As you may know, we pride ourselves on our water softening systems. The other day, we were at a local event in Springfield, Mo. when a gentleman approached our table and asked if we installed or worked on any citrus water softening systems. We replied that we didn’t install the citrus water softening systems. His facial expression changed and he looked a little down. As it turns out, he had bought a citrus water softening system and had it installed, and within a couple of weeks, he noticed a foul smell, like rotten eggs, was in his water. He didn’t know what to do! Luckily we were able to sit down with him and explain the difference between salt-based water softening systems and citrus or salt-free water softening systems.
The Differences Between Water Softeners and Citrus Water Softeners
The whole point of purchasing and installing a water softener in the first place is to “soften” the water coming out of your faucets and tap. Especially in SW Missouri, Central Missouri and NW Arkansas, we have very hard water. This means we have a lot of minerals and lime in our water supply which results in limescale buildup. Limescale is that white buildup you see on your faucets and taps and occurs in your showers, kitchen, plumbing and even some of your appliances. Aside from being relatively harmless to humans, it is known for decreasing the lifespan of your dishwashers, washers and plumbing pipes!
The biggest difference between water softeners and citrus water softeners is, of course, one uses salt and the other uses citrus. However, did you know that the citrus water softeners don’t remove all the minerals from your water. While citrus may “reduce” scale, it doesn’t, in fact, eliminate it. Additionally, there is no scientific evidence that these salt-free water softeners properly aid in water treatment. But first, let’s delve into how a water softener works.
How Traditional and Citrus Water Softeners Works
The calcium and magnesium in your tap water is what creates the scale. In a traditional water softener, there are resin beads which, as the water flows through, manages to create a process called “ion exchange.” Essentially, the calcium and magnesium stick on the resin beads while a sodium ion is put back into the water.
There are also no-salt water softeners which is kind of stretching the truth a little bit. For one, softening means removing the “hardness” in water which means taking out the calcium and magnesium. With a no-salt water softener, you aren’t removing any hardness from the water so much as reducing scale buildup.
Essentially, a citrus water softener lowers the pH of the water so that scale doesn’t buildup. Unfortunately, there are some downsides to using a citrus water softener.
Downsides to Using Citrus Water Softeners
- Your water can start smelling like sulfur.
- Depending on the system, you will have to change the cartridges every 20,000 gallons as opposed to a yearly maintenance for traditional water softeners.
- It doesn’t completely remove calcium and magnesium from tap water.
- If you have copper pipes, your water may turn turquoise for a day or two.
- There are additional costs for having a plumber install some systems.
- The cartridges can be a little on the expensive side when replacing.
In essence, you can check out the reviews on Amazon here. Many of the customers who had previously had a salt water softener were not happy with their citrus water softener. That being said, if you live in SW Missouri, NW Arkansas or Central Missouri, Aquasani can come out and give you a complimentary quotation on a soft water system. The best part is you can choose to go with a whole-home system or simply a kitchen and/or laundry system to help extend the life of your appliances. Give us a call today to schedule a complimentary quote! (417) 881-4000
About Aquasani in Springfield, Mo.
Aquasani is an authorized dealer for Rainsoft, WaterLogic, & JavaSmart. Based in Springfield, Mo., Aquasani services areas in the Ozarks including Jefferson City, Springfield, Mo., Ozark, Nixa, Rogersville, Republic, Joplin, Branson and even Harrison, Arkansas, and Bentonville. In essence, we service Mid-Missouri, Southwest Missouri, and Northwest Arkansas, and have been servicing these areas since 2004. We provide home water softener systems, drinking water filtration systems, whole house air cleaner systems, problem-solving water filtration systems for homes and offices, and we also offer a coffee service to businesses in these above-mentioned areas as well.
Aside from our purification systems, we also sell all-natural cleaning products and household items which are environmentally friendly and low-cost.
The coffee service business is simple: an office purchases coffee from us, and we provide the coffee maker/dispenser (including Keurig coffee makers), deliver the coffee to the office as often as needed, and we even clean the coffee makers monthly.
We specialize in water filtration and purification for both commercial businesses and residential homes. If that isn’t enough, we provide free trials for our coffee and water cooler services. If you would like a free estimate, schedule an appointment with us by calling (417) 881-4000 or fill out the form below and one of our Aquasani teammates will sort you out!
