Soft Water
Softening water has a lot of benefits, some of them more common use than others. It’s not just residential either. Business and commercial industries are making the switch. Schools, commercial laundries, and manufacturers all look to make improvements to their building and business with the benefits of soft water. Let’s start with the basics, what is soft water, how is it different than hard water and what are the benefits?
Hard Water: According to a University of Idaho study they defined it as, “Hard water is found throughout the world and in about 85 percent of the United States", according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Hard water areas exist where water has access to rock that contains calcium, magnesium, or both.
The U.S. Department of the Interior classifies hardness based on the concentration of calcium and magnesium in grains per gallon (gpg). A typical aspirin contains about 5 grains of material. If the aspirin were to be dissolved in a gallon of water, it would add 5 gpg of material to the water.”
Soft Water: Elimination of such elements and materials to create softer water, easier to use and wash with.
The benefits are numerous. Washing clothes can become an expensive, daunting household chore as we may all know too well. Hard water has a tougher time eliminating soaps, detergents and cleaning agents from clothes. Sometimes it even gives clothing the appearance of residue still on the clothes. As a result multiple loads of laundry may have to be done, or clothes may need to be rewashed. Laundry mats can’t afford to lose customers because the clothes aren’t coming out as clean as they can.
A study conducted by the American Institute of Laundering determined that detergent and laundering costs are twice as high in hard water compared with soft water. More financial burden points to the deterioration of clothing and fabric quicker with the use of hard water. A Purdue University study found that fabrics washed in hard water wear out up to 15 percent quicker than fabrics washed in soft water. When people stop going to a local laundry mat because clothes aren’t clean, residue is on them or they have to do multiple loads, they lose money.
In general everything that requires water operates more efficiently with soft water running through it. Hard water leaves deposits in pipes and in industrial equipment such as pumps, heat exchangers, and boilers. These deposits damage equipment and lead to frequent repairs or replacement. Softened water results in more efficient equipment performance and lower operating costs.
To discuss more information regarding Everfilt® Water Filtration Systems, talk with an Everfilt® Applications Engineer: 1.800.360.8380 / everfilt@everfilt.com
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