You Can Live Without Soft Water...But It's Hard

FAQ Facts & Links

FAQ

Do I have to use salt?
Why does the water softener have to add salt to the water?
Someone told me that softened water feels ‘slimy’.
How much sodium is added to the water by the softener?
Do I need to have an exact amount of salt in the brine tank for the softener to regenerate properly?
Will a Reverse Osmosis system remove the salt from the softened water?

Do I have to use salt?

Most stores that sell softener salt will also sell a salt substitute (potassium chloride). This is just as effective as the regular salt, but adds potassium instead of sodium. The downside is that potassium chloride costs between 3 and 4 times more than the regular softener salt.

Why does the water softener have to add salt to the water?

The softener works by passing the hard water through resin beads which have soft sodium/potassium ions attached to them. While the water is in contact with the resin beads an ion exchange takes place with the hard mineral ions (typically calcium and/or magnesium) trading places with the soft sodium/potassium ions.

Someone told me that softened water feels ‘slimy’.

When you wash your skin with hard water, there is a layer of soap and minerals that is left on your skin. This is what causes the supposed ‘squeaky clean’ feeling. With soft water, the soap is completely rinsed away leaving just the natural oils your skin produces.

How much sodium is added to the water by the softener?

That depends on the hardness of the original water. This table shows the additional amount of sodium consumed by drinking one quart of softened water.

Initial Hardness	Sodium Added
1.0 grains per gallon	7.5 milligrams/quart
5.0 grains per gallon	37.5 milligrams/quart
10.0 grains per gallon	75.0 milligrams/quart
20.0 grains per gallon	150.0 milligrams/quart
40.0 grains per gallon	300.0 milligrams/quart

As a comparison, one slice of white bread has 161 milligrams of sodium; 3/4 cup of canned baked beans = 1130 milligrams; 1 tablespoon of catsup = 204 milligrams; 1 medium frankfurter = 610 milligrams; and 1 cup of whole milk = 127 milligrams. Even a common Alka Seltzer tablet contains 532 milligrams of sodium. However, if you suffer from hypertension or are on a sodium restricted diet, you should consult your doctor about the proper water for drinking.

Do I need to have an exact amount of salt in the brine tank for the softener to regenerate properly?

The amount of salt placed into the brine storage tank has nothing to do with the amount of salt used during the regeneration cycle. Water will dissolve and absorb salt only until it becomes saturated. A given amount of brine (salt saturated water) contains a specific amount of salt. Just make sure that there is at least enough salt for a regeneration cycle (8 lbs in the case of our unit).

Will a Reverse Osmosis system remove the salt from the softened water?

Yes, an H2O TO GO Reverse Osmosis system will remove 99.8% of the salt from the softened water.

H2O Facts

Water is a tasteless, odorless, colorless compound made up of two gases: hydrogen and oxygen. When hydrogen is burned in oxygen, water is formed.

The #1 trigger of daytime fatigue is lack of water.
Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
3% of the water on Earth is freshwater and only 1% is available for human consumption.
There is the same amount of water on Earth today as there was 3 billion years ago.
One gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds.
Two-thirds of the water used in an average home is used in the bathroom.
Water is the only substance found on earth naturally in three forms. (Solid, liquid and gas).