There are many ways out there by which you can soften water. There are traditional water softener systems that are perfect for softening hard water. But if you want something else, you can also use salt-free water softeners. Here is everything you need to know about magnetic water softeners.
What Are Magnetic Water Softeners?
When you hear the word “magnetic”, the first thing you might think of is magnets, right? You might also deduce that magnetic water softeners or water conditioners are devices or equipment that are basically magnets. Well, not exactly.
A magnetic water softener or a water conditioner is basically a de-scaling device.
It is a physical device that is placed on the exterior of the main water pipe from which your water supply comes.
Magnetic water softeners or water conditioners are also not chemical devices. They’re not like usual water softeners that add something in the water or change the composition of the water. If you know anything about water softeners, then you would know that they are mostly salt-based and they exchange the hardness causing ions with either salt ions or neutral ions.
Well, a magnetic water softener is not like that. A magnetic water softener does use magnets, but some powerful water conditioners have more magnets in a specific arrangement, which increases the performance.
A magnetic water softener is a small box-like structure that contains the magnet arrangement and it also comes with an arrangement of tubes on the side for better and easier installation.
How Do Magnetic Water Softeners Work?
One of the great things about a magnetic water softener is that it is a pretty non-invasive device that can help with the scale production in water, which is the most serious issue with hard water.
So, you know how magnets have a north pole and a south pole. Well, when the magnet is working, it makes a magnetic field which has a specific polarity, and if you know anything about ions, then you would know that they are also charged entities and any change in their existing surrounding field will cause them to move to their desired polarity.
So, when you install a magnetic water softener on the main water pipe from which the supply water is coming, a magnetic field is produced near the pipe and the hardness-causing ions, a.k.a. calcium and magnesium ions are subjected to polarity changes and they drift away from the water and that is how the water is softened. This helps you get rid of the common disadvantages of hard water.
Now, there are a number of factors on which the performance of a magnetic water softener or water conditioner depends and they are as follows:
- The flow of the water is really integral when it comes to proper softening of the water through magnetic water softeners. You don’t want the water flow to be too much, otherwise, the water will quickly slosh away and the magnetic water softener will not have enough time to soften the water to your liking. This leads to poor performance of the water conditioner.
- The material out of which the pipes are made can also affect the strength of the magnetic field and the associated polarity of the softener, which can also lead to altered and undesired results. A lot of water pipes are made out of either copper, PVC, or some other materials and they all have different magnetic permeability. Also, the thickness and size of the overall pipes matter too.
Benefits Of Magnetic Water Softeners
Magnetic water softeners are new in the game of water hardness treatment methods and there are a lot of benefits that make magnetic water softeners or water conditioners amazing. They do make washing machines and dishwashers problems caused by hard water less frequent. Here are some benefits of magnetic water conditioners:
No Salt Or Chemical Required
First of all, there is no need for any salt or chemicals to soften the water. This is entirely a physical process that doesn’t lead to any alteration in the composition or the flavor of water. This is a huge concern for a lot of people when it comes to water softeners, because the traditional ones can cause alteration in the taste of water and make it salty.
Compact And Easy To Install
Unlike traditional water softeners, magnetic water softeners don’t take up a lot of space and they are also very easy to install. You just need to install the assembly on the main pipe of the water supply and that is pretty much it.
There is no need for special equipment or anything like it. You can also DIY it if you want and there will be no unwanted problems that you’ll run into. They are as easy to install and use as a portable or a faucet-mounted water filtration system Warren.
Environmentally Friendly
Magnetic water softeners or water conditioners are very environmentally friendly. They don’t use any chemical, any salt, or any foreign additive in the softening of water and it is actually quite waste-free, so it is amazing in the long run.
If you are concerned about the wastage of either water or electricity due to water softening, because that is really common, especially with flushing and regeneration processes, then you will be happy to know that magnetic water softeners or water conditioners don’t lead to any of these issues and you can use them without an inch of doubt in your mind.
Drawbacks Of Magnetic Water Softeners
Magnetic water softeners might sound like the best alternative to traditional water softeners, but they are far from it. Even though they’re amazing, there are still a lot of problems with them. Here are some of them explained.
Effectiveness Is Questionable
Since magnetic water softeners are still new in the game, their use and effectiveness is highly questionable. While some people may rave about them, others might have completely different reviews.
The truth is that magnetic water softeners or water conditioners are still quite new, and they have to be researched more properly in order to figure out their effectiveness and if they’re really the better alternative to traditional water softeners.
Can’t Soften All Levels Of Hardness
Another huge drawback of magnetic water softeners or water conditioners is the fact that they can’t soften all types of water.
They can soften moderately hard water, but if the hardness is too much, then the magnetic water softener will fail to bring forth results, and that is really a bummer because, at the end of the day, it is a water softener, so it should be able to deal with all levels of hardness – no questions asked. But, clearly, that is not the case, which makes people gravitate towards the traditional option more.
Expensive
Magnetic water softeners or water conditioners are also quite expensive as compared to regular water softeners and other treatment options out there. This can be chalked up to the fact that they are still pretty recent and not a lot of people are using them, but still, expensive is expensive.
Magnetic water softeners are expensive, especially when you go ahead and install them, but when it comes to maintenance costs and upkeep, it is basically next to none, as compared to traditional water softeners. So, it’s something that you should know.
Conclusion
If you have a hard water in your house, then you can definitely go for a magnetic water softener. However, for actually softening hard water of any level, consider a water softener installation Erie.
