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Water is a universal solvent, it is also used in everyday life for cleaning, drinking, keeping us warm etc. What we see when we look at water is a clear liquid, but within that liquid are thousands of dissolved particles, mostly minerals which are a key ingredient for our everyday water. These particles come either from gasses absorbed from the air or minerals absorbed from underground rivers and from lakes. These minerals are not only essential for our health but also help to keep water useable and whatever is dissolved in water dictate the ‘’quality’’ of the water. Water without any minerals or dissolved gasses is effectively acid and would not only be bad for consumption but would corrode all pipework, pumps and valves it would flow through so maintaining an element of dissolved particles in water is essential.
Water will naturally look to exist in a state of constant equilibrium, i.e water will dissolve as much minerals as it can possibly dissolve and the amount that can be dissolved can be effected by changes in temperature and pressure. A good analogy to use is a sponge. Think of the sponge as the water, and the water as minerals. You place a completely dry sponge in a bucket of water and It will absorb as much water as it can possibly hold, pick the sponge up and squeeze it and some water will come out, not all of the water only what the sponge can no longer hold. The relationship between water and minerals is the same, water will absorb as much minerals as it can hold, heating water reduces the amount of minerals that can stay in solution so these minerals will precipitate so equilibrium between solute (the minerals) and solvent (the water) can be maintained.
Most potable water we see is close to equilibrium as it has had the chance to absorb minerals from underground rivers on its journey to our homes. The main mineral that is dissolved in our waters is calcium (Ca++) and the dominant dissolved gasses are bi-carbonate (Hc03–) caused by the dissolution of calcium carbonate from limestone aquifers. The presence of these minerals helps to regulate the corrosiveness of our water, and as we consume water everyday it is also a good vehicle for consuming minerals. The water is super saturated with minerals, what the conditioner is required to do is create a under saturated water condition, without removing the minerals.
Tags: ActivFlo, Water Conditioners