What Is a Water Softener?

If your water smells funny or your soap won’t lather, the culprit may be hard water. Caused by minerals that seep into the groundwater, hard water can create a multitude of household problems, including soap scum, clogged pipes and skin irritations. If a high mineral content in your water is making daily washing tasks a chore, water conditioning may be your answer.

This May Also Interest You: Installing a Water Softener Isn’t So Hard: A 6-Step Guide

What Is Hard Water?

Hardness is a measure of water’s mineral content. Water that's considered hard has a high concentration of minerals such as calcium, iron and magnesium. Hard water typically occurs when groundwater passes over and through mineral-rich rock or sediment and minerals are transferred from the earth to the water.

Although hard water isn’t bad for your health, it can be a household nuisance, causing issues such as:

• Dry hair

• Soap scum

• Dingy clothes

• Dry, itchy skin

• Lack of soap lather

• Clogged showerheads and pipes

• Stains on porcelain sinks or tubs

• Water spots on dishes and glasses

• Inability to effectively rinse off soap

• Shortened lifespans of appliances

• Dishwasher and washing machine inefficiency

What Is a Water Softener?

A water softener is an appliance that transforms hard water into soft water by removing minerals such as calcium and magnesium. In doing so, it eliminates many of the problems hard water can cause.

Water softeners can be either whole-home or under-the-counter units. A whole-home water softener treats your entire household water supply. An under-the-counter unit only treats water that flows through a single faucet or spigot.

What Exactly Does a Water Softener Do?

A water softener acts like a filter to remove minerals, such as calcium, magnesium and iron, from your household water. Essentially, if you have hard water flowing into your house, a water softener makes it soft so you can avoid hard-water-related problems such as mineral buildup in and on your plumbing fixtures. Most commercial units do so through an ion exchange process, in which sodium or potassium is substituted for the minerals that make your water hard.

How Water Softeners Fit Into Your Home's Plumbing System

Water softeners should be installed where water enters your home, ideally after the water meter but before the water heater. Depending on your home's design, this may include places such as the:

• Basement

• Garage

• Utility room

• Crawl space

In warm climates, a water softener can also be installed outside in a weatherproof enclosure. If your region experiences cold winters, water softeners in the garage and basement should sit on concrete slabs and should never be insulated from freezing temperatures.

The ideal installation areas should also have:

• Main water line access

• A nearby drain

• A 120-volt electrical outlet that can interrupt the circuit if there's a problem

• Space for the mineral and brine tanks

• Easy maintenance access

How Do Water Softeners Work?

The most common method of water softening uses an ion exchange process to remove minerals from the water and replace them with salt. Water entering your home flows into a tank containing resin beads charged with sodium or potassium ions. As the water passes over the beads, they electrically attract the minerals and an exchange occurs. Calcium and magnesium attach to the beads while displaced sodium or potassium ions replace the minerals in the water.

Eventually, when the resin beads become full of calcium and magnesium, they’re flushed with a highly concentrated salt or potassium solution. This removes the minerals, which eventually drain out into the surrounding environment.

Is Drinking Softened Water Safe?

Drinking soft water is generally considered safe. However, people on sodium-restricted diets should consult a medical professional, as the increased sodium content in softened water can raise blood pressure in susceptible individuals.

Potentially, soft water can also pick up lead from the inside of older, untreated water pipes, so if you live in an older home, discuss safety concerns with a licensed plumber or water-softening expert.

Additionally, hard water is a good source of calcium and magnesium, which are considered essential to a balanced diet. If you have dietary deficiencies in these areas, you may want to consider adding calcium or magnesium supplements to meet your daily needs when using a water softener.

If you install a water softener, cleanliness is also a crucial component to healthy drinking water. Keep your system clean and well-maintained so it's free of bacteria and fungi.

More Related Articles:

• How Much Does a Water Softener Cost?

• How to Install a Water-Softening Showerhead

• How Much Do Home Water Filtration Systems Cost?

• How Do You Clean a Water Softener?

• Step by Step: Understanding the Water Softener Regeneration Process

What Are Salt-Free Water-Conditioning Systems?

Salt-free treatment systems aren’t technically water softeners. Instead, they alter the properties of the water-bound minerals so they can no longer adhere to surfaces, rendering them harmless. These systems may be a better choice for families who don't want to increase their sodium intake.

What Are the Disadvantages of a Water Softener?

Water softeners can prevent many of the problems that hard water can cause. However, there are disadvantages to softening your water, including:

• Pipe corrosion: If you’re using an ion exchange softener, the salt added to your water can corrode your pipes. As the corroded metal breaks away, it can increase lead and copper levels in your drinking water.

• Health effects from increased sodium intake: According to the American Heart Association, increased sodium intake can put you at risk for numerous conditions, including stroke, kidney disease and osteoporosis.

• Environmental effects from sodium: In large enough quantities, sodium that drains from water softeners can threaten local aquatic life and potentially contaminate nearby wells.

• Required maintenance: Although a water softener can last about 10 to 15 years, it requires regular maintenance, including replacing the salt and cleaning the tanks and beads.

Are Water Softeners Worth the Cost?

Water softeners can be costly to install, running between $700 and $3,500 (CAD 969 and CAD 4,845) depending on the size of your home, the type of unit you choose and the overall quality of the appliance. For a mid-range unit, you can expect to pay between $1,200 and $2,400 (CAD 1,661 and CAD 3,322). Household modifications, such as drain placement or electrical upgrades, can mean additional costs. Water softeners also have maintenance costs such as electricity, replacement salt and water testing.

However, if you have hard water, a water softener can improve your home's water quality, providing better-tasting drinking water, making washing easier and increasing the efficiency of appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines. Over the long run, this can mean substantial cost savings, so if you get your water from an aquifer or well, installing a water softener may be worth the initial cost.