How Do Saltless Water Softeners Work

A more accurate description of units commonly marketed as salt free water softeners would be a salt free water conditioner or scale inhibitor.

How do saltless water softeners work.

A more accurate way to describe them would be descalers since they do reduce buildup in many but not all types of plumbing equipment. For example ferrous iron is a common mineral and it creates nasty rust stains in sinks tubs and toilets. So here s the scoop. It is this removal of magnesium and calcium that defines water softening.

A salt free water softener does not exist. And manganese causes black staining. 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. Salt based water softeners use an electronic metered valve mounted atop a fiberglass resin tank that meter water by the gallon and then run a cleaning cycle when the ion resin.

How do water softeners work. After all the ion exchange process still occurs in an electronic softener. It s not like they haven t always been out there i ve been in the water treatment business for 42 years and i have seen plenty of these types of companies come and go but they are now here en mass. This really isn t the truth.

Water softeners have become more efficient and some use up to 75 percent less salt. Problems a water softener won t fix. For about the last ten years salt free water softeners have become the dream of many marketing companies. A no salt water softener does not work as far as softening water goes.

Learn how real water softeners work. The term water softener represents a technology called ion exchange. Water softeners are good at removing calcium and magnesium but they don t do anything to remove other minerals and gases that can cause problems in drinking water. Cool but do electronic water softeners actually work.

Do salt free water softeners work. So there s the big question you ve been pondering. A water softener by definition is a device that reduces hard water dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Saltless systems do not remove hardness.

Well you ll be happy to know that the answer is a big yes. Water softening involves an ion exchange process which removes both magnesium mg2 and calcium ca2 from water. With a water softener you also don t need to use as much soap for dishes laundry or bathing as you do if you have hard water. Ion exchange removes hard water ions in an exchange for sodium ions.

A saltless water softener uses potassium in place of sodium. During the ion exchange process a polymer resin bed attracts hard water minerals and replaces them with sodium ions.