What Is the Ideal Water Hardness for Drinking?

What Is the Ideal Water Hardness for Drinking?

What Is the Ideal Water Hardness for Drinking?

The average person should drink at least 2.5 liters of water a day for optimum health. And roughly, 71% drink from the tap occasionally. Given such numbers, it’s important to ensure that the water flowing from the tap is safe to drink.

But what if your tap water is hard water? A lot of people find hard water not palatable. Moreover, as hard water leaves behind residue and stains, many take caution and avoid drinking it altogether.

Learn more about alkaline water systems and water hardness to determine what the ideal drinking water is for you.

What Is Water Hardness?

Water hardness refers to the amount of minerals, particularly, of Calcium and Magnesium, found in water. Minerals are naturally found in water; however, when they exceed 120mg/L, the high level of minerals begins to have negative effects. This is also when water is called hard, as opposed to being soft water, with only up to 60mg/L of minerals, or moderately hard water, with 60mg/L and 120mg/L amount of minerals.

What Is the Ideal Water Hardness For Drinking?

Though water hardness has been proven to negatively impact pipes, tiles, and other household fixtures, as well as cause skin and hair dryness, it has not been proven to harm health. In fact, the high amounts of calcium and magnesium may even positively impact health.

Still, it is highly advisable to take things in moderation and both soft water and hard water have their respective benefits and drawbacks. On the one hand, having too little minerals in the water may contribute to mineral deficiency, whereas too much may result in overdose, though such cases are incredibly rare in healthy individuals.

The general rule of thumb is to drink clean water, with hardness being somewhere in the middle of soft and hard, 60 mg/L to 120 mg/L. Some also advise to not go beyond 170 mg/L, which indicates very high levels of calcium and magnesium.

But according to health authorities, there is no general health advice on restricting hardness in drinking water for health and safety reasons.

How to Tell Water Hardness?

If you drink from the tap and use your water to clean your home, bath, and use with your appliances, you’re probably wondering how to tell whether you have soft or hard water. To determine this, you can choose to purchase a test kit, send your water to get tested in a lab, or you can simply observe your water or conduct a quick soap test at home.

Test Kit

There are test kits that allow you to measure water hardness. An inorganic chemical test (Kit C), for example, can be bought from labs and used at home. Another option is to bottle up some water and send it to a certified drinking water lab to test for hardness. 

Observation

Even without using test kits, one can tell whether water is hard or soft depending on the feel, smell, and usage of the water.

Unlike soft water which is odorless and leaves no residue behind, hard water smells sulfuric and tastes metallic; it also leaves behind residue when dry, which can easily be spotted on surfaces as discoloration or stains.

Soap Test

Another easy way to check if you have hard water at home is to add soap into the water. If you add soap to the water and mix them vigorously, you may get a lot of suds and bubbles or the water will cloud up. As soap doesn’t react well with hard water, lots of bubbles in your solution means you have soft water, while lack of bubbles means you have hard water.

For the same reason that hard water reduces the usefulness of soaps, it is not advisable to use hard water for cleaning, bathing, and other similar uses. 

How to Make Hard Water Safe For Drinking?

One of the cautions against hard water is that they are often sourced from wells, and are likely to have metals besides the minerals. Though minerals are safe to consume, metals, and other substances are not.

As such, the best way to protect your health when drinking hard water is to make sure it is filtered thoroughly and rid of any harmful chemicals, pests, and metals, leaving behind only minerals which can have positive health benefits.

Still, many prefer to not drink hard water, not because they pose a danger to one’s health but rather because it has a metallic taste and sulfuric smell. In such cases, it is advisable to install a water softener to reduce calcium and magnesium levels in the water to make it tasteless and odorless for more enjoyable drinking.

How to Have Ideal Drinking Water?

So you’ve got hard water that you want to soften for a better drinking experience? Then you need a water softener to lessen the high levels of calcium and magnesium in your water.

When it comes to water softeners, there are 2 main types you can choose from; one uses salts, sodium chloride, and replaces the calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions; meanwhile, the other uses potassium to neutralize or cure the water.

While using salts is the most common method to soften water, it does get rid of a lot of water during the ion exchange process. Not to mention, it leaves behind high levels of sodium chloride, which may be harmful for some people with specific dietary restrictions. For these reasons, many opt for the salt free water softener system.

Such systems involve the use of water conditioners which, when applied to hard water, crystallizes the minerals, making them easy to remove. 

Make Your Water Ideal For Drinking

Are you ready to improve your tap water and make it ideal for drinking? Reach out to Pur Again Water and have us install a water softening system that will transform your water from hard to soft, removing any smell or taste from your water. We also offer various water filtration systems as well as alkaline water systems which are guaranteed to make your water ideal for drinking.

Call PurAgain Water today to schedule an appointment or get a free quote!

