With over 85 percent of America’s water classified as hard according to a U.S. Geological Survey, softeners are vital to protect our homes and the health of our bodies.
While chlorine can be harmful, however, a small amount of it could benefit your health. In certain quantities, it kills bacteria in drinking water sources.
If the level of chlorine increases, it could pose a risk not just to the health of humans but also to every living form which comes in contact with it. A hard water softener may provide a solution to this issue. Does a water softener remove chlorine?
The most straightforward answer is yes, but this isn’t a water conditioner’s primary use.
Let’s explore more to protect your family’s security.
What is Chlorine?
Chlorine (Cl 2) is among the top ten volume chemicals made within the United States. It is produced commercially by electrolysis of brine containing sodium chloride.
Nowadays, chlorine compounds are utilized to cleanse drinking water and water treatment facilities. They ensure that water is safe for people to drink.
The physical and chemical characteristics of chlorine are:
- Chlorine is a gas that appears yellow-green.
- It is a strong and irritating odor, similar to bleach smells, and is detectable in low concentrations.
- Chlorine isn’t flammable, but it can cause explosive reactions or even form volatile organic compounds when mixed with other substances (ether, acetylene, ammonia, turpentine, natural gas hydrogen, and very finely split metals).
- The chlorine gas concentration is about 2.5 times higher than air, and this results in it initially being close to the surface in areas with low air movement.
Why Remove Chlorine?
Chlorine uses in the water supply because it’s an excellent disinfectant.
That is why you can take the water straight from the tap and not worry about the possibility of consuming pathogens, bacteria, and illnesses!
You may also like to know, “Does Your Water Softener Eliminate Lead”? Further described in this article.
So, you can use a house water filter to remove chlorine smells from your drinking water to keep your family safe from its drawbacks like:
- Chlorine makes some byproducts and substances in your water that can be harmful.
- Skin injuries that are similar to frostbite may occur when it is exposed to chlorine liquid.
- The sensation of burning is present in the throat, nose, and eyes
- It may alter the flavor of your water, food items, and beverages you prepare using tap water.
- It can dry out your hair and skin, irritating those suffering from skin problems.
- Coughing
- Chest tightness
- It can cause trouble breathing and may occur immediately if large chlorine levels have been breathed in or delayed if low levels in chlorine gas have been lived in.
- Lung fluid (pulmonary edema) may delay for several hours.
- Nausea and vomiting
- Eyes watery
- Wheezing
How much chlorine is present in your water depends on the water company you are using. If you wish to get rid of chlorine from water, you’ll require more than an outdoor water softener alternative for your water.
Strategies to remove Chlorine from Water
The six methods for purification and chlorine filter. They can also have NSF-42 certification.
- Water softener
- Reverse Osmosis
- The filter pitchers
- Faucet-mounted
- Gravity-based
- Whole-House Filters
Continue reading to find out how each method works to get rid of chlorine:
1. Use a water softener to remove chlorine
A softener’s primary function is to remove minerals such as manganese, calcium, and chlorine in the water you tap.
That is vital in most of America, especially in Phoenix, Arizona, where the water is tough.
When the hard water passes through a brine tank containing resin beads, sodium ions switch places with manganese, level of calcium, and other minerals.
Instead of clogging your pipes, causing skin irritation, and adhering to the kettle’s interior, the mineral tank resin, and so do the majority of chlorine.
2. Reverse Osmosis Systems
A reverse osmosis system (( ro system for an apartment)) with a sufficient carbon filter can remove chlorine, hard minerals, and other harmful contaminants.
It does this by forcing water through various membranes and sediment filters.
Some people need to remineralize RO water due to a lack of essential minerals.
One of the fantastic reasons for reverse osmosis systems is that they eliminate the chlorine in your drinking water before it gets to the softener.
It helps to protect your softener’s internal components that should take care of chlorine. However, they are not explicitly made to handle chlorinated water.
3. Filter Pitcher
A water filter pitcher is a popular way to make alkaline water at your home to get good health effects.
Water pitchers with activated block or granular carbon filters can eliminate chlorine.
However, many pitchers do not have these available sediment filters rather than opt for sediment or mechanical filters that are more affordable.
Therefore, make sure you look for certification from NSF-42 before purchasing one.
If you want to get filter pitchers, you can select from The Best Water Pitcher 2021
4. Faucet-mounted
However, carbon isn’t a separate filter but is integrated with other components. That means that some faucet-mounted filters can eliminate chlorine. In contrast, others aren’t able to – it’s dependent on the model and the manufacturer.
