Is your house located in a region with hard or calcareous water? Then a water softening system is a sensible investment. At first glance, the selection of water softening systems, both at the local installer and on the Internet, seems huge. However, there are numerous features that allow you to very well assess the quality of a water softening system and therefore the price-performance ratio of an existing offer. In the following article, we'll show you:
Hard water contains a particularly large amount of lime. Hardness formers include calcium and magnesium in particular. Starting at one water hardness At 14°dH, water falls within the “hard” hardness range. A water softening system with sodium chloride removes the hardeners calcium and magnesium from drinking water and exchanges them for sodium. This is referred to as water softening through ion exchange. As a result, hard drinking water becomes soft drinking water. A softening system is therefore often also referred to as a soft water system. Soft water has both qualitative and financial advantages over hard water.
Anyone can check relatively easily whether the purchase of a water softening system for their own household is worthwhile based on several factors. An important indicator is water hardness your own tap water. These can be viewed without much effort on the website of the local water supplier or the city or municipality. In the drinking water analysis, you should look for the value for the so-called “total water hardness”. Starting at a total water hardness of 14°dH or more, the use of a water softening system is recommended and is also technically useful. Optionally, you can measure the total water hardness at home using a water hardness test.
Another sign that a water softening system makes sense is the effort required to clean and decalcify household appliances and surfaces. If there is a lot of lime in tap water, it accumulates particularly quickly, for example faucets, showerheads or in a kettle. Since a softening system provides soft water, this effort is significantly reduced. A water softening system for hard water is therefore not only useful for technical reasons, but also offers comfort benefits in the home.
A water softening system is based on the so-called principle of ion exchange. The central feature is that the calcium and magnesium ions (lime) in water are replaced by sodium ions. 8.2 mg sodium is required to soften 1 liter of drinking water by 1 °dH. Since the limit value for sodium in Germany is 200 mg/l in accordance with the Drinking Water Ordinance, drinking water may be softened by a maximum of just under 24.4 °dH if the initial sodium content is 0 mg/l.
The required sodium is provided by sodium chloride or corresponding tablets, which must be regularly refilled into the sodium chloride storage container of the water softening system. The sodium chloride in the storage container is dissolved using tap water. The resulting solution is used to “load” the so-called ion exchange resin with sodium ions. This process is also known as “regeneration.” Depending on the size of the ion exchange resin, a water softening system can only provide a certain amount of softened water at a time. When the ion exchange resin is exhausted, i.e. if there are no more sodium ions in the resin, a new regeneration is triggered and the process starts again. A single-family house located in a region with hard water requires between 50 kg and 100 kg of sodium chloride per year, depending on water hardness and water consumption.
A softening system with sodium chloride based on ion exchange interferes with the drinking water composition, as fed in by your local supply company. It should be noted that there is an increase in the sodium content.
In principle, it makes sense to install a water softener directly after the water meter and the water filter in the house. Ideally in a vacant area in the house before the tap water is distributed into the house. This means that the softened water can be removed anywhere in the house. In principle, a water softening system can be installed in any room, but the following criteria should be met:
Here you can find more information about Installing a water softening system and the Costs of a water softening system.
Careful maintenance of the water softening system is important so that the system can function smoothly. The water softening system must be serviced once a year and should be carried out by an appropriate company or a factory customer service.
You can also check for yourself whether there is enough regenerating salt in the brine container at regular intervals. If this is not the case, the system only functions to a limited extent. Make sure that the brine container is always covered to protect your softener from dust and bugs. The sodium chloride should not be blocked and the brine should not be dried out.
In addition to the many advantages of a water softening system, you should also think about the disadvantages. Because the purchase of a water softening system is a major cost factor that should be carefully considered:
Because of Disadvantages of water softening systems So-called lime protection systems were developed. Find out more about lime protection systems here and their benefits.
Calcareous deposits can also be without sodium chloride reduce. In this case, we speak of so-called lime protection systems. This system is used to protect the drinking water installation from calcium deposits. This also does not change the quality of drinking water.
A lime protection system, also known as a lime converter or lime converter, is installed at the domestic water connection of a building. By reducing calcium deposits, the value of a building is maintained. These protective systems are used primarily when there is a particularly large amount of lime in tap water. With a water hardness of 14° dH, a device becomes Lime protection recommended.
A lime protection system is based on the principle of seed crystal formation. Microscopically small crystals of lime are formed, on which the lime in the water adheres and is finally washed out of the pipeline network.
In contrast to a water softening system, a lime protection system does not remove calcium and magnesium from the water. Only the existing lime in the water is converted into lime crystals. This is why the name lime converter or lime converter. Sodium is also not added to the water as is the case with a water softener. There is therefore no exchange of ions. In addition, a lime protection system does not require any regeneration salt and some systems are completely maintenance-free.
In principle, it should be mentioned that both systems do not completely remove lime from the water and a certain residual hardness always remains in the water. However, calcium deposits are reduced, which can extend the life of equipment and contribute to a more comfortable use of water.
The purchase of a water softening system should be carefully considered. Even when it comes to the price of the device, there are big differences. For example, water softening systems for a single-family home can cost up to 3,000€ including VAT. Whether a system makes sense should depend on the degree of hardness of your water. If you have decided to have a water softening system installed, you should obtain various offers. The size of the household (number of people, bathrooms and kitchens) plays an important role here.
When comparing offers, pay attention to the following points (alternatively, you can find out this information in conversation with the respective provider):
Our free “Water Treatment” technology comparison once again provides you with all the information about water softening systems. You will also find a checklist for comparing offers to fill out yourself. This gives you a structured overview of your existing offers. Both documents can be downloaded as PDFs here. If you compare the offers according to these criteria, nothing stands in the way of choosing the right water softening system.
AQON PURE Is an environmentally friendly water purification system. It protects against the consequences of a high percentage of lime in the water. AQON PURE is installed at a building's domestic water connection and works by forming so-called seed crystals, which serve as a point of accumulation of lime in water. These crystals are rinsed out of the pipe with water. There is no ion exchange and the quality of the drinking water remains the same. In addition, no regeneration salt is required. You can yourself a Fixed price offer starting at 1.490€ Obtain, receive a 1-year money-back guarantee, have a useful life of up to 20 years and there are no follow-up costs.
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