The Cause and Effect:

Hardness is probably the most common, and the most historic water quality issue to be dealt with.  The United States Geological Survey estimates that 85% of all homes in the United States suffer from hard water. Hard water refers to the level of specific dissolved minerals in the water.  The vast majority of water used by consumers, both residential and commercial, comes from either groundwater or surface water sources.  Both water sources contribute hardness minerals to water.  This is because of the nature of water itself.  Water is often called the “universal solvent” because of its ability to dissolve just about anything, even if only to a small degree. READ MORE...

The Solution:

The classic water softener is normally used to take care of water hardness.  Water softeners have been around for many years and all of them operate on the same basic principle.  The hardness minerals calcium and magnesium (as well as soluble iron and manganese) are removed from the source water using a process called “ion exchange”.  READ MORE...