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Other products and services from Aquality Solutions:
Drinking Water
Home Water Supply
Your Water Report Card
Providing Real SolutionsThe staff at Aquality Solutions are happy to answer any questions you might have about your water. Some of these questions might be answered on this page. If you can't find it here, please visit our contact page and Ask Dave.
Does soft water cause clothing colors to fade?
Softened water, i.e., sodium ions in place of calcium, magnesium, and iron ions in water, would not cause clothing colors to fade or run in a washing machine.
However, detergents and other washing aids become much more active in softened water. It is important, therefore, to cut down on the amounts of cleaning and bleaching compounds when using soft water. (back)
What causes etching of my glassware in the dishwasher?
It is caused by the strong phosphate sequesterants (e.g., trisodium phosphate) in dishwashing detergent. It may also be triggered by the combination of extremely hot water, soft water, and too much detergent.
The high water temperature can cause the detergent phosphate compounds to break down into an even more aggressive form. If hardness is available, it will consume the most aggressive of these sequestering chemicals. Otherwise, however, the detergent agents can actually extract elements directly from the glassware composition. The solution to etching is to use less detergent and water temperatures less than 140°F when you have soft water. Water softening is such an enhancement that the dishes will get cleaned just as well with less detergent and 120° - 140°F water in softened water. (back)
Is softened water more corrosive?
No. Because the Langlier (calcium saturation) Index is lowered in water that has had calcium removed, skeptics sometimes consider softened water to be more corrosive. But softening of water via cation exchange does not make water more corrosive. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the American Water Works Association have both recently corrected their enclosed brochures as to the misconception that ion exchange softening has an effect on the corrosivity of water.
Municipal water systems often use calcium carbonate saturation indices to help control precipitation in city water mains. This information is useful where utilities try to lay down a protective film in hopes of retarding the rate of corrosion in municipal distribution systems. The Langlier Index (LI) is such a calcium carbonate saturation index that measures the potential of a water to deposit calcium carbonate scale. Water with an LI greater than zero tends to be of higher hardness and alkalinity and therefore to be scale forming. An LI less than zero represents water that tends to dissolve CaCO3.
The simple replacement of hard water calcium and magnesium with soft water sodium or potassium has no detrimental effect on water contacting materials. In fact, the nonscaling characteristic of soft water is a benefit to such pumping and plumbing appurtenances. Ion exchange water softening neither causes nor controls corrosion. Please call the Water Quality Association if you have any questions or would like to discuss any of these materials. (back)
Can potassium chloride regenerant wastes from a water softener be used for irrigating lawns?
It is true that living plants take up and utilize potassium, whereas plants cannot use sodium. However, there is far more potassium in softener KCl brines than plants or grasses can normally use. Potassium that is not taken up by plants is held in the soil by clay and organic matter. Excessive build up of either potassium or sodium in the root zone of plants can inhibit plant growth.
It is possible however to collect the KCl regenerate wastes from a water softener in a third tank, dilute it with non-softened water and apply it to well established lawns. The Water Quality Association recommends, in such cases, a minimum dilution of 75 parts of non-treated water with each one part of regenerant waste water. We also advise that grass clippings be removed at each mowing, and that the lawn be irrigated with non-treated water at least once between each application of diluted softener regenerate waste water.
Ornamental plants and fruits and vegetables are often more sensitive to dissolved salts than turf grass, so a dilution of at least 200:1 is advisable if KCl regenerant waste water is used in areas where these types of plants are growing. (back)
Should softened water be used for watering house plants or for sprinkling the garden or lawn?
Where the amount of hardness minerals in the water is only moderate (less than 200 milligrams per liter), it is doubtful whether the sodium concentration would be sufficient to be a serious hazard to plants. Most house plants require specific soil conditions for healthy growth. Many thrive best in slightly acid soils. If there is a high hardness concentration in the water being softened, the chances are good that necessarily high sodium concentration of the soft water would be harmful to plants.
Distilled, reverse osmosis, or deionized water or rain water are better choices for watering plants to prevent mineral accumulation in the soil. Or, if using softened water, water heavily to wash previously deposited minerals through and beyond the plants’ root zones. Heavy sodium or potassium salt concentrations in the absence of calcium or magnesium may affect swelling of soils and retard the growth of plants.
For outside sprinkling purposes the use of softened water is, first and foremost, wasteful. Again, where the concentration of hardness minerals is heavy, the sodium salts replacing them might retard growth and might be sufficient to kill the grass. (back)
Is there a relationship between softened drinking water and hypertension?
The Water Quality Association believes that softened drinking water makes no significant contribution to hypertension. WQA’s Sodium in Perspective, for example, explains that drinking water sodium contributes only a very minor (less than 10%) of dietary intakes. Sodium in drinking water from a water softener is not a significant human health concern. Recent evidence is changing the scientific thinking about the relationship between sodium and hypertension. (back)
Is the sodium in softened water harmful to people whose doctors have placed them on restrictive salt diets?
Much depends on and individual’s medical situation and on the strictness of the diet itself since most drinking water, even when softened, would be “very low sodium” or “low sodium” as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Where the patient has been placed on a sodium-restrictive diet below 1,500 milligrams of total sodium intake per day, he/she should drink neither hard nor softened water. Under these conditions, the patient should drink demineralized water, distilled water, water treated by reverse osmosis, or water known to be free of sodium for drinking and for the cooking of his or her foods. Such patients are commonly hospitalized.
