water contains more than water

The big part of water we use is hard. Meaning it contains dissolved ions such as calcium and magnesium. Some other ions might also be present and considered as contaminants, such as sulfur, iron, lead and other heavy metals. Those dissolved minerals can have a negative impact on you, your household and your wallet. Depending on where you live, contaminants from sewage, industrial waste, agricultural run-off or medical/pharmaceutical residues can also seep into your water supply.

Hard water causes scaling and limestone deposits.

Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Are there stains or buildup on my sinks and bathtubs?
  • Am I using large amounts of soap to clean dishes or wash my hair?


If you answer positively to those, you probably have hard water.

If left untreated, the minerals in hard water will cause white/yellow stains on plumbing fixtures and be deposited as scale, eventually clogging plumbing and shortening the life of appliances like washing machines, water heaters and dishwashers.

Scale deposits not only cut down the efficiency of these appliances, they also cost you money, increasing both energy and maintenance bills.

Water softeners eliminate the effects of hard water

They “soften” the water by exchanging  the calcium and magnesium ions towards sodium ions, which doesn’t create scale as do calcium and magnesium ions, extending in that way the useful life of water heaters, washing machines, dishwashers, coffeemakers, humidifiers and household plumbing systems by as much as 30%.

Water softening a 5-step process:

  1. Untreated water containing impurities passes through a bed of extremely small resin beads.
  2. Undesirable materials are drawn to the resin beads and attached to the surface.
  3. Virtually all unwanted minerals are removed when the water reaches the bottom of the tank.
  4. Treated water passes up through the riser tube and is distributed throughout the house.
  5. Regenerant from the storage tank is used to recharge the resin beads.


Pentair offers the best solutions on the market to resolve this issue: Fleck valves and Structural tanks. You can trust these products: they have been leaders in the water industry for over 50 years.

The best components make the best softeners; that’s why the valve and tank used in your softener are key to its durability and performance. We go even further by offering our customers plug-and-play softening solutions with our Packaged Products branded products.


See Pentair's complete softening product range