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Water Softeners and the Environment
ARE WATER SOFTENERS BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?
.
The perceived
waste associated with water softeners occurs during what’s known as
regeneration. Media used to soften water by removing the hard minerals calcium
and magnesium eventually gets exhausted and needs to be recharged (aka.
regenerated). During the regeneration process, sodium from the solution in the
brine tank refreshes the media by knocking off the calcium and magnesium ions
collected by the water softening media. This gives the media new life and
allows it to continue removing hard minerals. What gets flushed out of your
system also contains the calcium and magnesium that the media collected during
softening. The EPA has said that softener discharge is not harmful to septic
systems and may actually be beneficial to the soil.
Water-Right
More of us are paying much closer attention
to how the things we buy and use impact the environment.
We’re doing what we can to reduce waste and
our individual carbon footprints in many different ways.
In fact, a 2019 study found the vast
majority of people remodeling (78%), buying new homes (87%), and building new
homes (89%) called energy efficiency a priority.
A slightly higher percentage of people in
all three groups also said they’re willing to pay more for an energy efficient
home.
If you’ve purchased new appliances in the
past few years, you’ve probably noticed the shift towards more energy efficient
options, and you’re likely familiar with the government’s ENERGY STAR® program.
It rates appliances such as dishwashers,
washing machines, and water heaters based on their energy efficiency.
But, you won’t find water softeners on that
list. So, what’s the truth about water softeners? Are they bad for the
environment?
Water
Softener Efficiency and Environmental Impact
There are certainly people who criticize
water softeners in regards to sustainability.
The biggest complaints are that these
residential water treatment systems waste too much water and put chloride (from
salts) into aquatic environments.
Water softeners, as well as other types of
water treatment do come with a certain amount of what some may view as waste.
But, is it really “wasted” water if it
serves a useful purpose that also promotes energy efficiency and sustainability
in other areas?
If you’re using softened water for better
bathing, housecleaning, and to avoid other common hard water problems, it isn’t
being wasted.
The perceived waste associated with water
softeners occurs during what’s known as regeneration.
Media used to soften water by removing the
hard minerals calcium and magnesium eventually gets exhausted and needs to be
recharged (aka. regenerated).
During the regeneration process, sodium
from the solution in the brine tank refreshes the media by knocking off the
calcium and magnesium ions collected by the water softening media.
This gives the media new life and allows it
to continue removing hard minerals.
What gets flushed out of your system also
contains the calcium and magnesium that the media collected during softening.
The EPA has said that softener discharge is
not harmful to septic systems and may actually be beneficial to the soil.
“Soil structure in the soil absorption field is
positively affected by the calcium and magnesium ions in water softener
effluent.”
The EPA goes on to explain that a common
misconception is that influent (what’s in the brine tank) is the same as the
effluent (the wastewater discharged after regeneration).
The amount of sodium (not salt or sodium
chloride) in softened water that goes down the drains in your home will depend
on the hardness level of the water before softening.
Historically, it took a substantial amount
of water to flush the system sending the unwanted hardness minerals to the
drain and regenerate the media.
However, the residential water treatment
industry has made great strides in sustainability over the past decade, and
high-efficiency water softeners can make a significant difference.
Systems that are properly calibrated to use
less salt put less back into waste water.
So, those who want soft water while
minimizing potential environmental impact should consider upgrading their
residential water treatment solutions.
The
Benefits of Water Efficient Technology
Most of the industry’s efforts to make
water softening equipment more efficient focused on salt.
At Water-Right, however, we realized it was
even more important to consider how we could conserve the precious natural
resource of water.wet technology logo
That’s
why we introduced Water Efficient Technology or W.E.T.
This water treatment innovation has the
ability to reduce both water and salt used in a home’s softening system by as
much as 50%, which compares to about 18% savings over the average
high-efficiency water softeners.
As our equipment learns your household
water usage routine, W.E.T. adjust its settings to use the optimal amount of
salt and water.
So, if your system is regenerating when the
softening media is at 75% capacity, it only uses 75% of the brine solution
(salt and water) and reduces the rinse cycle times to use less water compared
to regenerating a system that has used 100% of its capacity.
If your family uses more water on
Saturdays, because that’s laundry day and bath day for the kids, the softener
knows you need more soft water and may adjust accordingly to regenerate on
Friday night.
