Is water softening your profits?
April 1st 2005

Hard water costs industry and commerce millions of pounds a year in maintenance and the premature replacement of equipment and consumables.The environment is damaged because of the need to burn more fossil fuels and use more chemicals to compensate. Selecting a commercial water softener system is an attractive alternative to high energy costs and unnecessary maintenance expense

Rainwater is naturally soft but when it hits the ground and passes through layers of chalk or limestone rock, it absorbs calcium and magnesium and becomes ‘hard’.More than 60% of Britain suffers from hard water and although water is treated before it heads down the mains, the hard minerals in it remain and bring the problems of limescale into our premises.

The minerals cause scale to form in pipes and in any equipment that sees water flowing through it or standing in it, restricting water flow and clogging up valves and vents.The build up of scale in heating systems – particularly on heat exchangers, pumps and other key components – reduces heat transfer and results in more power being required to achieve a desired temperature.

Government figures show that just 1/16th”of scale on a heat exchanger increases the amount of energy required to heat water by 10%.

In addition,as well as the scale problems in hard water areas,you need higher levels of soap and detergents to achieve adequate cleaning and this results in more chemicals finding their way into wastewater systems, with the resultant additional costs and emissions.

Process industries, hospitals, large residential care and nursing homes, laundries, bakeries and the hospitality industry in particular, are prime beneficiaries of commercial water softening systems.By investing in commercial water softening they are saving on energy, plumbing repairs and general maintenance.

They are also extending the life of linens, fixtures and appliances.

The benefits of soft water can be quantified.Soft water is less expensive to heat.Gas water heaters use 22% less BTUs of energy to heat soft water.

Electric water heaters use 18% less – that’s a saving worth taking a closer look at on its own.Research shows that linens can last anything between 15 and 30% longer.

The use of a commercial water softener will always provide you with quality softened water.Many of the physical water conditioners available – they tend to utilise electricity or magnetism to ‘treat’water that passes through the device – seem to work well, but only on permanently flowing cold water.They cease to offer benefits where the water collects and stands in a system.So you need to be careful in selecting the process to provide softened water.

Businesses that use soft water for cleaning and bathing use significantly less detergent,soap and shampoo and enjoy softer, smoother skin and hair. And restaurants and other eating establishments that use conditioned water have fewer spotted glasses, easier to clean facilities and better tasting food and beverages.

The Tapworks North Star range of commercial and industrial water softener systems feature proportional salting with Genius Chip technology whether in Simplex, Duplex,Triplex or Quadplex operation.This ensures the most efficient usage of salt,providing exactly the amount of salt needed for each regeneration. It’s measured and calculated in proportion to the amount of softened water used since the last regeneration. In addition to this, the Genius Chip also adjusts the salt levels automatically to reflect the users consumption. So lower water usage will result in even greater efficiency.Then when you return to a higher water usage, the Genius Chip automatically adjusts the salt level to compensate and increases the water softeners maximum capacity.

If in doubt, take a closer look at the problems hard water is causing your organisation.But beware,much of the damage is difficult to see. It’s inside heating systems and pipework, building up day by day, and increasing the damage it’s doing to your equipment – and your bank balance.

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