polocash
03-28-2005, 09:17 AM
Does using a water softner with salt put salt into the drinking water?
I have been told yes and no by plumbers.
If you use salt in the brine tank then it introduces sodium into the water, not salt. And since sodium is the thing many people are trying to avoid, using potassium as a regeneration medium, or installing a reverse osmosis system for drinking water can minimize that problem.
Gary Slusser
03-29-2005, 08:25 AM
Does using a water softner with salt put salt into the drinking water?
I have been told yes and no by plumbers.
Sodium is added at the rate of 7.875 mg/liter per grain of 'hardness' (all exchanged ions including iron, manganese, lead, copper etc.). And usually only folks on low or sodium restricted diets have a concern but then they know how to limit their sodium intake. If you check how much sodium will be added by your water, and then compare that amount to food and beverage labels, you'll see you already injest much more sodium than will be added by a softener if you drink that all but quart of water every once in awhile.
If you use potassium chloride instead, and you are dosing your softener for the best 'salt' efficiency, you must use about 20% more than if you were using sodium chloride.
Gary
Quality Water Associates