By JESS MICHAEL
Service Coordinator, Kozon Plumbing and Heating

Hard water is your plumbing’s enemy. Being that water is a continuous moving system, it is picking up particles from everything it touches, whether that be in streams, oceans, lakes, rivers, or your plumbing systems. When water collects a high concentration of magnesium or calcium deposits, the water is then said to be “hard.”

• Ask a Tech: What are the benefits of a softener?
  The benefits of a softener on everyday life are very vast. Hard, un-softened water can leave an awful film on dishes, cause shampoo and soaps to not lather properly, and decrease the efficiency of your laundry detergent. Not to mention those ugly orange stains from iron build up on clothing, sinks, showers and toilets as a result of having un-softened water.

• Ask a Tech: How does a water softener work?
  Water softeners are a mechanical device installed between your homes water supply and your plumbing fixtures. Softeners can be installed on city and well water systems, and are recommended for both. In short, to make us all miss our chemistry class….a water softener replaces the calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions from the salt used in the softener- eliminating the hard water. Demand regeneration units produce the soft water when the home’s occupants and usage determine it necessary.

• Ask a Tech: Can hard water really harm other equipment in my home, and how?
  Scale build-up is a great threat to your home’s plumbing fixtures. This build-up can form on the inside of pipes, leading to decreased water flow and possibly even a clogged pipe. Scale can also form in faucets, shower heads, tubs spouts, and toilets significantly decreasing the life expectancy of the fixtures. One of the most costly issues we have seen in regards to un-softened water has been the effects on a home’s water heater. We have seen numerous times where the build-up has created “stones” inside the tanks of the heater causing extreme “knocking” noise when in use and inevitable death of the water heater.

• Ask a Tech: Tell us about these “salt-free” softeners?
  The biggest issue with today’s “salt free” or magic systems is that the water is “conditioned” magnetically to act like “softened” water. After 48 hours the water can return back to its prior state- which means it is not suitable for storing in pipes, toilet tanks, or water heaters. If you like the “slick” feeling of soft water, then you won’t like the “salt free” systems which lack the ability to truly “soften” your home’s water.

Today’s homeowner expects and deserves the top of the line quality and professionalism that our team is accustomed to delivering.

Simply put, Kozon Plumbing & Heating strives to deliver nothing but the best, from our family to yours. Contact us today at (260) 856-2225 for all your plumbing, heating, cooling, and electrical needs and be sure to visit us at www.kozonplumbingandheating.com