Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,821,601,358 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

water softening

   Also found in: Medical, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
water softening [′wȯd·ər ‚sȯf·ə·niŋ]
(chemistry)
Removal of scale-forming calcium and magnesium ions from hard water, or replacing them by the more soluble sodium ions; can be done by chemicals or ion exchange.

Water softening

The process of removing divalent cations, usually calcium or magnesium, from water. When a sample of water contains more than 120 mg of these ions per liter (0.016 oz/gal), expressed in terms of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), it is generally classified as a hard water. Hard waters are frequently unsuitable for many industrial and domestic purposes because of their soap-destroying power and tendency to form scale in equipment such as boilers, pipelines, and engine jackets. Therefore it is necessary to treat the water either to remove or to alter the constituents for it to be fit for the proposed use.

The principal water-softening processes are precipitation, cation exchange, electrical methods, or combinations of these. The factors to be considered in the choice of a softening process include the raw-water quality, the end use of softened water, the cost of softening chemicals, and the ways and costs of disposing of waste streams. See Water treatment



How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
FILLMORE - Residents of Fillmore, who have some of the hardest water in Ventura County, may face heavy fines if they do not remove their beloved water softening devices that discharge chloride into the Santa Clara River.
Very hard water causes problems with sanitation, so it would be worthwhile to soften it with a water softening system.
without the need for water softening equipment, salts, chemicals or maintenance.
 
Encyclopedia browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Encyclopedia
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2010 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Terms of Use.