Dear Waki, Martin Calcium in ...

Dear Waki, Martin Calcium in water leaves the distinct tell-tale sign of crusty white scaling, or calcification, on your water fixtures and dishes. High levels of calcium can cause calcification which blocks faucets and causes low water pressure. In addition, another sign of calcium in your water is the lack of suds from soaps and shampoos. Primary Standards are based on health considerations and Secondary Standards are based on taste, odour, colour, corrosively, foaming, and staining properties of water. There is no Primary or Secondary standard for water hardness. Water hardness is classified by the U.S. Department of Interior and the Water Quality Association as Soft-0 - 17.1 mg/lit or ppm, slightly hard-17.1 – 60, moderately hard-60 – 120, Hard-120 – 180, Very Hard-180 ppm & over. Depending on the concentration of Calcium, there are several removal methods such as 1. lime softening, 2. resin softening, 3. electro dialysis, and 4. Reverse osmosis, they can be effective but some of them are costly. Reverse Osmosis systems remove impurities from water by forcing the water through a membrane which only allows water to pass. Reverse Osmosis systems are highly effective, easy to maintain, and low cost. Improve your water’s taste and odour with a Reverse Osmosis system from Water Softeners& Filters. 5. Cost effective electrolysis + filtration system that can effectively remove the calcium. Hard water is water that is high in mineral content, making it more likely to cause scaling that reduces water flow and less able to properly clean your laundry, dishes, and even yourself. Water softeners decrease the amount of calcium and magnesium found in hard water. Water Softeners & Filters specializes in all types of water softeners. 6. With the presence of electricity current, calcium in water passing through the electrolysis reactor will be attracted to and form scale on the cathode, which is then removed by a scraper and filtered out from the system by the subsequent filter. If the calcium concentration is not causing healthy issue but just clogging the pipes, we can offer another solution the prevent scale formation. Both solutions are highly effective and sustainable. 7. Precipitating water softeners include washing soda and borax. These products form an insoluble precipitate with calcium and magnesium ions. The mineral ions then cannot interfere with cleaning efficiency, but the precipitate makes the water cloudy and can build up on surfaces. Precipitating water softeners increase the alkalinity of the cleaning solution and this may damage skin and other materials being cleaned. 8. Non-precipitating water softeners-use complex phosphates to sequester calcium and magnesium ions. There is no precipitate to form deposits and alkalinity is not increased. If used in enough quantity, non-precipitating water softeners will help dissolve soap curd for a period of time. Mechanical water softening units can be permanently installed into the plumbing system to continuously remove calcium and magnesium. Water softeners operate on the ion exchange process. In this process, water passes through a media bed, usually sulfonated polystyrene beads. The beads are supersaturated with sodium. The ion exchange process takes place as hard water passes through the softening material. The hardness minerals attach themselves to the resin beads while sodium on the resin beads is released simultaneously into the water. When the resin becomes saturated with calcium and magnesium, it must be recharged. The recharging is done by passing a salt (brine) solution through the resin. The sodium replaces the calcium and magnesium which are discharged in the waste water. Hard water treated with an ion exchange water softener has sodium added. According to the Water Quality Association (WQA), the ion exchange softening process adds sodium at the rate of about 8 mg/liter for each grain of hardness removed per gallon of water. The illustration depicts a negatively-charged zeolite to which [positive] sodium ions are attached. Calcium or magnesium ions in the water displace sodium ions, which are released into the water. In a similar way, positively-charged zeolites bind negatively-charged chloride ions (Cl–), which get displaced by bicarbonate ions in the water. As the zeolites become converted to their Ca2+ and HCO3– forms they gradually lose their effectiveness and must be regenerated. This is accomplished by passing a concentrated brine solution though them, causing the above reaction to be reversed. Herein lies one of the drawbacks of this process: most of the salt employed in the regeneration process gets flushed out of the system and and is usually released into the soil or drainage system— something that can have damaging consequences to the environment, especially in arid regions. For this reason, many jurisdications prohibit such release, and require users to dispose of the spent brine at an approved site or to use a commercial service company. Regards, Prem Baboo