To Soften or Not To Soften...That Is The Question.
Although the minerals in drinking water are beneficial to good health, the aesthetic effects caused by hardness are the most common reasons to treat water and attract many bad products, salespeople, information and tactics.

The big push has been the softener or ion exchange. Softening is accomplished with synthetic resin media by exchanging ions of calcium and magnesium that contribute to hardness with ions of sodium. Although this method of softening can produce water with zero hardness, it is important to understand the limitations of the process.

• Homes that use these devices show elevated levels of lead and copper in the plumbing system due to the aggressive nature of the softened water.

• Ion exchange softeners increase the sodium content of the treated water and may be potentially harmful to persons that are on sodium-restricted diets. People should limit or restrict the amount of softened water they consume or use for food preparation.

• Due to the corrosive nature of softened water and the salts used and exchanged for the naturally found calcium and magnesium minerals, the softened water may offer warranty issues or warnings on pools and spas, as well as, many decorative finishes and household product and appliances. Pools and spas must maintain 10-15 grains of hardness in the water along with a balanced pH and alkalinity to stabilize the water

• The disposal of spent brine solution and rinse water from softener regeneration is becoming a major problem and can impact wastewater treatment facilities and septic systems. Softener byproducts are corrosive to material they contact and possess varying toxic levels in relationship with the environment.

A Hard Water Perspective and Its Treatment.
Hard water can be a multi-million dollar problem for individuals and business. Scale formation can increase the cost of equipment maintenance, shorten equipment life, decreased water heater efficiency requires greater usage of soaps and cleaners and can simply waste time and energy.

The hardness of water is determined by the amount of calcium and magnesium in the water. Calcium carbonate molecules solidify instantly when they come in contact with any hard surface and then grow upon themselves in every direction. Because of their tree-like shape they are called dendritic crystals. They constitute the beginning of the formation of lime scale.

It is important to note that the hardness minerals are a component of the total dissolved solids (TDS) in your water. These minerals and the TDS are generally an aesthetic consideration (as evidenced in your water standards) and not a consumption problem. By definition, hard water has these minerals and naturally soft water is low or devoid of this mineral content. Hard water can build up, yet can be maintained or properly treated. However, it is important to note, soft water is aggressive and corrosive. If the water is soft, the water will naturally seek to balance itself by leaching any minerals found in its’ path. This creates problems for a diverse amount of water features such as; copper pipe, finishes, pools and spas, to name a few. Ironically, hard water is considered healthier (note: bottled water adds back minerals and spring water from natural sources all have a mineral content, from low to very high for taste). Hard water has greater properties of assimilation, then that of aggressive soft water. Of all the water on our planet, most is sea water and is undrinkable. Of the limited supply of fresh water available, most is hard to some extent or another.

Softening - The Hard Facts.
Softening has been around since the 1920’s. In the process of softening, calcium and magnesium ions are removed from the water and replaced by sodium ions in a process called ionic exchange. The use of sodium or potassium chloride is used in this process. In this process the minerals have been exchanged for a salt, and in fact the TDS remains the same or in some instances is greater. The results are prevention of lime scale in your water heater or pipes, easier wipe up of water spots and the better use of soaps. Dishwasher results improve, but only if you use your appliance properly.

However, the disadvantages are an aggressive and corrosive water that needs to be bypassed from drinking and from equipment such as the pool or spa, otherwise you may void their warranty. The exchange of the minerals for a salt creates a two-fold problem; one, the water now lacks the minerals making it soft and aggressive, and two, the water has a sodium or potassium chloride content making the water more corrosive. Remember, your TDS has remained the same. Something has replaced your calcium and magnesium minerals!

"Softened" water has a slippery feeling in the shower due to the new make up of the water (it’s the salt, not the natural oils from your skin that the salesman told you!). If a softener is on all your water, you may be asked to put a reverse osmosis at your kitchen sink, so you can remove the salt from the water the softener put in, and have a tap to drink from! Some homes now have soft water loops, because the water from a softener has its consumption and warranty issues. The loop bypasses the softener to provide unsoftened water to your kitchen sink, ice maker and hose bibs. If the water from a softener should be bypassed or filtered, and is not necessarily good to drink, why would you bathe or shower in it? TDS (now with a higher salt content) in water will still require you to maintain swamp and evaporative coolers, humidifiers, steam irons, shower heads, aerators and any items where the water is processed through small pores and restricted flow rates. Due to the corrosive or aggressive nature of softened water you may find a written or implied warranty issue with manufacturers of these and other products.

