Water Softener Use In Mobile Auto Detailing

What is considered hard water and what are the degrees of hardness? Well very hard water would be 10.5 grains per gallon and 180 parts per million and above. But you need to realize that even moderately hard water of 3.5 to 7 grains per gallon and 60-120 parts per million will leave hard water spots. Slightly hard water such as 1 to 3.5 grains per gallon and 17.1 to 60 part per million will not leave noticeably hard water spots that you cannot cure with a chamois. But really as a professional auto detailer you are really looking for soft water of less than 1 grain per gallon and 17 parts per million.

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What Makes The Water Hard?

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Hardness in water is caused calcium and magnesium ions that form insoluble compounds; sometimes iron and even aluminum. There are many ways to soften water. Some are more complicated than others; Aeration, De-Ionization or ion-exchange, Distillation, Reverse Osmosis or Softening.

Softening by use of a water softener is the simplest concept used today; water softeners replace hardness ions like calcium and magnesium with sodium or non-scaling ions. The ion exchange resin used in the process is recharged periodically with salt drawn from a storage tank. Many water treatment experts agree and Lance Winslow concurs that softening can be most cost effective when the water has as few as one to five grains per gallon of hardness. Most mobile operators will be happy with one to three grains per gallon of hardness and probably won't even purchase a softening unit until the hardness is five plus grains per gallon. Their theory is well taken because, if the total dissolved solids (TDS) is that low, there will be little water spotting on cars anyway.

One reason to put in a water softener even if your water is 5 gpg or less is because you wish to prevent scaling in the coils of your steam cleaner or save your pressure washing pump on your auto detailing rig. On a cold water machine, this is not as important because 5 gpg or less won't ruin a pump. More than five can over time.

Hardness also hinders soap from doing its job. You may notice that your soaps are not cleaning properly. That's because they are cleaning the water first and combining with the compounds in the water rather than the dirt on the car. You see, the hardness in the water has a tendency to neutralize those cleaning compounds and you have to actually use more soap to offset the neutralizing effect of the hardness minerals.

With hard water, you will use more soap and the cars still aren't clean. I encourage you to talk to your soap vendors for helpful advice on water chemistry and treatment requirements. Your soap strategy should be custom tailored to your city and the hardness of the water you put in your tank.

Most independent auto detailing professionals agree that areas with hard water will also cause a film on cars that are washed when no softener is used. They also agreed at the annual conference that the decision to purchase a softener should be based on a real water test. You might wish to contact a water treatment dealer such as: Rain Soft, Culligan, Apollo, Calgon, Rayne water Systems or the Water Man in your area. They can help you by having the local water tested or ask city water authority for information on their supply. Once your decision is made to purchase a softener, selecting the proper equipment is easy. Softener sizes should be based upon two factors: Flow Rate (GPM) and Grains Per Gallon (GPG).

Flow rate would typically be six to eight gpm (gallons per minute) with your hose at your residence. We recommend you change your pressure regulator to 90-110 PSI (Pounds Per Square Inch). This would give you approximately ten gpm. So you need a water softener that is a little bigger than the basic model.

Water softeners are basically like refrigerators; says Car Wash Guys Founder Lance Winslow;

"They could last two years or twenty years...and a lot depends on how much goes in and how often it comes out."

This is why you should monitor softening equipment. You can test the hardness with a testing kit or just pay attention when you're washing cars. Steel softening tanks last for years. Fiberglass units last well also. Plastic units crack. You may need to change resin every couple of years.

Chances are you will choose to rent softeners for per month and let the exchange company recharge them for you. Be careful when hiring water softener vendors. Ask us for help. You may even be able to trade services for water softening rental plus make money on the account because water softener rental companies have lots of delivery trucks. In any case think on these issues when considering a water softening strategy for your mobile car wash or auto detailing business.

Water Softener Use In Mobile Auto Detailing

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Benefits of Installing a Home Water Softener System

If you live in an area that has hard water there are many reasons to add a softening system to your home. When water has a high content of minerals it is considered hard water. Most commonly this means that there will be high amounts of dissolved calcium and magnesium. Water which is free of minerals other than sodium is considered soft water. When a home has a water supply that is hard there are many negative consequences including soap or shampoo that does not lather well, clothes coming out of the laundry looking dingy, bathroom fixtures which are left with chalky rings, clean glasses that will still show spots and water using appliances like coffee makers suffering from shortened lives.

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In some areas chemicals are added to water on a city or district wide basis to soften water before it reaches household pipes. In an area where this is not done it is up to the homeowner to invest in a water softening system. There are a number of different types of waters softeners for home including reverse osmosis, ion exchanging, chemical, magnetic and electric water softening system installations. Some water softeners will increase sodium levels which is not healthy for some people with heart issues. It is therefore important to choose a water softening system that will best work on the particular water hardness in your areas as well as any special needs you might have.

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There are many conflicting claims regarding water hardness and health. Some studies have shown that hard water lead to some cardiovascular illnesses in men. The World Health Organization says that there is no correlation between water hardness and adverse health effects, that these studies had inadequate data.

