How familiar are you with hard water? “Hard water” is definitely a term that is quite well-known. However, it’s also safe to say there are a lot of questions that people may have about it. What are the downsides to hard water? Are there systems that can take care of it? What is the cost and maintenance associated with those systems? How do you know which system will be most effective?
As a company that installs several water softener systems throughout the year, we completely understand your concerns. In the end, we know that if you have a water softener system installed, you want to make sure that it works and also aligns with your budget for the project. Those two objectives are true for just about any home improvement project, including those related to your plumbing system. Before we dive into some more information about different attributes of water softener systems though, I wanted to take a quick moment to review hard water and discuss why water softeners are needed in the first place.
In essence, hard water is water with higher mineral content, mainly in the form of calcium and magnesium. Likewise, it’s also important to note that the actual hardness of the water can vary depending on geographic location. For our readers in the Kansas City area, we would like to point out that there is generally above-average levels of hard water here. Keep in mind that hard water is still safe to consume and use for washing. So…what are the negatives associated with hard water? You’ll notice many of these in your day-to-day life. Color-treated hair can fade quicker, dryer skin, and the need to use greater amounts of detergent are just a few examples!
With that introduction in-place, we can now discuss the topic of this week’s blog post and that happens to be the benefits of professional water softener systems. In the plumbing world, we’ve seen water softeners become more and more popular in the Kansas City area. As long as you pick out a reliable system and have a professional install it, you’ll be in good shape as you look to eliminate the negatives of hard water.
Plenty of Options
As we often say, the growth in several facets of the plumbing industry has definitely provided homeowners and facility managers with plenty of options when they look to make improvements or repairs. Faucets are a great example of this, as you have so many different styles, finishes and types of faucets to pick from! However, this plethora of options will also require you to sift through these many possibilities and ultimately decide which one makes most sense for you. This is a major reason why we recommend filtering the initial options by brand name. The process of picking a product (no matter if that be a faucet, toilet, water heater or anything else) can be made much simpler if you make sure to purchase one from a trustworthy brand!
This same logic holds true for water softeners too. While there are most likely more faucet options out there (compared to water softeners), that doesn’t mean there is only one or two softener systems to consider. As always, if you find yourself feeling a little overwhelmed by the many different options, it’s never a bad idea to lean on the expertise of your local plumbing pro. They’ll have experience working with many of these products and can help steer you in the direction of ones that they trust!
Price
As can be said about any home improvement project, one factor that will undoubtedly play a role in the purchasing process is the price point. Going right along with the point above, one of the nice parts about having plenty of options to pick from is the fact that there are options available at a wide range of price points. While water softener systems can be a sizable investment, they can certainly be a worthwhile one when installed correctly. For this point, we always recommend limiting your search to trusted brands. Even though there may be cheaper alternatives out there, if it’s not effective and just leads to more headaches, that won’t really solve your hard water problems, right?
Maintenance Requirements
It goes without saying that maintenance is something which is discussed quite regularly here on our plumbing blog. To sum it up, regular maintenance is truly a key step in getting the best return on your investment for any plumbing project. Whether that be a water heater (which needs to be flushed) or simply cleaning calcium build-up off a faucet, it’s always wise to prioritize maintenance with your plumbing system.
When you find yourself evaluating potential water softener systems, chances are you’ll factor in the amount of maintenance required. For traditional salt-based water softener systems, one of the primary maintenance requirements is going to involve adding salt on a regular basis. If you’re looking for a water softener system that isn’t salt-based, we also install the citrus-based units from NuvoH2O. One of the things that many of our customers love about these units is the fact that they require very little maintenance as you simply have to replace a cartridge on a routine basis.
Size of Water Softener
Without a doubt, sizing is an important factor in purchasing several different components related to your plumbing system. Take a water heater, for example. When purchasing a water heater, you’ll want to take into account the size of the house/building, as well as the water usage requirements. Just as you would need to have a water heater sized properly for your home or facility, the same can be said about water softeners too. Fortunately, it is fairly straightforward to determine what size of water softener is needed. In most cases, you’ll take into account the water usage, as well as the water hardness level. All in all, if you ever have any questions, it doesn’t hurt to ask your local plumber. Most of the time, you can get a pretty good estimate based on answering a few general questions.
Added Features
In the section above, we talked about how there are more than a few options out there that you can pick from. Along with deciding between different types and sizes of water softeners, you can also consider systems that include added features. One perfect example of this is the Manor Duo Water Softener + Taste Filter from NuvoH2O. In addition to the softener, this particular product includes a filter too, which essentially gives you the best of both worlds in terms of water quality! So…if you’re tired of dealing with hard water and would also like to have a filter installed too, we recommend trying something like this!
Water Softener Services in Kansas City
Have you considered having a water softener system installed at your home or commercial facility? It goes without saying that water softener installations have continued to be a popular service for our plumbing technicians. We hope you learned a thing or two from this blog post about the different characteristics that you’ll want to take into consideration when picking out a water softener system. As we highlighted above though, it’s always a good idea to also get the expert opinion of your local plumbing professional.
Do you need any recommendations as to which water softener system would make most sense for your home or commercial facility? Give us a call at (816) 348-3481 and we would be happy to discuss your water softener project in more detail.