Is a Water Softener Necessary

A water softener can provide some important benefits in your household, such as a longer lifespan of household appliances that use water and a reduced need for detergents. But is a water softener now necessary? In this article we discuss the usefulness of this device.

When do you need a water softener?

Whether a water softener is really needed depends mainly on the hardness of the water and your personal preference. The water hardness is usually expressed in French degree °fH and varies from region to region. You can find the hardness of the water in your municipality on the site of your drinking water company.

If the water is hard to very hard (from 25 fH) , it is strongly recommended to install a water softener. In the case of hard water, the scale deposits in pipes and on heating elements can assume serious forms. By using a water softener you extend the lifespan of household appliances that use water (coffee makers, washing machines, ...) and there is no limescale in water pipes and on tiles, taps and floors.

If the water in your area is already being softened by the drinking water company (15 fH is the lower limit for softening by drinking water companies), the hardness will probably be less than 25 fH. It is then comfortable but probably not strictly necessary to place a water softener. Without water softener some lime will settle on taps and sanitary surfaces over time, but you can easily remove it yourself.

Attention: drinking water companies on the one hand and manufacturers and installers of water softeners on the other often disagree on the question of when a water softener is needed now. From a water hardness of 25 fH, the installation of a water descaler is strongly recommended, although manufacturers and installers will also recommend a water softener at a lower hardness. Even at these lower hardnesses the appliance can certainly prove its usefulness because you then have less limescale on taps and household appliances need to descale less often.

What is hard water?

By hard water we mean the amount of lime dissolved in the water. The more lime (and magnesium) there is in the water, the harder the water. As already mentioned, the water hardness in Belgium is usually expressed in French degrees. More information about measuring water hardness can be found in this article . The values ​​below show the classification of the hardness of water:

0 - 7 fH: very soft
7 - 15 fH: soft
15 - 30 fH: average
30 - 45 fH: hard
> 45 fH: very hard

Consequences of hard water

Hard water can lead to limescale in pipes, surfaces (tiles, floors, faucets) and scale formation in heating elements of household appliances (washing machines, boilers, etc.). The efficiency of devices quickly decreases when there is limescale. At boilers, which consume a lot of energy, the energy consumption can quickly rise high. Furthermore, very hard water can negatively affect the washing result: more soap will be needed to obtain a clean result.

Which water softener to buy?

If a water softener can prove its usefulness for your household, you must of course choose what type of appliance you are going to buy. There are different types of water softeners. In the article " Which water softener to buy? "You can already discover various options when purchasing a water softener.

Generally speaking, the costs for a water softener for a household of 4 people with average water consumption will be between 1,000 and 2,000 dollars. How much the price will be exactly depends on the type, the capacity of the appliance, the maintenance formula and the installer. You can check water softener reviews from http://softwaterlab.com/ before buying one for you and your family.

To find the most interesting price for your project, you should ask for quotations from several installers of water descalers. Through the quotation service you can request customized and free-of-charge price proposals from experts in the placement of water softeners.