Many people do not realize that chlorine does not harm their health. Many people also have misconceptions about what water softeners actually do.
Some people think they only soften the clean water. In contrast, others believe they have a water softener that removes chlorine and other contaminants.
This blog post will discuss the effects of chlorine and how a softener can help remove it from your city water supply systems.
We will also provide you with some tips on how to reduce your exposure to chlorine. Keep reading for more information!
What is chlorine, and why do we use it in water treatment plants?
Chlorine is a water treatment chemical, used as a biocide for the disinfection of drinking water.
Pathogens in untreated drinking water can make people and animals sick with stomach issues.
Chlorine kills these pathogens so people avoid illnesses such as dysentery, typhoid fever, or E. coli infections.
It is a great disinfectant, and it is used in many hospitals and schools around the world.
Chlorine is also present in our drinking water systems. Because of this, our tap water is safe to drink.
The chlorine in water supplies will also kill off any bacteria that can make you sick.
How does a softener work?
The softener replaces hard water minerals with soft minerals, sodium or potassium.
Hardness in calcium and magnesium is removed from the water through an “ion exchange” process.
It is accomplished by running the water through a tank containing mineral beads that have been soaked with potassium or sodium.
Magnesium and calcium attach to the beads during the ion exchange process.
After the ion exchange is complete, the water flows through water softener resin beads that have been pre-soaked with hydrochloric acid.
Acid washing leaches out the magnesium and calcium, then flushed away and provides soft water.
Does a softener remove chlorine, Myth, or reality?
This question is prevalent among everyone who plans to buy a softening process.
Few house water filters are effective in chlorine removal from drinking water supplies.
The recommended softener models are reverse osmosis water filtration systems or ion-exchange ones with a special resin that removes chlorine and chloramine from the tap water.
What can you do if your water conditioner does not have this feature? Difficulties will arise when a simple water softener uses resin to regenerate.
People use chlorine to clean the resin tank (regeneration). It is possible only if the salt-free water softener is RO or has a special resin that can remove chlorine from water.
The chlorine regeneration can make tap water unsuitable for drinking water filtration.
Concentrated chlorine, like bleach, can be added to the efficient process after disinfecting the resin tank (usually after a few hours or a day).
Rinse water from the softening process will still contain concentrated chlorine, which is unsuitable for your health.
The same softener model can remove chlorine taste effectively in some cases and not very well in others.
Sometimes it is even worse than tap water without water softening. It depends on many factors, like water quality in your area and the well basic water process.
In some areas, tap water contains a lot of chlorine, and softening process does not remove it very well in other cases, where the addition.
An additional carbon house filter can solve your chlorine problem in this situation.
Softened water vs. chlorinated water
The softened water and chlorinated water have their benefits; you can compare them in this way.
People can use softened water for drinking, cooking, and bathing, where the chlorinated water needs boiling before use.
So softened water is healthier to drink than chlorinated water. Still, it might not make a massive difference because the chlorine evaporates out of the water while it sits in your hot water tank or boils.
Benefits of softened water
- Soft water reduces limescale buildup and eliminates hard water stains around faucets and toilets.
- Clean, softened water requires less soap, shampoo, and detergent.
- Soft water enhances hair by reducing the buildup on the hair, making it easier to manage.
- Softened water prevents hard water deposits from forming on dishes and inside the dishwasher.
- Some dishwashers come with a built-in salt-free water softener resin, which will reduce the buildup of hard water deposits.
Benefits of chlorinated water
- Chlorinated water kills bacteria including Klebsiella pneumonia, E. coli, and Salmonella; it is the best when city water systems coming into the house is not potable.
- It can prevent algae growth in ponds, fountains, and swimming pool water.
- Chlorinated water conditions provide a disinfecting residual in septic tanks that reduces odors in the home.
- It is perfect for watering the lawn and garden. Chlorinated water is more soluble than rainwater, preventing soil from becoming too hard and crusty.
- In enclosed spaces such as bathrooms and laundry rooms, chlorinated water can prevent mold or healthy bacteria.
The simple water softening reduces limescale and prevents hard water buildups. Chlorinated water kills bacteria.
No water purifier can be 100% effective. So the best solution is to use softened and chlorinated water per your requirement.
FAQs
Does RO remove chlorine from water?
RO softener removes chloramine and chlorine taste from water. However, it can still contain other harmful substances such as heavy metals and parasites.
The reverse osmosis process must be followed by activated carbon filtration or distillation.
Is chlorine soft or hard?
Chlorine is a soft, yellowish-green diatomic gas with the formula Cl2. It has a 3.12 kg/m3 (at sea level and 15°C).
Chlorine is soluble in water, though less so than oxygen. It is also produced as a by-product of oxidation, usually for the bleaching of wood pulp.
In water, it produces both organic substances and elemental chlorine.
Does salt remove chlorine from water?
No, salt(sodium ion) does not remove chlorine from water. It would be best to have a carbon filter cartridge water filter with activated carbon for heavy metal chlorine removal from water.
Salt (sodium ion) is a compound made of sodium and chlorine. It adds flavor, reduces the bitterness in foods, and acts as a preservative.
Does a softener remove chemicals?
It depends on the kind of water purifier you purchase. Some units use ion exchange to remove chemicals.
Other units like RO house water filters use the process of RO to remove chemicals.
RO is a process known to remove the majority of off-flavors, sediments, and chemicals from water.
Catalytic filtration can generally remove chlorine and other harmful chemicals from water.
The best water softening system cleans the water of chemicals in water can using ion exchange. Ions are atoms with several electrons in addition to protons.
You get soft water quality when you replace hydrogen ions with sodium ions.
The ion exchange process is faster than filtering out chemicals using catalytic filtration.
What do softeners remove?
Softeners are appliances that remove calcium, magnesium, and other hardness minerals from clean drinking water.
They do this by exchanging the calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium ions and rinsing them down the drain.
The hard minerals removed by a water conditioner are of no health concern when they are in the water; however, when they are removed and disposed of (such as with a septic water filtration system), these minerals can contribute to local water hardness and cause problems.
The softener exchanges sodium ions for calcium and magnesium using ion exchange resins. These tiny beads act as a magnet to attract some hardness minerals and repel others (such as sodium).
The resins in a portable house water softener become de-chlorinated water when they exchange the hard minerals and the sodium. They need a recharge to do it again.
Both potassium and sodium are essential minerals for human health (in appropriate amounts, but much sodium can be a problem.
Conclusion
The softening compartment can help reduce the hardness of the water. Still, it is not true that a softener removes chlorine from water.
But you may add a water filter cartridge with activated carbon to ensure that it removes the concentration of chlorine and other harmful chemicals.
Reverse osmosis systems can remove up to 99% of contaminants from your water. Still, this process is often coupled with an activated carbon filter.