There is little argument on the positive effects that installing a water softening system will have on washing dishes and doing laundry. Hard water prevents the lathering in soaps and detergents. When water is softened the richer lathers returns, clothes rinse cleaner and the amount of expensive detergents used can be reduced. In dishwasher hard water leaves spotting and residue on glasses and dishes as they dry. The mineral residue that is found on bathtubs or shower walls also is left behind on skin and hair. When a water softening installation is completed hair will feel softer and skin cleaner that it had previously. There is an ecological benefit to be found in the reduction on water usage that follows a change to softer water as well as the reduction in detergents and soaps.

Appliances that use water such as coffee makers, water heaters or even tea kettles will have much longer life spans after there a water softening system is installed. Scaling which is a deposit of calcium and magnesium is left behind as water is heated in these appliances. Pipes can become clogged with this scaling as well which can cause reduced water flow and eventually may lead to pipes needing to be replaced. While there is an expense that must be paid to install a water softener there is tremendous savings that can be realized by not having to repair or replace these items.

Benefits of Installing a Home Water Softener System

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Salt-Free Water Softeners Fix Hard Water Issues without the Expense, Waste, or Environmental Impact!

If you're concerned about hard water in your home but aren't sure the drawbacks of water softener installation are worth it, you need to consider putting in a salt-free softener. These systems effectively treat your source without the expense, waste, or environmental cost of ion exchange water softeners!

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Hard water can be a serious issue for your plumbing and appliances, but installing a water treatment system can also have some major drawbacks. If you're looking for a way to stop hard water problems without the negatives of an ion exchange softener, you need to consider the latest technology: salt-free water softeners. These systems can prevent hard water from damaging your pipes and appliances without the waste, expense, or environmental issues created by other softening methods! Your water treatment service should be able to install this great new technology for your home or business.

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Traditional softeners replace the calcium and magnesium ions in hard water with sodium ions, creating salty wastewater and using a comparatively large amount of energy. Did you know that these water softeners:

Waste water? Did you realize that traditional systems waste at least 200 to 240 gallons each week? That adds up to 12,500 gallons of water wasted every year. Just to put that number in perspective, remember that many people in the developing world use less than three gallons per day... So the water wasted by one ion water softener is enough to sustain 13 people for an entire year!

Create high sodium levels in wastewater? Traditional water softeners use salt to remove the calcium and magnesium in hard water through a process of ion exchange. But they also create salt water waste as a by-product. This salt water goes down the drain and into the main supply, where it will inevitably have to be removed to make the water drinkable again. In short, traditional ion water softeners not only waste water--they also add sodium contamination!

But with a no-salt water softener system, problems can be eliminated without either of these drawbacks. Instead of relying on sodium to eliminate the calcium and magnesium, these innovative water treatment systems accelerate the transformation of the dissolved minerals into nanoparticles. The tiny crystals of calcium and magnesium pass harmlessly through your plumbing and appliances with no scaling and no damage. Saltless water softeners:

Use no electricity Need no special drain Provide "soft" quality at very low cost And can be installed in areas with restrictions on salt systems

If you're in the market for a better water softener, contact your water treatment company today. These professionals can help set you up with the right no-salt softener and water filtration systems for your specific needs. You don't have to choose between hard water and the disadvantages of an ion exchange system: get a salt-free water softener and get the best of both worlds!

Salt-Free Water Softeners Fix Hard Water Issues without the Expense, Waste, or Environmental Impact!

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Water Softener Cleaning

When your water softener is not working, you will notice salt residue on the glass and also the salt will sink even when you add much of it. You should clean the injector at least two times a year to help improve the job it does for your home. Follow the steps below for the best cleaning advice on water softener cleaning.

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Start by switching your water softener to bypass mode. Doing this, it will make sure water will not run through while you are in the cleaning process. Then, disconnect the plug from the electrical outlet in the wall; this will also prevent any harm during the process. Next, remove the water softener injector cap. After the injector cap is removed, you should also remove the injector screen located behind the cap. You should wash this screen with warm and soapy water. You can then clean the softener injector nozzle.

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Canned air usually works best to remove the dust and dirt particles in the machine. Also, using a paperclip will help clean the rest of the water softener. Then, put the injector screen back in place making sure the screen is secure and back in its original position. Also, you should screw the injector cap back into its position and tighten it so it is back in place. Make sure to prepare the softener for testing and plug back into the electrical outlet so it will work. After all the pieces have been put back in place, you are ready to test it. Run it and see if it is running properly. Your water softener should now be good for six months or until it is ready for more cleaning.

Water Softener Cleaning

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Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Comparison

Here's a brief RO or reverse osmosis water treatment comparison. I'll compare its cost, performance and other important issues to that of a multi-stage purifier that includes granulated carbon, a carbon and multi-media block, sub-micron filtration and ion exchange. For the sake of brevity, I'll refer to the multi-stage device as MSP.

If you read reverse osmosis reviews, supposedly written by current customers, you will see that some are positive. Others are negative and some are more or less neutral. Most feel it does a good job, but there are many complaints related to maintenance issues and costs incurred.

