Soft Water for Cleaner Dishes: Add a Kitchen Sink Water Softener
If you've ever found yourself scrubbing away at spots and film on glasses or dishes that just won't budge, your kitchen is likely plagued by hard water. Hard water contains high levels of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium that leave behind pesky deposits, scale buildup, and make cleaning a chore.
Luckily, adding a water softener specifically for your kitchen sink can banish hard water once and for all. Read on to learn all about how water softeners work and why installing one under your sink could lead to sparkling dishes and fixtures.
What is Hard Water and Why Do You Need a Softener?
Hard water refers to water that contains an abundance of dissolved calcium and magnesium minerals. The amount of hardness is measured in grains per gallon (gpg), with over 10 gpg considered hard.
Groundwater picks up these hardness minerals as it flows through rock formations like limestone or chalk. Areas with granite bedrock tend to have the hardest water. Even municipal water supplies can contain high mineral content.
Effects of Hard Water in the Kitchen
In the kitchen, hard water manifests itself through various annoyances:
- Cloudy, spotted drinking glasses
- Spotty dishes even after washing
- Soap scum buildup on sinks and fixtures
- Scale accumulation on faucets and showerheads
- Mineral deposits inside appliances that shorten lifespan
Not only does hard water make cleaning a chore, but over time the mineral scale can corrode plumbing and clog pipes. Water softening provides a solution to these frustrations.
How Do Water Softeners Work?
Water softeners use a process called ion exchange to remove the calcium and magnesium ions that cause hardness. Inside the softener's resin tank are thousands of tiny polystyrene beads coated with sodium ions.
As water passes through the resin bed, the sodium ions attract and latch onto the mineral ions. The minerals stick to the beads while the sodium goes into solution, replacing the hardness ions with soft sodium ions.
Over time, the resin beads become saturated with calcium and magnesium. Therefore softeners periodically flush the resin bed with a highly concentrated salt brine solution. This regeneration process knocks the minerals loose from the beads and recharges them with sodium ions.
Types of Water Softeners
The most common type of water softener uses the salt-based ion exchange method. However, there are some alternative options:
- Salt-free softeners use magnetic or template-induced crystallization to condition hard water.
- Reverse osmosis systems force water through a membrane to strain out minerals.
- Salt-based ion exchange is the most widely used and effective method.
Salt-free models are convenient since they don't require salt replenishment. But ion exchange softeners have greater overall capacity and effectiveness, especially for very hard water.
Choosing a Kitchen Sink Water Softener
Selecting the right water softener depends on household size, water usage, and water hardness level. Larger homes with more people, appliances, and bathrooms need higher softening capacity.
Installation Factors
Kitchen sink softeners install under the sink and hook into the existing water lines. This isolates softening to a single faucet. Whole house systems require more complex plumbing modifications.
For new sink installations, incorporate a softener from the start. Retrofitting an existing sink has additional considerations to modify supply lines and drainage.
Features to Look For
- Higher flow rate and efficiency ratings
- Fully automatic operation capability
- NSF certification for safety
- Warranty to cover parts and labor
Advanced models allow adjusting the hardness setting and automatically trigger the regeneration cycle when needed.
Benefits of a Kitchen Sink Softener
Installing a water softener for your kitchen faucet provides a wealth of benefits:
Improved Taste and Quality
Removing magnesium and calcium ions improves flavor and provides cleaner, healthier water for drinking and cooking.
Spot-Free Dishes
Say goodbye to spots and film on glassware, dishes, and flatware. Soap will also lather and rinse better with softened water.
Reduce Scale Buildup on Fixtures
Mineral deposits on faucets, showerheads, and other surfaces wash away over time after softening.
Prolong Appliance Life
Preventing scale inside appliances like dishwashers, steam ovens, and coffee makers extends their lifespan.
Better Lathering Soap
Soap suds up and rinses cleaner without the effects of hard water minerals.
Softer Skin and Hair
Hair and skin feels smoother after washing due to the absence of minerals.
Installation Tips and Maintenance
Under Sink Installation Guide
Typical installation steps include:
- Shut off water supply and drain lines
- Cut into supply lines and add fittings
- Connect water softener to supply and drain lines
- Restore water flow and check for leaks
- Set grain hardness level on softener head
Most under sink softeners use quick connect fittings for straightforward DIY installs. Adjust the bypass valve once running to fine tune softness.
Ongoing Maintenance
General maintenance steps help keep your softener working efficiently:
- Check salt levels monthly and add salt pellets as needed
- Replace pre-filters per manufacturer instructions
- Clean resin bed annually by running cleanser through system
- Replace parts like valves and O-rings every 3-5 years
FAQ
Will a water softener remove other contaminants?
No, softeners only reduce hardness mineral ions. To remove other impurities, additional filtration is needed.
What level of water hardness requires a softener?
Installing a softener is recommended if hardness exceeds 3-5 grains per gallon.
How much does a kitchen softener cost?
Under sink water softeners range from $200 for simple models up to $1000 for larger units with full automation.
Can I install a kitchen softener myself?
Most under sink softeners are designed for easy DIY installation. No soldering is required with quick connect fittings.
Hard water wreaks havoc in kitchens and bathrooms by leaving behind stubborn mineral deposits and scale buildup. A water softener for your kitchen sink provides an effective solution to banish hard water problems.
The ion exchange process used by most softeners removes the dissolved calcium and magnesium ions as water flows through resin beads. This prevents scale and provides cleaner water for drinking, cooking, and washing.
Shop for an under sink water softener that meets your household size and water demands. Installation is a straightforward DIY project with most models. Put an end to mineral spots on dishes and fixtures with softened water in your kitchen!