Enjoy The Perks Of Softened Water in Your Home
When you move into a home and discover that the water supply is higher in minerals than you’d prefer, you’ll be glad to know it’s a situation that is easy to take care of with the help of experienced plumbing experts.
Soon, you will see firsthand why ARS®/Rescue Rooter® has so many satisfied customers. Our Exceptional Service Guarantee promises you will be 100% happy with the work we do, so you know you’ll be in good hands. We are happy to fit your schedule. To learn more about our water softener installation service or book an appointment, contact us today!
What Is a Water Softener?
Put simply, a water softener is a system that you use to filter the hard water that comes into your home from the local utility, converting it into soft water.
It’s designed to eliminate magnesium and calcium, minerals commonly found in water that lead to “hard water.” The term hard water refers to the fact that it is high in mineral content.
What’s Wrong With Hard Water?
The problem with hard water and too many minerals suspended in the fluid traveling through your home’s pipes is that positively charged magnesium and calcium bond with other metals that have a negative charge. That’s why you will see buildup on a kitchen sink faucet or a shower head.
Damage to Appliances
Water deposit buildups also affect appliances, such as dishwashers and coffee makers. Sometimes, customers contact us complaining that their skin feels dry or irritated, and they can’t seem to get their hair clean enough because of hard water.
When mineral deposits accumulate in your home’s water heater, it will tend to become less efficient, meaning your heating bill would increase.
Filter Gets Rid of Harmful Minerals
A water softener captures calcium and magnesium by attracting them with a filter built with negatively charged beads made of resin.
Don’t Delay Water Softener Installation
When it comes to installing a new water softener, it’s not a task that you would want to avoid. Families often call ARS/Rescue Rooter with complaints about the appearance or taste of the water coming out of their taps. Or, they have issues with excessive mineral buildup causing problems with appliances.
With a water softener, you effectively treat the utility-supplied water, so it works better in your fixtures and helps keep everything cleaner.
Benefits of Water Softeners
People who have no prior experience with water softeners can anticipate numerous benefits from having ARS/Rescue Rooter come to their house to install a water softening unit.
The main benefits of water softeners include:
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Improve hair and skin: Your hair and skin will feel and look better after you start taking baths and showers with soft water.
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Efficiency: You won’t have to worry about mineral buildup making your home’s water heater less efficient.
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Less detergent: Get by using less soap, since soft water is better for making a lather than hard water when mixed with detergent.
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Nicer kitchen: Keep your kitchen utensils clean and free of the stains that typically come with hard water in the home.
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Reduce soap scum: You should have less soap scum buildup and an end to mineral stains on your kitchen sink, bathroom sinks, and bathtub.
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Power usage: Enjoy reduced power bills, since a water softener means you don’t need to take as long of a shower to feel completely clean and rinsed. Also, your water heater works more efficiently without mineral buildup.
Signs You Need a New Water Softener
Maybe it’s been many years since you installed your water softener, or you don’t know how long it’s been in service, since the previous owner of your home installed it.
Instead of guessing about whether it’s time to contact ARS/Rescue Rooter, your preferred water softener installation company, check out this list of the major signs indicating you need water softener replacement:
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Water heater is not working efficiently: When high mineral content in the water supply starts to build up inside your water heater, the unit will not function at peak efficiency. The added minerals absorb heat at a different rate than normal water. This poses problems for the heating unit’s longevity as well as potentially leading to increased utility bills.
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Laundry is fading: One of the first signs that a home has hard water is when you see that your clothing’s colors are starting to fade prematurely. Hard water removes the pigment more readily than soft water.
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Glassware breaking at a high rate: Have you been breaking more of your fancy glass stemware than usual? Hard water could be the culprit. The mineral buildup stains your glassware and can make it grow brittle and more likely to break.
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Stains on fixtures: Arranging for experts, such as the team at ARS/Rescue Rooter, to install or replace water softeners will help you avoid future stains on fixtures. Sinks, showerheads, and other fixtures show visible signs of staining when the home’s water supply is mineral-rich.
Caring for Your Water Softener
Taking the time to care for your water softener is crucial if you want to avoid common issues that are caused by hard water. If your softener isn’t performing at optimal levels, for example, you may experience crusty buildup on your fixtures and inside your pipes. Over time, this can lead to reduced water flow that can affect the performance of your washing machine, dishwasher and other appliances.
Some signs that your water softener isn’t doing its job include spotty glasses and dishes, dingy clothes even after a wash, and towels that don’t feel as soft as they should.
Perhaps the most important aspect of caring for your softener is choosing the right kind of salt. Many manufacturers recommend evaporated salt because it contains the least amount of insoluble minerals, which means less chance of buildup.
It’s also a good idea to check inside the tank periodically for signs of salt bridging. This is when a crust builds up inside the brine tank and separates the salt from the water. This can be fixed by using a broom handle to break up the salt. Another problem to look out for is mushing, where sludge forms on the bottom of the tank. Draining your tank is the best way to resolve this.
Don’t Delay in Arranging for a New Water Softener
When the water supply to your home has an overly high mineral content, it’s essential to install a water softener, to protect appliances as well as potentially make the water taste and look better.
Of course, you can also anticipate your clothes won’t fade as quickly and that your kitchen utensils won’t become stained because of mineral deposits from water flowing into your home.
Why Hire a Professional for Water Softener Installation?
Any major upgrade in your home is a big investment. You deserve to get the most from that investment, which includes hiring our plumbers to do the installation. Starting with professional installation gives you the best guarantee of a good result, with the fewest problems over time. It’s tempting to consider doing the work yourself or hiring an untrained person to install a water softener. For your investment, safety, and stress levels, you can get the biggest improvement by calling our plumbers.
