Water Softening Solutions in Sheridan: Trust Our Team

What Is a Water Softener?

A water softener is a water treatment system that filters out compounds and minerals such as calcium and magnesium that cause hard water. While hard water won’t necessarily harm you or have detrimental impacts on your health, it can cause a handful of irritating issues throughout your home like scale buildup in appliances, brittle hair, and dry skin. A water softener works by using a process called ion exchange, where hard water passes through a resin bed that replaces hardness-causing minerals with sodium or potassium ions, necessary electrolytes. This process transforms your water into “soft” water, which is gentler on your plumbing, improves the efficiency of appliances, and provides cleaner, healthier, and more comfortable water for your home or business.

Not sure if you have hard water? Schedule a FREE water test with Water Products & Solutions and learn more about your existing water quality and the options available to improve it. We’re Sheridan’s local expert on all things water quality and treatment…especially concerning the environmental terrain and water acquisition in Northeast Wyoming. Give us a call at 307-672-7606 to learn more and get started today.

How Does Water Softening Work?

The water softening process involves several key steps that transform hard water into soft water, making it more suitable for everyday use. Here’s a breakdown of how it works:

• Hard Water Enters the Softener: When water flows into your home, it often contains hardness minerals like calcium and magnesium. These minerals come from natural sources – such as rocks and soil – as water travels through underground systems.
• Ion Exchange Process: Inside the softener, there’s a resin tank filled with tiny beads, which are coated with sodium or potassium ions. As hard water flows through the tank, the resin beads attract and hold onto the calcium and magnesium ions in the water (these are the “hard” minerals). In exchange, the beads release sodium or potassium ions into the water, replacing the hardness minerals. This process softens the water, leaving it free from the minerals that cause scale and other issues.
• Water Leaves the Softener: Once the hard minerals have been swapped out for sodium or potassium ions, the now-soft water flows out of the softener and into your home.
• Regeneration Cycle: Over time, the resin beads become saturated with calcium and magnesium ions, making them less effective at softening water. To maintain efficiency, the water softener goes through a regeneration process. During regeneration, a concentrated brine solution (made using salt) is flushed through the resin tank, washing away the accumulated calcium and magnesium ions and recharging the resin beads with fresh sodium or potassium ions. This cycle happens automatically, usually during off-peak hours, to keep your system running smoothly without interruption.
• Repeat Process & Continue: After regeneration, the system is ready to continue softening water. The cycle repeats, ensuring your home or business has a constant supply of softened water.

What’s the Difference Between Water Softening & Water Filtration?

Though similar, water softening and water filtration are two distinctly different water treatment processes. The sole purpose of a water softening process is to remove minerals like calcium, magnesium, zinc, aluminum, and others that cause hardness.

Water filtration, however, is a more comprehensive process that aims to remove a variety of contaminants and impurities from drinking water. The elements and compounds that are filtered out depend on your specific water supply and the filtration method. While ion exchange is the most common way to soften water, there are a handful of different filtration methods designed to improve water quality. These include systems like reverse osmosis, UV light disinfection, and others that effectively remove contaminants and enhance both the taste and safety of a water supply.

Interested to learn more about improving the water quality in your Sheridan area residence or business? Looking to invest in a new professionally installed water softener? Get in touch with the experts here at Water Products & Solutions to schedule your water test and begin your journey to fresher, cleaner, and better water today! Give us a call at 307-672-7606 or contact us online.

How Much Does it Cost To Maintain a Water Softener?

The installation and maintenance costs of using a water softener in your home ultimately vary slightly and depend on a few different factors. Regardless, the biggest cost will come at the beginning when you first have your softener installed. Not only do you have to consider the cost of the product itself, but the also the labor required to get everything set up and functioning correctly.

When it comes to the maintenance, you’ll only have to worry about two expenses: salt (to create the brine solution required for regeneration) and servicing/repairs. The total amount of salt you need varies based on your specific water hardness levels as well as the quantity consumed. Households or businesses that require larger volumes of water will need more salt than those that use less; the same concept applies to the water hardness: harder water warrants more salt and vice versa. And as far as servicing, we recommend inspections around 1-2 years where someone from our team comes out to make sure everything is still functioning properly.

Unfortunately, because all of this can vary so greatly from household to household and business to business, it’s hard to provide a price range that would be accurate for everyone in the Sheridan area. However, we’re always more than happy to discuss estimates with you once we get some more details about your specific situation. Contact us today for more information.

Experience Softer Water Today; Call Us To Get Started!

Don’t let hard water issues affect your home or business any longer. With our professional water softening solutions, you can enjoy cleaner, softer water that protects your plumbing, extends the life of your appliances, and enhances your overall daily comfort.

Whether you’re looking for a new installation or need help maintaining your existing system, Water Products & Solutions is the go-to company for water treatment in the Sheridan area. Our team is friendly, dedicated, and ready to provide expert guidance and reliable service throughout our community.

Call us today at 307-672-7606 or reach out online to schedule a consultation and experience the benefits of soft water for yourself!