One of the biggest misconceptions about water softeners is that the sodium that they add to your water can affect your health. But given the small amount of sodium that softened water actually contains, is it really anything to worry about? Today we’re going to talk about how water softeners use salt and why it doesn’t affect the quality of the water you drink!
Why do water softeners use salt?
As you’ll learn in our post about how a water softener works, sodium is used during the “ion exchange” step of the water softening process. Here’s how it works:
- The beads inside a water softener are washed with a solution of salt water known as “brine.”
- When this happens, sodium ions attach to the beads inside the tank.
- When hard water enters the tank, calcium and magnesium ions are attracted to the beads. This forces the sodium ions to be released into the water.
- The softened water (which contains a small amount of sodium) is delivered to your taps
Does drinking softened water pose any health risks?
When some people hear about the water softening process, they are concerned about the health effects of the sodium that’s added to their water. As it turns out, the amount of sodium that is present in softened water is extremely low and does not pose any health risks to the people who consume it.
According to the Mayo Clinic, “An 8-ounce glass of softened water generally contains less than 12.5 milligrams of sodium, which is well within the Food and Drug Administration’s definition of ‘very low sodium.’”
Still concerned about water softener salt? You have other options!
Although the amount of salt present in softened water is extremely small, some people with very low-sodium diets are still concerned about drinking it. If you’re one of those people, you still have a couple options!
One option is to install a Hague WaterMax and use potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride. Be sure to contact North Carolina Water Consultants to learn how this can be done!
Another option is to install a reverse osmosis water filter at your drinking water tap. This will allow softened water to run through an extra filtration step before you drink it, which will reduce the amount of sodium present in the water.
If you have any questions about water softener salt, or if you’d like a water treatment system serviced or installed in your home, contact North Carolina Water Consultants, your North and South Carolina Hague dealer. We provide service all over the Carolinas, including towns like Mount Pleasant, Waxhaw.