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The typically reverse osmosis water treatment comparison includes only brands that use RO. I decided to compare it to an MSP, because I believe that MSP is better than RO in many ways.

First, there is performance. Single stage RO only removes things that are larger and heavier than a water molecule. Most of the synthetic and organic chemicals that our society is plagued with are lighter and molecularly smaller than water. They are literally "in" the molecules.

Combining carbon with RO is an improvement, but RO is still an expensive, unnecessary and wasteful step for most homeowners. Sub-micron filtration does nearly everything that RO can do.

Ion exchange does the rest. Granulated carbon and a carbon multi-media block remove more chemicals than carbon alone. So, an MSP is more effective than either the single stage or RO combined with carbon.
Some of the positive reverse osmosis reviews come from homeowners that have brackish wells. If this is your problem, you should know that the new inexpensive compact RO systems cannot handle the job. In order to desalinize, they need a special membrane that is not included in the smaller, less expensive models.

No reverse osmosis water treatment comparison would be complete without looking at waste and price. MSP devices do not create wastewater. All RO units, regardless of the size and price, create gallons of wastewater, in which the contamination level is much higher than in the original source.

What does one do with this wastewater? It goes down the drain. Some companies suggest that you use the discharge to water your plants. That's not a good option.

If it doesn't kill the plants right away, it will contaminate your soil. Depending on the degree of contamination, it could cause health problems through inhalation or skin absorption. Whether it goes down the drain or on the lawn, the contaminants eventually end up back in the groundwater.

So, you will have contributed to our already large environmental problems. Contaminants removed by an MSP are trapped within the enclosed cartridge, which is easy to dispose of and not a source of pollution.

Negative reverse osmosis reviews usually have a lot to do with price. They cost at least 9 and the more effective units, such as those for treating brackishness start at ,000.

An MSP for your kitchen costs around 5, for the shower around , for the whole house less than a thousand. I think that completes this reverse osmosis water treatment comparison. Hopefully, you can figure out where to go from here.

Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Comparison

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The Benefits of Sears Water Softeners

Sears water softeners function by removing the calcium, magnesium and other minerals from the hard water thereby making it soft and fit for being used. Since majority of the residences in America receive hard water which is not only corrosive in nature but unhealthy for consumption as well, the use of water softeners is recommended with the intention of maintaining the good health of the family.

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The installation of Sears water softeners saves the members of the family from a number of health hazards like diseases and disorders, but also ensures the long life of kitchen equipment and the plumbing system. This is because while the kitchen equipment is likely to get spoiled very quickly if washed with hard water over a period of time, the plumbing system is in the danger of getting clogged due to crystallization. All these destructive effects are due to the high levels of minerals which are naturally dissolved in the water prior to being supplied in the homes for domestic use.

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The technologically advanced Sears water softeners are user friendly in the sense that they can be operated easily by the varied age groups living in the house without any dangers or hazards. They are cost effective as well due to which a family can easily afford to place one in each part of the house for complete elimination of hard water. Therefore, while a machine in the kitchen would supply pure and soft water for drinking and washing kitchen utensils, the one in the bathroom would ensure sufficient lather while using soaps and shampoos and the one in the laundry would ensure long life of the clothes. Therefore, this equipment is an ideal choice as well as a worthy investment for a family who wishes to reduce the suffering and loss caused by the hard water usage over a period of time.

The Benefits of Sears Water Softeners

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Basement Appliances

The basement area can be a place for appliances that require additional space, electricity connections and drainage. Water heaters, basement heaters, washing machines, dryers and water softeners are a few appliances usually found in the basement.

Water heaters positioned in the basement to supply hot water to kitchens and bathrooms are of great use in a home. A natural gas water heater is economical compared to an electric water heater. Proper insulation and servicing are essential to extend the life of a water heater. The main problems usually stem from the heating element, but this is usually fixed by an expert.

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Heaters used to warm up the basement as well as the whole living area normally find their place in the basement. Basement heaters of various types and models are available. Propane space heaters, baseboard heaters, ceramic heaters, fan heaters and heavy duty electric heaters are common. Installation can be done with the help of user manuals, but a skilled professional is recommended for maintenance. Basement heaters are efficient, secure and easy to use.

Water softeners are used to treat hard water by replacing calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions. The basement is a suitable place for their installation due to the availability of a water supply along with access to a drain and electricity. Qualified hands are required to fix water softeners. They are relatively costly to purchase and maintain.

A washing machine is another basement appliance of great importance in modern living. This equipment is to be handled with care and cleaned frequently to remove the dirt that gets deposited inside. A basement with proper drainage, water supply and electricity is ideal for a washing machine. Some washing machines are fully automatic with dryer facility. However, the dryer as a single unit is also available. The dryer has a rotating tumbler to hold the clothes, an electric or a gas-powered heater to evaporate water in the clothes, and an exhaust vent to exit water in the form of steam.

Proper insulation and prevention of water leakage ensure a clean basement with good protection. It is advisable to seek expert help in the maintenance of all basement appliances.

Basement Appliances

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