But, most faucet-mounted filters come with NSF-42 certification, and you’re guaranteed that they’ll remove chlorine.
Brands such as Brita, Instep, and Pur have filters mounted to faucets.
Certain faucet-mounted filters claim to reduce chlorine but don’t give a percentage reduction or information about NSF-42 certification.
To get better results, replace the filter on time the faucet indicator light tells you.
5. Gravity-based
Most gravity filters utilize GAC (Granular Activated Carbon Filter) to treat water that can get rid of chlorine! Specific companies that employ carbon-based filters for their countertop gravity filters are proper, as well as Berkey.
However, be aware that they don’t all use activated carbon; in most cases, they do not tell you what’s in their filters!
6. Whole-House Filters
Whole-house filters can clean the water in your home, but they will not soften it.
That is an excellent option if you want to treat the tap water supply systems in your home uniformly. Chlorine is among the substances that a filter removes.
How does a Softener Remove Chlorine?
If you are looking to soften the water, you drink and remove chlorine; simultaneously, it is necessary to use additional softener filters.
A sought-after method is catalytic filtering; the process eliminates elements such as iron, magnesium ions, heavy metal, levels of calcium, and unsafe chlorine through an ion-exchange procedure like the one described above.
It results in silky water that feels soft on your skin and hair while washing.
Another popular water filtration method utilizes Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) for chlorine removal from the water.
GAC GAC Media is added into the resin bed and removes chlorine as water moves through the softening process.
It is efficient for as long as three years, but the water softener resin can last from three to 10 years, and it’s challenging to remove GAC from the resin.
If you choose this approach, it is effective; however, it can decrease the lifespan of the resin mattress as it will have to be replaced soon because of the GAC.
There is also KDF-55, an effective chlorine filter, which uses fine media for water filtration systems.
It can soften water; however, it must be put in an enclosure for media, typically an attached basket to the bottom of the valve for water softening.
This device will remove huge amounts of chlorine and chloramine before the water enters the softener, removing the hardness minerals.
If you’d like to find out more about removing the hardness levels and chlorinated water, contact a nearby house water softener specialist for advice from an expert.
What are the advantages of a softener to remove chlorine?
- Saves money: It is not expensive to use soft water because it does not contain mineral ions which cause layers of rust in appliances and pipes, resulting in expensive repair costs.
- Soft and clean skin: Soft water is beneficial for hair and skin. A small water softener can treat hard water to reduce the negative effects on the body.
- Beautiful and soft garments: Water softener resin can reduce the negative consequences of hard water on clothes. Minerals contaminated water could damage your garment’s softness and reduce the lifespan of your clothing.
- Saves products for toiletries: Unlike hard water, softened water won’t react with the ingredients in soaps and shampoos, thereby reducing long-term costs.
- The process of filtering water at the tap will ensure that the water you drink is safe and clean. Additionally, it bad tastes much better.
- Water that tastes delicious is a fantastic incentive to stay hydrated the entire day.
- Using a softener to remove chlorine in tap water is much better for us. Soft water spots are easier to wash up and perform chores.
- It extends the life of some appliances.
- Reduces or eliminates the formation of mineral spots on glassware.
- Can reduce or eliminates soap film and curds of detergent in bathtubs, sinks, and washing machines.
What are the disadvantages of a softener work?
While softener resin bed comes with numerous positive aspects, however, it has some disadvantages, too. If it’s not managed correctly, it could end up being an unfortunate thing.
- Unsuitable for irrigation: Soft water spots don’t contain essential elements needed to build soil. Therefore, avoiding softened water to water your garden is better.
- Too soft: The purified water could seem too soft for certain people. It may be too slimy and slippery.
- Problems with minerals: Certain individuals might require calcium or magnesium for food; however, water softening doesn’t contain these minerals.
- Could corrode your pip: The rusted steel from pipes can be absorbed into your drinking water. It could cause elevated levels of copper and lead in your drinking water.
- Regular checking of the water quality and routine maintenance for the softener is essential to ensure that the softener is operating effectively.
- It can harm the environment due to salt use.
- The liquid used to replenish the softener beads are disposed of as waste.
How should you use a softener to remove chlorine?
Be sure about the installation of your softener and maintenance according to instructions. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines before adding any harmful chemical to the device.
Receive your water from a communal water treatment facility. You should determine if the community already has a softener in the water.
