Hard water could be creating problems for your business and costing you money. Limescale deposits inside machinery, pipes and cooling systems can lead to boiler failure and machine inefficiencies that slow or even halt production. Businesses in the hospitality industry struggle with water spots on dishware and detergent residue in linens. Cleaning takes more time, more products and more effort. Regardless of the situation or application, the issue of hard water can be difficult to deal with.
Fortunately, there are many methods for alleviating the many side effects of hard water. However, some of these hard water "solutions" create greater problems of their own - such as damaging our environment. They also can be costly to implement and maintain. Read on to learn more about the "green" ways you can eliminate your hard water problems - without creating environmental problems in the process.
A common solution for hard water is the installation of a water softener. Water softeners work by replacing the calcium - which is what makes the water "hard" - with sodium. In theory, this eliminates the common symptoms of a hard water problem by preventing scale build-up in pipes and increasing soap lather.
However, the environmental damage caused by water softeners has led many state & local governments to ban them. Water softeners require more water to operate than other treatment methods, resulting in excessive waste of a precious resource. Self-regenerative water softeners are among the worst culprits. In addition to the water that flows from your shower drain or kitchen sink, the tanks also discharge mass quantities of unused salt water during their "regeneration" cycle.
The primary salt utilized in home water softeners is sodium chloride (NaCl), a naturally occurring and commonly used substance. NaCl normally breaks down into sodium (Na+) and chloride (Cl-). These elements are discharged to septic systems or to your local wastewater treatment plant via sanitary sewers. It passes through these systems and is discharged to groundwater or surface water, where the chloride may impact freshwater organisms and plants, from plankton to fish, by altering reproduction rates, increasing species mortality and changing the characteristics of the entire local ecosystem. In addition, as chloride filters down to the water table, it can stress plant respiration and change the desirability of our drinking water ("Water Softeners and the Environment").
This salt accumulation even affects organisms that thrive on land, as it snakes its way through the food chain. Salinity makes recycled water unsuitable for irrigation use because sodium reduces soil moisture penetration. Root and shoot growth are reduced while the propensity towards tip burn is increased. Crops such as strawberries, lettuce and avocados are very sensitive to high salt content in their irrigation water.
In general, the salt, chemicals and other additives on the market today are not necessary to have "soft water" in your business or home. Thanks to modern descaling technology, you can achieve the same silky feel of soft water without the negative impact of water softeners.
An electronic descaler (or magnetic water conditioner, as they are sometimes called) will eliminate scale in your pipes and make your water feel soft and sudsy when you bathe, but it accomplishes these things without using any salt at all. Rather, a specially-designed pulsing magnetic field reverses the effects of the calcium ions. Click here to watch a brief demo on how this technology works.
Scale build-up in pipes increases energy consumption by decreasing appliance efficiency. An electronic descaler can reverse and ultimately eliminate this scale. The descaler itself does not take much energy to run either. And, unlike a water softener installation, you don't need to explicitly bypass outdoor spigots or cold water tap drinking lines. It's safe to descale the entire water supply to your business, which simplifies installation.
Water softeners increase your utility costs in general. Softening water requires more energy, more salt, and more maintenance than other alternatives. Hidden environmental costs exist too -- more salt enters our waterways due to frequent softener regeneration.
Learn more about environmentally-conscientious hard water solutions for your business.
Some of the information on this page was adapted from the following sources:
Alex, J.J. "Water Softeners and the Environment." Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 11 Nov. 2003. Web. 2 June 2010.
Smith, M. "What Residential Customers Need to Know Before Installing a Water Softener." Irvine Ranch Water District, 7 Feb. 2006. Web. 2 June 2010.
Karajeh, Fawzi and King, Nancy. "On-Site Self Regenerative Water Softeners Use in California." Water Recycling and Desalination Branch, California Department of Water Resources, 12 July 2005. Web. 2 June 2010.