Plumbing Installation Is Difficult
Any kind of plumbing installation is tricky. Whenever you are working with pipes and your water supply, you need to keep everything intact. Lack of knowledge about the system can work against you, while our plumbers can meet the specifications with ease.
Handling basic plumbing issues, like a minor toilet clog, are well within the range of homeowner skills. Adding a new appliance to an existing system is a completely different project, requiring tools and experience that you may not have.
Installing a Water Softener Takes Expertise
As with installation for any other major appliance, you need our experts for water softener installation. It’s not enough to put everything in place and hope that it works well.
Our plumbers can ensure that they have the right tools for the job, with the experience to handle obstacles as they arise. Our expertise gives you the best chance at great output from the water softener for the length of its typical lifespan.
Improper Installation Can Cause Damage
Installing something incorrectly can become an expensive problem. You’re putting your home at risk from water damage, on top of putting additional stress on the water softener.
The chief problem with DIY installation is that you might not even know when you have made a crucial error. You may not notice a problem until you don’t get the results you expect, or you start to notice leaks in your plumbing.
We Meet the Terms of the Warranty
Water softener installation often comes with a warranty, to ensure that your system doesn’t break down too early due to manufacturer defect. Manufacturers often require licensed professionals to perform the installation, in order to honor the warranty.
Hiring our plumbers to do the work has an added benefit for your insurance. If anything happens to your plumbing system, proof of installation and maintenance from our licensed professionals can help to minimize your chances of liability.
Hiring Our Professionals Makes It Easy
Ultimately, working with your plumbing is a hassle. You may not know what to do, or how to fix problems when they come up. It’s much easier to call us for assistance with water softener installation.
Hiring our plumbers is a great way to relieve stress during the installation process. You can sit back and rest assured that we are installing your water softener to specification, with the knowledge that your home is in good hands.
What Size Water Softener Do I Need?
Installing a water softener of the right size is key. A unit that is too small will struggle to handle the load, while an oversized unit will go through salt too quickly. Our water softener installation professionals can help you choose the best size for your home.
How Can I Check My Water Hardness Level?
To check your level of water hardness, you can order a test kit. Test kits can identify minerals, bacteria, and contaminants, depending on the type of kit. You can also ask our professionals to help you determine the best way to manage your level of water hardness.
How Can I Maintain My Water Softener System?
Once you have your water softener installed, you need to take good care of it. Much of the upkeep can be done by our plumbers, but you should plan to perform a few important tasks on your own. These tips can help to extend the lifespan of your equipment and give you the maximum amount of time before replacing your water softener.
Use High-Quality Salt
Your water softener needs a regular supply of salt to perform the softening process. The type of salt you use affects your results. High-quality salt gives you the best results but tends to cost the most. For regions with very hard water, evaporated salt or solar salt may be your best choice.
Some homeowners use rock salt, block salt, or a salt alternative. To ensure the best return on your investment, be sure to ask our plumbers which salt is right for your home.
Avoid Salt Bridges
With the ideal system, the salt dissolves easily into the water. In regions with high humidity, you might notice the salt starting to collect into crystals or salt bridges inside the tank. Using low-quality salt can also cause this problem.
For occasional problems, you can break up the crystals and allow the salts to dissolve. If the issue keeps coming up and you aren’t sure why, call our professionals for advice about a long-term solution.
Monitor Resin Bed
As part of the water softening process, your equipment has a bed full of resin beads. These beads are covered in negative ions. That way, when the water passes through, the beads can grab the positive ions in magnesium and calcium.
Although the resin bed is designed to last as long as the water softener, it may stop working early. If you’re not getting the right amount of softening in your water, it’s worth checking the resin bed or replacing it.
Consider Installing a Prefilter
Some water sources contain more sediment and minerals than others. A water softener prefilter helps to keep it from entering your plumbing system. The filter can last for several months, but eventually it will get clogged with dirt and debris.
When you have well water, you may need to keep a closer eye on your prefilter. Keeping your filter in good condition is key to ensuring the best output from the equipment. Planning to check the filter a couple of times a year could be an effective way to get ahead of future problems.
Look at Salt Levels
Every month or two, you’ll need to replace the salt in your brine tank. Without the salt, you won’t have effective water softening. Older systems use more salt, while newer systems are more efficient.
Checking the brine tank is the most practical way to determine salt levels. If the tank is less than half-full, you should plan to add more. If the salt isn’t running out, or you notice water spots on your fixtures or clothing, you should call our plumbers for assistance.
Keep Brine Tank Clean
Like your water heater, your water softener functions best when you clean the tank on an annual schedule. The salt is supposed to dissolve seamlessly, but it doesn’t always work that way. Over time, you may notice accumulation on the sides or bottom of the tank.
Brine tank cleaning is the way to provide the best opportunity for effective water softening. When you schedule water softener maintenance each year, ask our plumbers about the condition of your brine tank and any possible problems you might need to watch for in the future.
Connect With ARS/Rescue Rooter for Excellent Water Softener Service
The plumbing installation experts at ARS/Rescue Rooter know how our customers depend on having a reliable supply of freshwater that’s appropriately softened to avoid mineral buildup.
As one of the leading companies that installs water softeners today, we take pride in our excellent reputation in the industry. We run drug tests and perform background checks on every technician for our customers’ peace of mind.
ARS/Rescue Rooter is known for our courteous approach to each service call. To that end, we will call you before arrival, so that you can make the most of your precious time. We will treat your dwelling with the respect it deserves, with our technicians wearing shoe coverings and putting out drop cloths as required. These are some of the many reasons why we receive so many referrals and enjoy repeat business from our many satisfied customers.
For more information about what’s involved in water softener system installation or to book an appointment for service, please contact us today.
