard water, iron, lead, acid, tannins, radon, and more.  More information on our water treatment solutions including water softeners and conditioners, water filtration and purification, reverse osmosis drinking water, and iron & odor removal can be found online at https://reynoldswater.com.

Water softeners are just one of the many appliances that make our lives better.   Once the softener has been installed there is little that needs to be done for it to do its job effectively day in and day out.  Once the initial water hardness level has been set, regeneration parameters are set, and the salt is filled (or potassium) the softener will run as intended without a lot of attending too.  Even though they are low maintenance appliance within the home they do require general maintenance to increase longevity and effectiveness, as do most appliances around your home.

Tips for Maintaining Your Water Softener

Keep an Eye Out for Salt Bridges

Salt bridges can occur in the water softeners brine tank when the salt hardens, creating an empty space between the water and salt which then stops the salt from dissolving and making the brine.  If the brine is not created, then the resin beads that are used to soften your water will not work as intended.  Most often a salt bridge occurs if the salt used in the tank is the wrong kind, in areas with high humidity, or when the water softener is stored in a location where the temperature varies.  The best way to treat a salt bridge is to use a long piece of wood to carefully push down on the top of the solidified salt.  This should, without a lot of force, break the bridge that was created in the salt free.

Watch for Salt Sludge

Salt sludge is a more severe issue that a salt bridge.  When the salt dissolves and recrystallizes, a mush is created on the bottom of the brine tank.  This layer of salt on the bottom of the tank keeps the system from regenerating properly which will leave a blockage in the tank that doesn’t allow the water to properly soften.  The only way in which to solve the problem of salt sludge is to completely clean out the brine tank by digging out the used salt and adding fresh salt.

The best way to avoid salt bridges and salt sludges are to use the highest quality salt pellets available.   Also, avoid putting too much salt in the brine tank, overfilling the tank will decrease the quality of the water that is produced.  It is also crucial that the humidity and temperature in the space where the water softener is kept.

Water Softener Salt Choices

When it comes to maintaining your homes water softener, as mentioned above, it is critical that you choose the right type of salt.  There are three basic types of salt you can purchase for your water softening system including: rock salt, solar salt, and evaporated salt.

Rock Salt: This is the least expensive of the options thus contains increased levels of impurities.  This can result in a sludgy tank overtime which we know decreases the effectiveness of the system.  Rock salt also leaves the most impurities in the water.

Solar Salt: This type of salt dissolves more easily then rock salt.  Solar salt can be found in pellets and crystals and is obtained by the evaporation of seawater.

Evaporated Salt:  Acquired through a mixture of mining and evaporation, this is the purest form of salt weighing in at 99.99% sodium chloride.

The purer the salt that you put into your water softener the less residue that will be left within the tank.  This leads to fewer salt bridges and less salt sludge thus less maintenance to your water softener.

Flushing the Resin Bed

Resin beads are recharged by salt on a regular basis but even though this occurs it doesn’t hurt to fully flush the resin bed with a special water softening cleanser, which will help to keep it in top form.  To prevent ineffective resin, cleanser can be poured into the brine well and the system manually regenerated.  The system with normally discharge the cleanser during the cycle performed by the water softener.  This process will help to keep the resin functioning effectively.

Regular maintenance helps to keep all appliances running smoother and the same is true of your homes water treatment systems.

The experts at Reynolds Water Conditioning have a solution to your homes unique water quality needs including: arsenic, bacteria, chlorine, rotten egg smell, fluoride, hard water, iron, lead, acid, tannins, radon, and more.  More information on our water treatment solutions including water softeners and conditioners, water filtration and purification, reverse osmosis drinking water, and iron & odor removal can be found online at https://reynoldswater.com.

Does your home have a well?  Here are some things you may want to consider when it comes to the quality of the water that is flowing throughout your home.

What is the difference between a well check vs comprehensive water testing?

Many homeowners are under a misconception that having their private wells checked will expose issues with the quality of the water as well.  This however is not the way it works.  There are major differences between what testing is required by mortgage companies in order to obtain a home loan verse the actual health aspect of the water.  Most mortgage providers are only looking to ensure that the well water system to the home isn’t faulty not the content of the actual water.  In a comprehensive water test the actual water from the well is tested for chemicals such as lead, arsenic, chromium 6, mercury, and VOCs.  As a homeowner it is up to you to have a comprehensive water analysis done on your homes water as well as the waters source.  Many companies that sell water treatment systems, such as Reynolds Water Conditioning, offer free water analysis before recommending a solution for treating your homes well water.

Where does well water contamination come from? 

It is often news to homeowners to find out that contamination from water is often from natural sources verse human contamination.  Owners of homes with private wells often are shocked to find out that their water has become contaminated.  Most often there are no obvious signs of sources that could contaminate the water nearby, so homeowners do not suspect anything.  The truth of the matter is that many contaminants within water such as arsenic occur naturally in groundwater at levels that are not safe for drinking.

Why does well water often contain more lead? 

Well water is corrosive.  Corrosive water often leak lead from pipes, soldered joints and plumbing fixtures.  Many homeowners are unaware of this fact.  If a homes plumbing predates 2014, which is when lead-free standards in home plumbing components were put in place, the potential exists that lead will seep into the tap water within the home.

It is important that homeowners with private wells understand that their water source is not regulated by the EPA or State Regulators.  Homeowners are responsible for the quality of their water.  It is important that proper water treatment systems are put in place to ensure that their homes have high quality water running throughout the home.  For a more comprehensive look at your homes water it is important to have a comprehensive water test done.  The next crucial step after the results of water testing are done is to put a system, or a number of systems, in place to ensure that the water your family is ingesting and using on a regular basis is free of harmful bacteria and containments.

