Should you drink soft water?

One of the most common questions that we hear about water softeners is whether we should drink the water. It's a great question and one of the first things that I wanted to know when we started.

A water softeners purpose is to remove the hardness minerals from water. Hardness minerals cause:

• Bathtub ring and film on shower tiles
• Excess soap usage in bathing, laundry, dishes
• Laundry to wear out faster
• Scaling in your water appliances, reducing life
• And a lot of other problems that we have covered in an earlier post  

But really, if you think about it - this is really the "Working" water in your home. A Water Softener is designed to improve the working water in you home.


So now I better get to the question.


The way that a water softener works is called "ion exchange" but really that just means that it trades the hardness minerals for the sodium in your water. The amount of sodium that a water softener will add to your water depends on the hardness, but normally here it works out to about 80 milligrams of sodium in a liter of water. A single slice of bread is 125 - 150 milligrams. 

So really, if you are not on a sodium restricted diet, the answer is normally yes. Here's some information from the Mayo Clinic.


What can you do if you have a water softener and don't want to dringk the water?

1. If the plumbing lines are accessible, you can bypass a tap for your drinking water
2. You can use potassium chloride to recharge your water softener. A couple of brands are Nature's Own or Softtouch. This product is about 5 times the price of salt, but then you will be getting potassium instead of sodium.
3. You can drink bottled water.
4. Many people are deciding that they want better drinking water. Reverse osmosis systems can provide the best drinking water and remove the sodium.

The Hard Cost of Hard Water

Do you realize how much hard water costs you?

We've been installing water softeners for 44 years, but today many people consider them a luxury. So we've put together some facts for you.

A recent article by Money Talks News lists these effects of Hard Water:

1. Calcium rings or deposits in tubs, sinks, or dishwashers
2. Spots on dishes or shower doors
3. Reduced foaming and cleaning abilities of soaps and detergents
4. Reduced hot water supply
5. Dingy and yellowed clothes with soapy residues
6. Clogged pipes, shower heads, or faucets
7. Leaky pipes

 Over 85% of homes in Canada have hard water, but you should get yours tested. Most water treatment companies offer water tests (ours is free), or you can contact a lab. If you have municipal water you can contact your water authority. Private water supply owners can contact their public health unit.


So what do the numbers mean?

Surface water in Southern Alberta runs from 7 - 18 grains per gallon hardness - pretty hard. 


If You Have Hard Water What Do You Do About It?
You are guessing I'm going to say get a water softener aren't you? Good guess. You can rent or own water softeners. The choice is yours. We generally feel that if you are going to have the softener for more than 4 years, it is probably cheaper to own it. However, many home owners choose to rent simply so they never have to worry about service or replacement. 

The Water Quality Association commissioned a study that found that water softeners are one of the best ways to save energy. They keep water heaters and appliances running efficiently, and they keep shower heads and faucets flowing freely.

This past year, another study funded by the WQA – and conducted by a different company – found that water softeners also allow you to wash your clothes in cooler temperatures and to use less laundry and dish detergent. In other words, they’re saying that if you have a water softener installed, your clothes will come out just as clean even though you reduced the temperature and detergent by 50 percent.