With more than 30 years’ experience in the residential and commercial water treatment space, Mark Nelson is a Class 1 Drinking-Water Operator and a CBWA (Canadian Bottled Water Association) Certified Plant Operator. As founder and president of Nelson Water in Ottawa, Mark focuses on dealing with challenging water treatment system designs for problem water. He also heads the largest water bottling plant in the city of Ottawa with a delivery network throughout the Valley.
Many homeowners install a water softener system in their homes to get rid of the water hardening mineral content and improve the standard or their domestic water. The most common method of water softening uses special salt to work, and this works very well. But, in recent years, we have seen the introduction of salt free water systems that purport to be just as effective. Sadly, this isn’t true, and this has been confirmed by recent laboratory testing carried out a Penn State University where no discernible change was found in terms of water hardening scale issues. Let’s take a closer look at salt free water softening systems and why they cannot work as well as an ion exchange (salt based) system.
Salt Free Water Softeners
These types of water softening systems are being marketed as an effective alternative to a more traditional salt based system. There are a number of different methods, such as magnetic, salt-less, no salt and salt free water softeners, and conditioning systems. The actual method doesn’t really matter because none of these methods is as effective as a salt based water softener.
The Need for Softened Water
If you have hard water issues, you may not fully understand how they can impact your home life unless you’re exposed to softened water at the home of a friend or family member. There are countless testimonials online of people that have made the switch and have had their lives improved dramatically by using soft water. Let’s take a closer look at four main areas that will benefit from softer water in your home.
- Cleaning
Those water spots that can be seen in shower stalls and on glassware are actually dried mineral deposits. These are the minerals that are left behind after the water has evaporated, and they are present in all hard domestic water. Cleaning away these water spots can be tough, and they never stay clean for very long. This is because the incoming water contains more of these minerals, and unless the underlying issue is addressed, the situation will continue. When the water is softened the water spots on glass surfaces, and plumbing fixtures will disappear, making cleaning easier and more effective.
- Bathing
When you take a shower or a bath, and you wash your skin and hair, it can be harder to get clean and fresh when using hard water. The aforementioned mineral content that’s left behind on your glassware is also present on your skin after bathing. These dried minerals can clog skin pores and hair follicles, making it difficult to get truly clean. This can exacerbate skin issues, and the mineral content clings to the hair, making it dull, lifeless, and harder to manage. Soft water has none of these issues, and many people feel fresher and cleaner after bathing.
- Soap
We all use soap, shampoo, and detergent to clean ourselves, our clothes and our dishes on a daily basis. Hard water inhibits the formation of a soap lather, making it harder for these products to work effectively. In order to compensate for this lack of cleaning performance, most people resort to using far more soap than they should need to use. Sadly, this doesn’t really improve the situation and that additional soap is simply wasted. This is frustrating, the cleaning process is less effective, and a significant amount of money is wasted down the drain. When you use soft water, soap can lather easily, making every cleaning task easier, and you can save money by using less soap and detergent.
- Plumbing
The water hardening minerals present in hard water also lead to the formation of scale in plumbing systems. Inside your plumbing pipes and fixtures, a layer of scale will gradually build up and narrow the diameter of the pipe. Inside the water heater and other water using appliances, the scale will cover heating elements making it harder for them to heat the water efficiently. Scale will lower the useful lifespan of your appliances and drive up your energy bills due to longer heating times. Switching to softened water will reduce the stress on your appliances, making them more energy efficient.
How Does a Salt Based Water Softener Work?
A salt based water softener uses a tried and tested ion exchange method to make the water softer. Hard water contains an elevated quantity of water hardening minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, and to a lesser extent, iron. These minerals are naturally added to the water as it passes through rock and soil on it’s journey to your home. Water is an extremely effective solvent; given enough time, it can dissolve many materials, including minerals that it passes through. This is why you may not even be able to see the mineral content in your water with a casual glance. A salt based water softener exchanges the mineral ions with softer sodium ions to rid the water of its hardness. The sodium added to the water is negligible, and only people with an extreme sensitivity to water would notice any difference.
How Much Sodium (Salt) is Added?
The addition of sodium or salt to softened water is one of the primary concerns that people have about a more traditional and effective water softening system. But, how valid is that concern? To put this into perspective, let’s imagine that a home is supplied with water that has 15-20 grains of hardness that needs to be softened. When those grains are exchanged with sodium, it would be equivalent to adding 30-35mg of salt to each 220ml glass of water. A single teaspoon of ketchup contains around 167mg of salt per serving.
What About Low Sodium Diets?
If a physician has recommended a low sodium diet for someone living in your home, can you still use a sodium based water softening system? The answer is yes; there are actually two options that you can use instead. Firstly, you can switch out sodium chloride for a potassium chloride based water softening product. Secondly, you can use a supplementary water treatment system to remove the sodium content from your water entirely.
If you want to install a water softener system in your home, contact your local water treatment professional.