There are many municipalities across the country that have been expressing concern about chloride discharge in their wastewater. Why should anyone be concerned about this? Simply put, it’s going to hit all of us in the wallet department if you utilize city sewer.
What the heck is chloride discharge? When salt is added to the water supply, it dissolves and breaks down into sodium and chloride. Most wastewater treatment centers are unable to remove chlorides in the wastewater supply and pass these chlorides through into the environment. I’m not very savvy in the chemistry department but simply put, wastewater treatment centers are designed to remove solids and break down organic wastes. Chlorides do not break down and can only be filtered through reverse osmosis or microfiltration which is very costly at high volume levels such as wastewater treatment facilities.
The main source of chloride discharge is from my #1 most favorite appliance in my home: my water softener. This is an appliance that I have clearly posted in the past is something that I can NOT live without. My hair can’t live with out it, my skin can’t live without it, and of course my plumbing and water using appliances won’t last as long or function as efficiently without it. Since hard water is completely unacceptable as a water source, efficiency is the main solution.
If you still have a time clock water softener, you should probably send it to the water softener grave yard. It is completely outdated and costing you a lot by regenerating no matter what according to its calendar settings, wasting water and salt. A metered water softener will only regenerate according to water usage and settings. Having your water softener calibrated is also a step in the right direction. A water treatment technician can verify that the system is programmed specifically to your water quality.
If you want to go completely green and utilize the latest and greatest technology we would recommend the Promate 6.5 softener. This water softener utilizes an up-flow regeneration process which is different from the standard down-flow regeneration process. It can save you up to 40% more than a standard metered water softener in salt consumption and water usage. That means up to 40% less chloride discharge into the environment. That’s a big difference! This softener is a perfect fit for any hard water application that is iron free. Interested? Give us a call for more details.
Posted in: Water Softeners