Best Salts for Water Softeners

Best Salts for Water Softeners

Best Salts for Water Softeners

One of the most overlooked features in a home is the water. You examine the infrastructure, the plumbing, but very seldom do you take a look at the home water filtration system. And the quality of your water hardness actually matters a lot because it determines how often you will need to maintain or repair your pipes, your bathroom, and kitchen. 

Depending on your location, the water in your area may be soft water or hard water. Water naturally contains minerals, like calcium and magnesium. In small amounts, these minerals won’t cause any problems. But when you have higher levels of them (121mg/L or more), the water increases its “hardness” and begins to develop certain properties.

Hard water has a sulfuric smell and leaves behind residue. When you wet surfaces with hard water, you will notice marks or scaling left behind. As you wash yourself with hard water, you will also notice a film left behind on your skin. Your skin and hair will also feel dry, and over time, washing yourself with hard water may cause itching and irritation. 

As hard water tends to leave residue behind, it can cause scaling and build up. Mineral deposits and stains will accumulate on your pipes, causing them to clog up. Hard water can also break down the rubber in your faucets and showers, causing leaks. Moreover, your glassware will become cloudy, and your bathroom tiles and drains will become stained. 

What is a Water Softener

Hard water can be a maintenance nightmare, wreaking havoc in your home. Many homeowners who have hard water use water softeners to lower the levels of calcium, magnesium, and other minerals in the water.

The most common type of water softener uses salts to replace calcium and magnesium ions in the water with sodium ions. A resin tank is installed where the ion exchange will take place. Salt is added into the resin tank regularly, and after ion exchange, the calcium and magnesium will be flushed out with some water, leaving behind “soft water” with lower traces of calcium, magnesium, and other minerals.

What are the Best Salts for Water Softeners

If you’re experiencing scaling and staining in your bathroom sinks, faucets, and pipes, you should treat your water to prevent further damage from occurring. Purchasing a water softener is just the first step. Afterwards, finding the right kinds of salts and regularly stocking up is important to make sure you only have soft water flowing into your home.

There are many salts or softener salts available in the market today, and they come in various levels of purity. Not to mention, water hardness is also a factor in choosing which salt to use. It’s best to learn more about them, so you can choose the best salts for your water softener.

Sea Salt

Sea salt is made by letting sea water evaporate. It is 99.5% sodium chloride and is more soluble and more affordable than other types of salts. Given its processing, however, it is prone to have more impurities than other salts, which can make it dissolve less readily in hard water. Hence, it is best used in homes that require minimal water softening.

Rock Salt

Rock salt is irregularly shaped salt that resembles rocks. Similar to sea salt, it is from the ocean, however, instead of letting seawater evaporate, rock salts are gathered from salt mines and are already hardened, in the form of rocks. This makes them the least expensive option available. They are also the least pure form of salts you can purchase.

As it is impure, rock salts don’t dissolve as well in water as all other salts. This means they will leave a residue in your brine basin, and will require regular cleaning. This type of salt is the least advisable choice of salt used for water softeners.

Salt Crystals

Salt crystals are 99.6% sodium chloride. They are formed when a mixture of salt, brine, and water are subject to evaporation. As this form of salt can easily crystallize when added to water, it is best used in households where water consumption is pretty low or for tanks that use two-part water softening systems. Otherwise, salt crystals can cause salt bridging where crusts form in your brine tank, hindering the regeneration process.

Solar Salt

Solar salt is a type of salt crystal made by letting shallow ponds of salt water sun dry. The evaporation leaves behind concentrated salt crystals that are mechanically harvested to get rid of chemical impurities. The result is a naturally white, opaque, high purity salt which leaves minimal residue behind.

With these properties, solar salt is the most commonly used salt in softening waters. They are also readily available and are not very expensive.

Evaporated Salt Pellets

Evaporated salt pellets are the purest form of sodium chloride available. It is made by processing salt crystals, making them into 100% sodium chloride. They are also the most expensive salt available compared to other softener salts.

Given their purity, evaporated salt pellets dissolve most easily in water, and they also leave no residues behind. These make them the best type of salts to use in water softeners.

Buy Water Softener 

When choosing which salt to use for your home, you don’t always have to purchase the best salts available. Depending on your usage, and how much softening your water needs, you can go for more affordable and readily available options.

But if you don’t like using salts to soften your water, or you find the water wastage from the ion exchange process too wasteful, you can look into salt-free water softeners.

At PurAgain Water, we can install a water softener in your home to remove specific minerals from your water and make it safer for home use. We also offer various home water filtration systems which come with annual water testing, unlimited service calls, and annual maintenance.

Reach out to PurAgain Water today and get a free quote or learn more about how we can transform your water filtration system to give you usable, soft water that will be kind to your home, your body, and your appliances!

Do Full Water Filtration Systems Waste Water?