This may mean that the media has only been
50% used before it starts regenerating.
Much like not filling the kitchen sink up
all of the way to wash just a handle full of dishes, W.E.T. adjusts to only use
the minimum amount of resources necessary to keep your water softener running
effectively, reducing waste.
Water
Softeners and Environmentally-Friendly, Energy Efficient Homes
Water softeners play a very important role
in helping many other appliances in your home operate efficiently, and they’re
even part of the solution for keeping certain detergents from polluting our
waterways.
Let’s take water-using appliances such as
washing machines and dishwashers as an example.
Many dish and laundry detergents contained
phosphates to bond to the minerals in hard water and prevent them from
depositing into your clothing.
However, there were serious concerns about
phosphates leading to nutrient pollution, starving fish of oxygen, and causing
harmful algae blooms, especially in the Great Lakes region.
All 50 states have introduced bans on
phosphates in laundry detergents.
In 2010, 17 states and Washington, D.C.
expanded that ban to dishwashing detergent and other soaps.
Manufacturers of these products decided it
was too difficult and expensive to have different formulas for different
states. So, phosphates are no longer found in most detergents.
After the ban, people started noticing
things weren’t getting nearly as clean as they expected.
NPR even reported that some consumers were
adding their own phosphates to dish detergent.
Pouring
Detergent into the wash machine
Phosphates were basically trying to do the
same thing for dishes and laundry that water softeners do for an entire house.
Homeowners with water softeners could use
phosphate-free detergent without noticing any difference because the
problematic minerals were already being removed from their water.
From this perspective, water softeners
enable consumers to use a more environmentally-friendly product and help keep
phosphates out of our waterways.
But, that’s not where the story ends.
Not only does hard water make it difficult
to get dishes and laundry clean, it can also cause appliances to wear out
sooner than expected and work harder than necessary.
Hard water leaves behind limescale inside
appliances.
For energy-efficient models, this can mean
they fail to run according to the manufacturer’s specifications.
So, they aren’t operating as efficiently as
intended, which means you aren’t saving as much on your utility bills or as
much energy as you thought.
That’s especially true for water heaters.
As we explained in our infographic on water
softener savings, the Department of Energy found water heater scaling reduces
efficiency by 10%.
Could
Your Water Softener be More Efficient and Environmentally-Friendly?
If you’re concerned with how water
softening in your home impacts the environment, the first thing you should
evaluate is the age of your equipment.
If it’s been 10 years or more since you
updated your water treatment solutions, you should consider a new,
high-efficiency water softener, such as those equipped with W.E.T.™ from
Evolve® and WaterCare®dealers.
W.E.T.™ will actually show you how much
water and salt you are saving over time, so you’ll know it is working.
Select units can also be equipped with
Wripli® Wi-Fi technology, which has features including the ability to track
your water usage and turn on Vacation Mode remotely with a smartphone.
That way you won’t waste water during
regeneration when you’re away from home. Wripli® is available exclusively from
our Evolve® and WaterCare® dealers.
What you should avoid is simply purchasing
equipment and making water softener installation a DIY project.
An expert from Water-Right’s family of
water treatment professionals can test your water to find out how to accurately
calibrate your equipment for the best water quality and optimal efficiency.
Without their help, the unit could fail to
adequately treat your water, or it could over-soften and result in wasted water
and salt.
It is possible to have soft water in your
home and still feel good about your efforts to support a cleaner planet.
In fact, there are ways in which the two go hand-in-hand. You just need a helpful local expert to point you in the right direction.
THE
RIGHT WATER FOR LIFE
Constant
innovation and no shortcuts. Water-Right
is first and foremost a company built on integrity. Since 1963, we’ve done
things the right way. Our value set has driven the development of the finest
water treatment systems, making it easy for industry professionals to satisfy
today’s demand for the highest quality water.
Keeping
water clean and safe is an increasingly difficult challenge. That’s why we push
to make good products better, create industry-leading technology, and offer a
state-certified, independent lab specializing in water testing. It’s about
making life better as well as providing “The Right Water for Life.”
Mission:
Passionately provide and create innovative water treatment solutions with a
splash of inspiration
Vision:
Deliver innovative water solutions honestly, ethically, and enthusiastically
through education, teamwork, and engaging customer support
https://www.water-rightgroup.com/blog/are-water-softeners-bad-for-the-environment/
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