A water softener trades the hardness minerals in your water for sodium. The trade is called ion exchange, and it happens in a tank full of tiny resin beads. The softener uses salt to recharge those beads so it can keep trading for years. Below, we walk through what...
Boiling removes plain chlorine from tap water, but it doesn’t remove chloramine. Chloramine is a chlorine and ammonia blend that some utilities, including Jefferson City’s, add because it lasts longer in the pipes between the plant and your tap. If chloramine is...
You’re standing at the brine tank with a 40-pound bag on your shoulder and no idea how much of it belongs in there. The same question comes up in the store aisle, and it’s harder still with a water softener that came with the house and no instructions. Here’s how much...
Every filter on the shelf promises better water. Very few say a word about fluoride. If you’ve decided you want it out of your drinking water, the next question is which option does the job. Reverse osmosis does. It removes most of the fluoride in tap water. Below, we...
Your water was fine yesterday, and today it tastes like you dunked the glass straight in the yard. That’s one way this shows up, usually on city water, and it tends to clear up almost as fast as it started. The other way is slower: a well water household that’s...