Do Full Water Filtration Systems Waste Water?

Do Full Water Filtration Systems Waste Water?

Getting a home water filtration system is essential if you want clean drinking water that’s free from contaminants. This system is designed to filter out pollutants, contaminants, and particles that can make your water less safe for drinking.

Aside from the ability to filter water effectively, another concern that homeowners have would be the water wasted during the process.

So do full water filtration systems waste water? This will depend on the kind of filter system that you will get for your home.

There are filter systems that do produce waste, but it’s necessary given the process in which the water gets filtered. There are also systems that waste less water than the other.

Reasons to Use a Home Water Filtration System

Before you install a full water filtration system in your home, it’s important to get to know more about the basics of water filtration systems and understand why it’s a good investment for your family.

Of course, the primary reason is that filters will make your drinking water healthier by removing the impurities at least most of them. Unfiltered water contains an unimaginable amount of contaminants, which also contribute to the weird taste of drinking water.

While the smell and taste of the water may not harm your health, it can make the water unpleasant to drink.

Unfiltered water also has rust particles that can make the water look cloudy. This is unsafe for senior citizens, young individuals, and anyone with a compromised immune system. Rust can originate from lead pipes, which are commonly found in homes that were built before 1986. Unlike other contaminants, lead is tasteless and odorless, but it can damage your health.

Having a water filtration system installed in your home will improve the quality of your drinking water overall. Your water will become more clear and have a better taste. Although unfiltered tap water is usually drinkable, there are still enough contaminants to lessen the water’s quality.

It’s not just drinking the water that you should be concerned about. Did you know that taking a hot shower can release 50-80% of the chemicals into a steamy vapor that you can inhale? Your dishwasher also releases that same chemical vapor indoors.

Installing a whole-house filter result in having better water not just for drinking and cooking, but also for showering, dishwashing, and laundry. This is where full water filtration services come in.

What is a Full Water Filtration System?

This is when the filter is installed at the entry point or where your main water line enters your home. This system allows filtered water to be delivered to all your taps and appliances, such as your hot water heater. There is no need to buy a full water filter for each hot water heater in your home.

The full water filtration system comes in different kinds of filter media such as reverse osmosis (RO) and carbon. A carbon-based full water filtration system uses three-stage filtering.

First is the pre-filter for rust, sediment, and other large contaminants and then there’s the copper-zinc blend to remove lead, nickel, mercury, and other dissolved metals in the water. Lastly, there’s the carbon-activated filter for removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other dangerous organic compounds.

On the other hand, there’s also reverse osmosis, which is generally considered more effective at removing contaminants. However, it can get pretty expensive and can produce a significant amount of wastewater. 

How Much Water Do Full Water Filtration Systems Waste?

To make this clear, it’s best to compare the whole-home filtration system with reverse osmosis filtration systems.

Reverse osmosis system, which is considered the gold standard when it comes to removing stuff from water including organic and inorganic elements, pathogens, and even radioactive contaminants.

This involves using a complex transfer process through special filters and semi-permeable membranes. This results in waste being produced by this kind of filtering, but given the exceptional results in clearing the water, it’s a case of the benefits outweighing the cons.

In comparison, full water or whole-home filtration system don’t waste water in their process and the kind of filters they use. Granted, this system does not produce the ultra-filtered quality brought by the RO system, but it’s more than enough to remove chlorine and other chemicals in the water.

Benefits of a Home Water Filtration System

Aside from cleaner, safer, and better-tasting water, there are other benefits of having the water in your home filtered.

Having a filtration system will protect your home from contaminants that could enter your property or a private well. You also get to save tons of money since you don’t have to stock up on bottled water.

If you look closely, you will see that in the long run, the cost of purchasing bottled water is higher than having a water filtration system installed in your home.

Having a home water filtration system will also reduce the wear and tear on your faucets, appliances, and plumbing fixtures since the filter will improve your water quality. Cleaner water also means better skin and hair for you—you don’t have to use much shampoo and soap, plus your laundry will be cleaner.

When it comes to choosing the right water filtration system for your home, you have to consider your specific issues when it comes to water at your location as well as your goals in terms of water filtration.

For instance, you may want to place an RO system in your kitchen sink if your water contains chlorine and other contaminants, as well as high mineral content. This will make your water good for drinking and cooking.

Invest in Clean and Better-Tasting Water Now

If you’re in the California area, trust only Puragain Water when it comes to the installation of your water filtration system for your home and office.

You will have the very best in water filtration systems and services throughout San Diego, Riverside, & Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura Counties.

What’s more, you get a lifetime servicing plan which guarantees that your system will always work perfectly. Know your options for the best water filtering system for your property.

Contact our team at Puragain Water today!