Please note that softeners do not filter, they soften. The marketing of problems associated with hard water relates more to selling softeners than actual fact. How do people achieve results without treatment? You still have to use your clothes washer and dishwasher properly to get good results. Water heaters should be flushed for longer life. If you soften the water be aware of the corrosion at the bottom of your heater over time. Surfaces can and should be sealed and all detergents are now formulated for low suds (add salt and soaps suds up) - suds do not clean!

The nature of softening product is a trade off of problems, not necessarily a solution. Last issue is the environmental one; water softeners are already illegal or restricted in various areas in the U.S. (more municipalities are making this a consideration) because of the brine discharge of the softener during the regeneration process. Municipal and waste water treatment facilities have an increasing problem with this by-product, which inhibits the ability of delivering the required quality of water to agriculture, the community and your home.

Physical Conditioning - The Informed Alternative.
The ICN conditioner acts as a catalyst in the water. The bonds that trap foreign particles to water molecules are broken and expose those foreign particles to the open solution. The surfaces of these particles become available as nucleation points for the hardness minerals. The hardness minerals cluster together to form microscopic seed crystals around those nucleation points. This process is called increased calcite nucleation (ICN). All the hardness minerals in the vicinity of these seed crystals eventually come in contact with its surface. The hardness minerals solidify there and no longer have an affinity for hard surfaces with which the water comes in contact.

In order to understand this easier, look at a box of laundry detergent. Years ago, detergents asked you to add more soap in hard water and suds were the visual test. Since 1980, low sudsing formulas were an improvement (suds do not clean, are hard to rinse out, and bad for the appliance) and the detergent does not care whether the water is hard or soft. Detergents add "water conditioners" or ionic and/or anionic surfactants that attract the hardness minerals to their surfaces in a process called increased calcite nucleation (ICN). A billion-dollar business using the same physical process, incorporated in the Environmental Water System, to the advantage of the consumer and the environment.

The minerals in your water are naturally found in 95% of all freshwater and under no circumstances are considered contaminants. These hardness minerals (calcium and magnesium) are part of the natural balance of water. Low hardness can make water aggressive and corrosive. Adding salts and replacing these minerals becomes foolish and make for warranty and drinking quality issues (due to the sodium or potassium chlorides) and septic and environmental issues (because of the brine discharge). The Environmental Water System - Filtration and Conditioning Appliance does not have any of these issues or limitations.

Environmental Water Systems and Our Approach.
The ICN conditioner is a unique product, exclusive to EWS, Inc. and Environmental Water Systems. Incorporated, as part of the riser manifold within the GAC media, the ICN is a cell containing dissimilar metals that have gone through a specific charging process. The three-dimensional field created by the ICN creates the reaction that it is named after. Environmental Water Systems filters all the water to your home or facility and physically conditions the water preventing the formation of lime scale deposits in your pipes and water heater. Furthermore, physically conditioned water is capable of dissolving formerly deposited scale. This water tends to sheet, allowing for faster drying times. Any water that does evaporate on a surface may leave a spot due to total dissolved solids in the water. However, this is easily wiped away, as opposed to untreated hard water spotting, which adheres to surfaces. In addition, aerators and shower heads may develop a ring that should be easy to wipe off, depending on the faucet, water flow and water conditions. A further benefit of our conditioned water is that it allows for better assimilation of anything added to it. You get better lather in your hand soaps and shampoos, and savings on detergent soaps and cleaners. Even the amount of coffee or tea can be reduced according to taste.

Along with this conditioned effect, which is a benefit to you, your home and the products therein, do not underestimate the value of filtered water throughout your home. Do not lose sight of the fact that the reason for water is for consumption, to the benefit of you and your family. Environmental concerns and the pollution and improper use of water supplies effect us all. With aesthetics being important in our culture, it is a distant second to the consumption quality of our water and the polluting of our water supplies.

Be Informed — Not Sold.
Although nothing is perfect regarding water; you still have to wipe it off the counter, black surfaces will show more, low flow toilets require more work than old ones, small openings will eventually clog, sunlight will bake water on surfaces. We ask to you to use your common sense and be an informed consumer. Both Environmental Water Systems and softeners prevent buildup in your pipes and water heaters. Both allow an easier wipe down of water spots and maintenance of problems associated with hard water. However, Environmental Water Systems conditions and filters all the water to your home, softeners do not. Environmental Water Systems does not use salt or potassium chloride to produce the desired effect and therefore does not require the separate plumbing lines or the maintenance of the softener and other filtration devices at a sink. Environmental Water Systems provide a pleasurable showering experience, where the water feels clean coming on and off; without the slippery feeling the softener provides, yet both systems allow you to wipe down your shower enclosure effectively.

As a manufacturer of a complete line of water treatment product, EWS, Inc. makes Environmental Water Systems and, ironically, the most efficient softeners in the market today. We are just providing you, the consumer, a choice in your treatment options. Be Informed, Not Sold.