At Reynolds Water Conditioning Company, we are here to help make sure our clients don’t buy water treatment systems that they don’t need.  We are here to make sure you find a water softening system that gives you the results you are looking for, whether it is to remove iron or odor from you water; we have a solution that will help!  For more information contact our experts at 800.572.9575 or at our website https://reynoldswater.com.

The water supply in your household can arguably be stated to be the single most important within your home.  Next, in order of importance for the comfort of its occupants being waste drain and electrical systems.  The water in your home is of absolute importance in order to live comfortably within your home.  Running water is not only convenient it is crucial.  The quality of the water in your home is extremely important as it not only affects the appliances and plumbing systems, it can affect the health of your family.

Undesirable Effects of Hard Water

Water supplies throughout the United States are not all created equally which is why it is of the utmost importance that your household water is evaluated prior to use.  There are however, some tell-tale signs that can be seen throughout your home that are dead giveaways on whether your home has or does not have hard water or water that has arsenic or other adverse elements within it.

Many homeowners may not even be aware of the damage that hard water can actually create physical damage to their home.  Often times hard water can cause serious damage to your homes plumbing while also doing damage to appliances such as your dishwasher and washer and families clothing.

One tell-tale sign that you have hard water is finding a film on dishes after running a load of dishes through the dishwasher, staining on the faucets and fixtures within the home or landscaping, or a smaller than normal lather when working with soaps and shampoos.

How Water Softener Systems Work to Combat the Undesirable Effects of Hard Water

Many residential water systems work in the same manner, they hook up to your homes water inlet from the city or well system.   In order for water to be softened the outside source of water must be hooked up to a water treatment system.  There are many different options in water treatment systems that can be installed in your home to treat your homes hard water, the most common being a water softener system using salt or potassium chloride.

The typical process of water softening uses a typical Ion Exchange which uses salt or potassium chloride to replace the minerals in the water that makes it hard.  This ion exchange system consists of using more than one tank and a flow control system that first removes all of the minerals and mixes the salt back into the water before discharging it into the household’s water system.

How Safe Is Softener Water?

According to most health experts, softened water is safe to use a s a source of usable water and quality drinking water although an excess can be harmful as we can see in the excess consumption of anything. An excess of sodium or a reduction in naturally occurring minerals within a water supply can be unhealthy however when used normally as is seen within household water usage the health benefits of soft water our weigh the possible harmful effects.

Most water softener systems use some sort of process that strips away most of the minerals and replaces them with higher levels of sodium. This means if you have high blood pressure or one of several heart-related conditions your doctor will likely have you on a no or low sodium diet. If this is the case, then you may want to consider the source of your water before choosing a water softening treatment system for your home.

Sodium is not the only health concern, trace minerals and other nutrients that you may not be aware that are in found in your typical “hard water” are actually extremely good for you.  Without them you would need to resort to other sources, such as supplementation or altering your daily diet to increase the amount of the important minerals.  Water softening does not eliminate minerals it does however, decrease the amount that can be found to a healthy amount to ingest.

At Reynolds Water Conditioning Company, we are here to help make sure our clients don’t buy water treatment systems that they don’t need.  We are here to make sure you find a water softening system that gives you the results you are looking for, whether it is to remove iron or odor from you water; we have a solution that will help!  For more information contact our experts at 800.572.9575 or at our website https://reynoldswater.com.

It is a known fact that water obtained from a well is not the best option when used for drinking or cooking purposes. It includes certain minerals and particles that can adversely affect your health, how your skin feels, staining on your fixtures, and more.  Many professionals recommend water treatment options that purify your homes well water.  The water analysis will help tell professionals which of the available water treatment options are best for your homes water.  Water treatment options include the use of a water softener, iron filters, reverse osmosis, water purifiers, and water conditioning systems.

There are many of the different well water treatment options. However, selecting the right one can should be left up to professionals after an analysis of your water. Many people make some common mistakes when selecting a water treatment options for well water especially when they do not listen to the advice of water treatment professionals. These mistakes affects your homes water quality.  Many common issues DIY homeowners forget to consider are:

Not Taking Impurities into Consideration

A very common mistake people make is that they do not take water impurities into consideration when selecting the water treatment option. There are different types of impurities in well water; hence, an appropriate treatment option must be selected considering those impurities. For example, if you are using an iron filter as a well water treatment, it won’t perform efficiently if the water is acidic in nature, which, generally, well water is.

Not Taking the Location of Well into Consideration

Many people opt for tried and tested water treatment options for well water without taking the location into consideration. This is an absolutely wrong approach as a well that is located in an area that has high pollution rate requires a different treatment method than that of an area with low pollution rate. Similarly, more chemicals, toxins, and impurities are found in the water that is obtained from wells located in an industrial area.

Not Having Ample Understanding of Pressure & Pump Flow Rate

It is another common mistake made by homeowners. They do not understand two important aspects of water system i.e. pressure and pump flow rate. As a result, they are unable to select the right treatment method for removing contaminations from the water. Therefore, it is recommended to have a deep understanding of these aspects along with others vital factors of the well water system so that you can select the most appropriate well water treatment option.

Wrongly Identifying or Not Identifying Well Water Problems

Some people go for a well water treatment simply because it is known to produce effective results. They make this mistake of not identifying the problems before selecting the solution. Similarly, some people wrongly identify the well water problem. The result, in such situations, is impure water that still contains harmful chemicals or toxins. Using this water for drinking or cooking purposes can lead to fatal health conditions.

At Reynolds Water Conditioning Company, we are here to help make sure our clients don’t buy water treatment systems that they don’t need.  We are here to make sure you find a water softening system that gives you the results you are looking for, whether it is to remove iron or odor from you water; we have a solution that will help!  For more information contact our experts at 800.572.9575 or at our website https://reynoldswater.com.