In establishing a restricted-salt diet for patients, physicians should not overlook the fact that even hard water may contain appreciable amounts of sodium. To determine the amount, a complete analysis of the water is necessary. (back)
Will my family be deprived of minerals necessary to good health in drinking water softened by ion exchange process?
No. The human body gains the minerals necessary to good health primarily through eating foods, not through drinking water. The body may absorb or use the minerals in water but, in most cases, the amount would not be significant. In order for a person to obtain sufficient minerals from water, it would be necessary to drink many gallons daily. In general, neither a water with a high mineral content, nor a fully softened water, could be considered a significant source of minerals. In contrast, one glass of milk provides the mineral equivalent of multiple gallons of ordinary well water.
Note: Certain trace elements, such as fluoride, iodine, etc., may be obtained from water. However, these would not be removed through common household water softening. (back)
How can iron stains be removed from fabrics?
Iron stains can be removed from most washable fabrics with oxalic acid, provided that certain precautions are taken. Oxalic acid can be obtained at most drug stores. Note: Oxalic acid is a poison, and everything it touches should be thoroughly washed after use. In addition, it may be a skin irritant, particularly if the hands have small cuts or other breaks in the skin. Therefore, rubber gloves should be used.
A solution of the oxalic acid may be made up by simply dissolving the crystals in water. As the solubility of the acid is only about 10%, it cannot be made up too strong. The solution should be prepared in a plastic container.
A small amount of the solution should be tried on the inside of a hem or other inconspicuous location, as the acid may bleach certain dyes. If it is apparent that no bleaching has occurred, the entire garment may be repeatedly dipped in the solution. The dipping should continue until the iron stains are gone. Allowing the garment to soak in the acid solution is not recommended.
After the stains have disappeared, the garment should be thoroughly rinsed in several changes of fresh water. To be sure that any remaining acid has been neutralized, the garment should be immediately laundered in the normal manner, with the regular amount of soap. The alkalinity in the soap will eliminate the last traces of acidity. The acid solution may be poured down the drain, but it should be followed with a thorough flushing with fresh water. (back)
How can the sodium content of a softened water be determined in terms of milligrams of sodium?
1. First, determine the sodium content of the natural water. Multiply the water’s sodium content in grains per gallon expressed as calcium carbonate, by 7.86. This will give you the sodium content of the water in milligrams per liter of water.
2. Next, determine the additional sodium content of water as the result of ion exchange softening. Here, multiply the total hardness of the water in grains per gallon, expressed as calcium carbonate, by 7.86.
3. A simple addition of the results of both steps No.1 and 2 will give the sodium content of the softened water in milligrams of sodium per liter. One to two liters (1 liter equals 1.057 quarts) is commonly accepted as normal daily water consumption.
Actually, the amount of sodium present in softened water is small when compared to the sodium present in foods. Softening water with even 75 grains per gallon of total hardness adds less sodium than contained in “Low Sodium” beverages (as defined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration). (back)
Are there harmful effects of water softener discharges on household septic tanks?
It is not true that water softener regeneration discharges pose a problem to septic systems or to the leach field. Studies have shown that water softener regeneration wastes not only do not interfere with the septic tank system drain field soil percolation, but, actually could, because of the polyvalent water hardness cations in the regeneration discharges, improve soil percolation particularly in fine-textured soils.
WQA has research reports by the University of Wisconsin and the National Sanitation Foundation on septic tanks and water softeners. This research was completed in the late 1970s. It was about that time that numerous regulatory agencies were contemplating restriction on the discharge of water softener wastes to private sewage disposal systems. More recently the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reviewed this research report, and an expert in on-site waste treatment wrote October 1993 that he “does not believe that the conclusions of the earlier study would change since the chemistry and physics of soils have not.” He also goes on to say that he knows this work to remain “scientifically excellent.” These studies conclusively show that water softener waste effluents cause no problems for septic tanks. The allowance of water treatment system discharges to hundreds of thousands of septic tank systems is practically universal now. It has not caused damage or hazards; but it has provided convenience and economic savings to many homeowners. This conclusion is supported by the Ten States’ “Recommended Standards for Individual Sewage Systems” The states have concluded that even in Montmorillinite clay soils, “the disposal of brine wastes from water softening equipment does not have a significant effect upon the permeability of soils suitable for soil absorption systems.”
The addition of sodium to a septic system by use of soft water actually has beneficial effects on the digestion of wastes by bacteria. The volume of wastes from water softeners (about 50 gallons per regeneration) are added to the septic tank slowly and are not of sufficient volume to cause any deleterious hydraulic load problems. In fact, they are lower in volume and rate of addition than wastes from automatic washers. And the calcium and magnesium in softener regeneration wastes contribute to good air and water movement (improved soil percolation) through the septic system drainage field. (back)
Is it alright to use an anti-microbial dishwashing detergent in cleaning water containers, and is ozone alone an adequate disinfectant for a water bottle filling station?
The answer is yes to both these questions. The antimicrobial agent in dishwashing detergent will not harm drinking water containers. Just as with dishes, it is safe to use it on water supply containers. Of course, excess detergent should be rinsed to drain as part of the cleaning process.
Ozone is a very strong and powerful drinking water disinfectant. Ozone does not maintain a long lasting disinfectant residual in water. However, a residual is not as necessary in a tightly sealed bottle, as it would be, for example, in a city’s water distribution system. (back)
Does soft water cause clothing colors to fade?