Hardness removal filters

Hard water means water with a high content of calcium and magnesium salts (also called “hardness salts”). It’s quite easy to understand that your water is hard:

• scale in the kettle;
• limescale deposits on the water tap;
• white stains on the dishes after washing;
• iridescent film in a cup of tea.

If anything from the list is true for you, it signals the need for a softening filter.

Water hardness can lead to some serious consequences:

• Household appliances like multicooker, electric kettle, and washing machine can be broken easily in hard water. Heating elements fail, and repairing them is expensive and not always possible.
• Homemade dishes and drinks become bland: hard water poorly “absorbs” taste and aroma components.
• For people prone to the accumulation and deposition of mineral salts in the body, there is a risk of kidney stones’ formation.
• Hair loses shine and becomes brittle. Skin gets irritated and dry.

How can water be softened?

There are two ways to soften water at home: reverse osmosis filtration or ion exchange.

Reverse osmosis

Hardness salts are retained by a special membrane and then washed off into the drain along with harmful impurities. The membrane cuts off even nitrates, pesticides, and viruses that cannot be removed by other filtration technologies. The mineralizer in reverse osmosis filters (in AQUAPHOR filters we use the natural mineral dolomite) returns a small amount of Ca and Mg, which is also good for the usual pleasant taste of water.

Ion exchange

Hard water treatment occurs due to a special material (ion exchanger) that catches calcium and magnesium ions with its surface. In exchange for each of these ions it gives up two sodium ions, neutralizing water hardness. In filters with ion exchange resin, no mineralizer is needed.

How to choose a filter for hard water?

Depending on the type of premises, the quality of incoming water and the intensity of its consumption, several options should be considered. The price depends on the filtration system type and the water treatment volumes.