So although there is a tiny amount of salt added when your tap water is run through a water softener, in most cases the amount of salt has absolutely no negative health effects.
Softened water is very safe to drink. Some people worry about the sodium that is released into the water during the softening process, but these concerns are unnecessary. In general, for every milligram of minerals removed from the water, two milligrams of sodium are released.
Softened Water Side Effects
Because of this, softened water is not an ideal choice for somebody with high blood pressure. Too much sodium and elevated blood pressure can damage your kidneys and your eyes, is harmful to your heart and can cause other issues that are present in people with high blood pressure.
The Verdict. Drinking hard water and drinking soft water are relatively comparable as far as your internal health goes. Both should not have any adverse effects.
It is unlikely that a physician would discourage anyone from drinking softened water. Because water softeners are designed to address the problem of hard water and do not remove other water contaminants such as organic matter, many of our water softener customers also use a drinking water system.
In summary, sodium in softened water is not a significant contributor to your intake. Health professionals actually consider soft water a "very low sodium" beverage that is unlikely to affect blood pressure at all.
Yes, hard water does have added health benefits. Calcium and magnesium are important minerals the body needs for the growth and function of bones and muscles. These minerals also regulate blood pressure and enzyme actions. Consuming hard water may be a source of these minerals.
Soft water contains ions such as calcium and magnesium but in low levels are compared to hard water. It is not advisable to drink water containing ions as increases a person's sodium levels causing blood pressure problems.
But the truth is that neither type of water offers a better or worse clean. However, soft water may leave you feeling like there's a residue because the lack of minerals makes skin feel slippery. Mineral intake. Most of the time, added minerals are good for your body.
Benefits of Hair Washing with Soft Water
Most notably, soft water lacks the heavy minerals that can damage hair and make it less resilient to other changes (like stress or diet). Because soft water can penetrate the hair follicle more fully, it generally helps hair look shinier, softer, and less damaged.
Soft water is safe for pets to drink in most cases. People are sometimes worried that softened water contains too much salt for pets' diets, in fact, no salt is added to softened water. Salt is used to soften the resin that acts on the water in a Harvey water softener, but it doesn't enter the water supply.
Hard water may not be the cause of skin conditions, but there is a lot of evidence indicating it can aggravate things further. With soft water, you'll be less likely to clog your pores and dry out your skin, you won't be as itchy and irritated, and you'll be more likely to have the beautiful, clear skin you want.
Since soft water contains very few dissolved minerals, it tends to leach minerals off other surfaces, including your metal plumbing pipes. This can result in pitting and pinhole leaks in metal plumbing pipes.
The salt brine water (sodium and chloride) is then discharged down the drain, wasting up to 150 gallons a week. The discharge of salt brines from the regeneration of water softeners can have a negative impact on the quality of water in groundwater basins, recycled water, and wastewaters.
What Causes “Slippery” Water After Softening? Slippery water is caused by the ion exchange process. In a water softener, calcium and magnesium minerals — which are responsible for hard water — are exchanged for equal amounts of sodium, or salt ions. As a result, soft water contains a small amount of sodium.
The bottom line is that water-softening systems are safe. Most people can drink hard or soft water with no side effects. Higher sodium levels may be of concern to some; however, drinking bottled water and using soft water only for laundry, dishwashing, and bathing is a simple fix.
You'll likely find that not only do your vegetables and dry foods cook faster and have a creamier texture when cooked with softer water, but they will retain their true flavor, free of mineral taste and odor.
Does soft water make your hair softer? Yes! While hard water tends to be drying, soft water can leave you with smoother, more manageable hair.
An unwanted odor or taste from your water softener is likely a result of debris in your resin media.
Hard water contains minerals that create a barrier, preventing moisture from getting to the hair. Hair washed in hard water may become excessively dry, leading to other problems in the future. With continued use, hard water may lead to weakened hair strands and follicles.
A larger softener can soften more water, more rapidly, maintaining the pressure comfortably if your water usage is higher. In a smaller household, a smaller capacity water softener will be easily able to maintain pressure.
Without softening your water, these deposits end up on your skin, sometimes making it feel dry. Compared to hard water, softened water feels slippery or silky. When people first start using softened water, they tend to use the same amount of soap that they previously used with hard water.
In turn, the water softener default setting may be way too high for your family and you end up with excessive sodium in your water after the regeneration which causes the slipperiness. Those incorrect settings also result in you using far more salt than you should, wasting your money.