The upside of a salt-free water softener – beyond the no-salt requirement – is that it doesn't use electricity or chemicals and creates no wastewater. The potential downside is that salt-free systems don't technically remove hardness, which means some issues — such as scale buildup — will not be entirely eliminated.
A salt-free water softener does not exist.
The ion exchange process used by water softeners doesn't work without the sodium ions displacing the calcium and magnesium ions that create water hardness.
If your home's water is slightly hard, a saltless system may work for you; however, a traditional water softener that uses salt is the best option, in most cases.
Cons of Soft Water
Regularly drinking soft water increases a person's sodium levels, which can lead to multiple health problems including blood pressure. The process used to make the water soft also makes it more volatile, which means it picks up more unwanted elements from your pipes.
Q: How long will my salt-free water softener last? This depends on the type of salt-free water softener. An electromagnetic water softener can last up to 40 years or more, while an enclosed filter-based water softener may last up to 6 years before needing replacement.
A water softener cleaner can be added every few months prior to a regeneration to keep the resin in optimal form. New potassium chloride softeners do not need to be cleaned often, but they can benefit from an annual cleaning and so can your homes water.
We think that water descalers are by far the best choice. First of all, they provide the same benefits as a water softener without the downsides. Instead of replacing calcium and magnesium with sodium, a water descaler simply reshapes the crystals to make them less adherent.
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.
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.
You really only need one if you have hard water in your home. Otherwise, if your water is already soft, then using a water softener doesn't have many benefits. Water softeners work by removing unwanted minerals, such as magnesium and calcium, from the water in your home's plumbing.
Here are some cons of salt-based water softeners:
Softeners require regular maintenance of adding salt and at time a conditioner to keep the resin working properly. Failing to do so can result in premature fouling rendering the system useless. The cleaning cycle is long and a lot of water is being wasted in this method ...
Potassium Chloride for Water Softeners
Potassium Chloride works in water softeners the same way that traditional water softener salt (sodium chloride) does, by replacing hard water minerals. The primary difference is that hard water minerals are replaced with potassium instead of sodium.
The upside of a salt-free water softener – beyond the no-salt requirement – is that it doesn't use electricity or chemicals and creates no wastewater. The potential downside is that salt-free systems don't technically remove hardness, which means some issues — such as scale buildup — will not be entirely eliminated.
Are salt free water softeners safe? While a salt-free water softener system is ineffective compared to a salt-based one, there is no reason to believe it is dangerous.
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.
Water softeners are very common in towns with hard water, but there is something not all homeowners know. A water softener can actually cause damage to your water heater. This means that the appliance will need to be replaced sooner.
Softened water is completely safe to drink and does not contain unhealthy levels of sodium. The average amount of sodium found in a 250ml glass of softened water contributes to 1% of your daily sodium intake (Recommended daily intake by the NHS 2015 is 2,400mg of sodium).
The major disadvantage to softening water is the potential health risks for people that might be on low sodium diets. The exchange of hardness minerals for sodium adds 7.5 milligrams per quart for each gpg of hardness removed. In addition, calcium and magnesium are eliminated from the homeowner's diet.
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.
Softened water may contain metals because water is a universal solvent. When water is heated or softened, it is more prone to leach metals from water pipes and other parts of the indoor plumbing system. Copper in pipes, lead in soldered joints, and metal faucets are especially vulnerable to heated or softened water.
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.
The first issue that can arise from soft water is dryness due to the lack of minerals in the water. In addition, it can leave behind a "waxy" residue that coats the hair shaft making it look greasy, dirty or lifeless, even when hair is clean.
Genesis water softener systems are an eco-friendly choice, saving as much as 75% on salt and 65% on water usage with each regeneration in contrast to other softeners. Using upflow softener technology results in the best salt efficiency and the capability to use the lowest reasonable amount of salt.
When picking a water softener, it is important to know just how hard your water is as each model is designed to treat a specific range of hard water levels. You need to ensure it has the capacity to treat your specific hard water symptoms.
The latest systems also have low salt indicators or even a remote monitoring alert to let you know you are running low on salt and help make water softener maintenance easy. Overall, because newer models are more efficient with salt use, they typically only need to have salt added every 6-8 weeks.