Water Filters 101: Which Filter Removes the Most Contaminants

whole house water filtration system

whole house water filtration system

We all want our drinking water to be safe, affordable, and pleasant to the taste. Since buying bottled water all the time can burn holes in your pocket, the most practical thing to do is to have home water filtration installed at your home.

Even though the U.S. has some of the cleanest drinking water in the world, there are those who may still need a filtration system in order to remove minerals or particulates, or simply prefer the taste of filtered water.

There are several factors to consider when choosing the right water filter for your home. One is the shape and size, which will depend on your filtration needs, budget, and lifestyle preferences. Another is the technology used in removing contaminants in the water. 

Types of Water Filtration Systems

Water filters use a variety of methods in removing impurities. In terms of filtration systems, here are the different types of filters to choose from:

1. Particulate or Mechanical Filter

These basic filters are made up of simple screens that block large particles in the water. They usually serve as the prefilters in multiple-step filter systems.

2. Absorption or Activated Carbon

Absorption is the process of removal of the particles in the water as they stick to the surface of the filter material, which is usually carbon—in powder or granule form. These filters are the most common in the market and come in various forms, such as faucet-mounted and pitcher systems. 

They can effectively reduce chlorine and chlorine byproducts, as well as dissolve volatile organic chemicals such as pesticides and herbicides. These are considered the most worrisome compounds found in municipal water. These carbon filters work well in reducing bad taste and odor.

3. Softeners or Ion Exchange Units

These water softeners reduce hard metals such as lead through the process of ion exchange. When water passes through the exchange unit, hard metal ions get replaced by sodium ions. This makes the water softer, but with a saltier taste. The ion exchange technology is usually combined with absorptive or reverse-osmosis filters. 

4. Reverse Osmosis

This involves a process that forces water through a membrane to filter out molecules that are physically larger than water molecules.

This filter type is effective in reducing minerals, but it doesn’t work as well in removing chlorine or volatile organic compounds. But manufacturers solved this problem by combining the reverse-osmosis units with pre-filters and carbon filters. 

5. Ultraviolet Treatment

This technology uses IV lights to kill germs in the water. This is the only treatment method certified by the National Sanitation Foundation International in reducing bacteria.

6. Distillation

This makes use of water distillers to heat water and turn it into steam. The steam is then collected and transformed back into its liquid form. When the water evaporates, the contaminants are left behind.

This type of water filtration is very effective in removing most bacteria and minerals in the water, although there are some units that do not remove volatile organic chemicals. Compared to other filtration methods, distillation often requires more energy to heat the water.

As for deciding which filtration system removes the most contaminants, this will depend on the type of impurity or water issue you’re concerned with. Here’s a list of the filtration methods and which contaminants or water issues they work best in removing:

  • Carbon or charcoal filter – carbon can remove lead—combined with charcoal, it works best in removing bad taste and odor, as well as chlorine and chlorine byproducts. It can remove some chloramines as well. Keep in mind that water filters certified to reduce chlorine in the water do not necessarily take out chloramine, so it’s best to ask your local water utility to find out which disinfectant is used in your drinking water.
  • Reverse Osmosis and distillation – reverse osmosis alone can remove perchlorates while Both methods can remove fluoride and arsenic. When it comes to arsenic, keep in mind that there are two different forms found in water, so find out first which type you’re dealing with before choosing a filtration system.

Bacteria can be removed by reverse osmosis method only while ultraviolet light and chlorination can kill bacteria by disinfecting the water.

Water filters are not really effective in removing viruses. However, there are some water treatment systems that can kill viruses via disinfection. Chlorination can kill bacteria and viruses even before it reaches your home’s water system, which in turn removes the chlorine.

Other Concerns in Choosing the Right Water Filter

Filtration products can be equipped with multiple technologies and often sold as two or more stage filters.

The forms that typically use a combination of ion exchange and adsorption are carafe, faucet-mounted, and countertop-style filters. Plumbed-in filter systems use this combination as well, plus reverse osmosis.

Prices vary widely as well. The most affordable filters are carafes and faucet-mounted types, ranging between $20 to $50 while under-sink, countertop, and whole house water filtration system can set you back between $50 to $900.

When it comes to considering the price of your water filter, you have to add installation, replacement, and maintenance costs along with the initial purchase price. Remember that you have to change the parts of your filter periodically to prevent clogging.

Last but not the least, make sure that the water filter system that you choose will reduce the particular contaminant you want to be removed from your water.

Most importantly, be mindful of the claims found on the ads or packaging with regards to the kind of contaminants that the filter will reduce and how much it will remove in terms of percentage.

Get the Best Water Filtration System for Your Home in California

Whether you’re looking for a whole house water softener or a reverse osmosis drinking water system for your home or office in California, we offer you the best options within your budget.

You will also get a lifetime servicing plan which guarantees that your filter system will always work without a hitch. Book your service now, contact us at Puragain Water today!