vedenpehmennyksessä

Vedenpehmennys, often translated as water softening, is a process used to remove minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium, from water. These minerals are often referred to as "hardness minerals" and are responsible for common issues like scale buildup in pipes and appliances, as well as reduced effectiveness of soaps and detergents.

The most common method of water softening involves ion exchange. In this process, hard water passes through a tank filled with resin beads. These resin beads are coated with sodium ions. As the water flows through, the calcium and magnesium ions in the water are attracted to the resin beads and swap places with the sodium ions. Essentially, the hardness minerals are removed from the water, and sodium ions are released into the water in their place.

Over time, the resin beads become saturated with hardness minerals and need to be regenerated. This is typically done by flushing the resin tank with a concentrated salt brine solution. The high concentration of sodium ions in the brine forces the calcium and magnesium ions off the resin beads, and the hardness minerals are then flushed out of the system. The resin beads are then ready to soften water again.

Water softening systems are often installed at the point where water enters a home or building to treat all the water used. While effective at removing hardness minerals, it's worth noting that the softened water will contain a small amount of sodium. For individuals on very strict low-sodium diets, this may be a consideration, and alternative softening methods or filtered drinking water might be explored.