Soft water supplied by a utility does not need additional softening. Still, it could cause issues with corrosion to your home.
Check that the softener is set to the level of hardness from a water source. If the setting is too high, it will be more expensive to run and wastewater, costing you additional money.
If your house has new copper plumbing, you should not run the portable water softener at the very least during the first few weeks that you are using water at your residence.
It will assist the plumbing scale buildup of a protective mineral layer to limit the possibility of drinking excess copper.
Be sure to fill the water conditioner with potassium or sodium chloride according to guidelines to effectively remove chlorine and hardness minerals from water.
Toilets, hose bibs, sinks in basements, and cold water faucets are generally not required to connect to softeners. In most cases, people prefer to soften only hot water.
It is important to note that copper could return to the water after it goes through the softener but not through your home’s plumbing pipes.
These softeners could have specific filtration media and may be more expensive than standard softeners.
Follow the manufacturer’s directions on how to handle these problems:
Clogging
If your drinking water source is not clean, this can cause a blockage in the water conditioner by absorbing clay and mud.
Backwashing can usually solve this issue. The addition of a sediment filter before the softener may also be helpful.
Manganese or iron fouling
Manganese or iron exposed to chlorine or air can clog the resin beads and stop them from functioning. It is well known as fouling.
Sometimes, it is essential to pre-filter the water before it gets into your system to prevent fouling and improve your softener work.
Commercial cleaners are readily available if the resin beads get clogged.
It would help if you used cleaners according to the manufacturer’s instructions to prevent contamination.
Bacteria and Fungi
If the water source is not disinfected before softening, bacteria and fungi may develop on the water’s surface.
It could reduce the effectiveness of the softener.
FAQ
Does salt remove chlorine from water?
A few homeowners wrongly believe that softeners take chemical compounds like chlorine out of the water they drink for bathing and drinking.
But, salt-based softener hasn’t answered the demand for chlorine removal.
Many salt-based softener brands advise homeowners to purchase a reverse-osmosis filtering system to top their softener since the technology they utilize will not tackle chlorine.
Do softeners kill bacteria?
Bacteria can be detrimental to you, but it is also good for your health! Fun fact: yogurt is made up of bacteria, so it’s not always an ideal idea to eliminate all bacteria.
Unfortunately, softening water doesn’t eliminate bacteria; however, this might not be good.
Does Kinetico remove chlorine?
Kinetico K5 drinking water treatment system can significantly lower essential minerals, lead, chemicals, heavy metals, hard minerals, and unpleasant tastes and smells.
The pre-filter will remove contaminants and tiny particles while reducing chlorine in the water.
The chlorine content in the water has to be reduced to safeguard the membrane of reverse osmosis in the system.
Does Culligan water softener remove chlorine?
Yes, Culligan water softener removes harmful elements in drinking water such as chlorine and minerals.
Do water filters in homes take out chlorine?
A house water filter cannot eliminate 100% chlorine or chloramine from the water. These filters are generally designed to remove 90%-97 percent chlorine.
However, the right type of water filter can remove chlorine altogether.
Do refrigerator water filters remove chlorine?
Most refrigerator water filters and icemaker filters use activated carbon filtration to improve water quality.
The activated carbon filtration inside the filter can remove chlorine, just like another type of water filter for homes.
All filters are not created in the same way! Check for refrigerator filters that use only the sediment (mechanical) filtering or do not have NSF-42 certification.
These filters are not able to remove chlorine from your drinking water.
Why does my filter water taste like chlorine?
A water sample that contains less than one mg/L (or 1ppm that is 0.0000083lb/gal) in chlorine could be sour and taste like chlorine.
If your filter doesn’t utilize activated carbon, it won’t have been able to filter out chlorine.
How long does it take for chlorine to evaporate from water?
The EPA requires public Water Systems to keep chlorine levels lower than four parts per million (parts per million) or four mg/L (0.000033lb/gal).
4ppm of chlorine takes approximately 220 hours to evaporate from 10 gallons of standing water.
Conclusion
You should be able to answer the question, “Does a water softener remove chlorine?”
For clarity, the answer is yes, but it’s not the point.’
What do softeners eliminate?
It uses an ion exchange procedure where sodium ion eliminates primarily minerals such as manganese and calcium that could cause a blockage in your drain and cause dry skin damage.
To get the most effective results, you should use a house water filter and your softening process to rid it of harmful chemicals, such as chlorine.