SALT vs NO-SALT SOFTENERS
Below we will outline the basic differences in salt and no salt softeners. The choice is based on your specific needs and expectations. First we will outline what each does and does not do.
SALT SOFTENERS
Salt softeners do not purify the water and they do not remove chlorine or chlorimine, nor any other items found in city water systems other than calcium and magnesium. In well water it will remove some forms and amounts of iron and manganese.
Salt softener (ion exchange) have 4 components a. back wash head b. Resin Tank c. Resin and d. Salt tank
| Salt softeners exchange calcium and magnesium with sodium ions to give you that softened water feeling. It also puts a certain amount of sodium into your water system and thus into your body when used. Therefore in order to remove the salt for drinking normally a reverse osmosis system is installed at the kitchen sink to remove the sodium from the drinking water. If sodium in the diet is not an issue then we need not install a reverse osmosis unit. |  |
Salt softeners require frequent regeneration i.e. salt being drawn as brine in the unit thru the head to clean and revitalize the Resin. After so many gallons the unit backwashes, draws in fresh brine and then does a second backwash to remove excess brine from tank.
A softener will use between 70-120 Gallons of water each time it backwashes. Since it backwashes every of couple days it does use quite a lot of water over a period of a year.
The best option if you choose a salt softener is to go with a SMART unit. The smart unit not only computes gallons used but also senses if in fact it does not need a complete brining and thus uses much less salt (20%) over even metered units and up to 60% over timer units. SMART units are produced by the Watts water company and sold thru usm
NO SALT SOFTENERS
The no salt softener is not really a softener at all. Truly it is an anti-scale unit. That means it interrupts the calcium so it can not stick on surfaces and thus keep shower heads clean, keeps calcium from building up in the hot water heater and reduces the amount of soap that is needed to get clothes clean.
| No salt units do not give you that silky salt water feel and will not give the amount of suds that a salt unit gives. It removes the calcium problems without replacing it with any other mineral or chemical. If you really want the no salt feel it will not happen with the salt softener alone though there are options if that is what you desire. |  |
The main reasons to choose a no salt softener are:
- No labor hauling salt
- No salt imputed into your diet
- No reverse osmosis unit needed
- No back wash and water waste
- No Maintenance
A No salt softener can not be used unless, the water coming into the unit has had the chlorine and Hydrogen sulfide removed. To remove the chlorine and its taste and odor a carbon tank of sufficient size must be employed. To remove hydrogen sulfide an air injection system is the best answer. This is hooked up prior to the softener and removes 99% of taste and odor along with their byproducts If chlorine and in the case of hydrogen sulfide, air injection removes 99.8% of hydrogen sulfide. (All well systems must be custom designed after a complete water test.) We offer FREE WATER TESTS by a water specialist in Florida and will send sample bottles if the need is out of state.
Thus in order to use a no salt softener, a carbon tank must be used as well and thus it is a combination unit. Yes, that raises the price above what a competitive salt unit would cost, “initially”. In the long run the No salt unit ends up costing less and giving you drinking quality water thru out the home.
OVERVIEW
Salt softeners require salt, they use several thousand gallons a year with backwash, they require a Reverse Osmosis unit to remove the salt from drinking water and thus the annual filter changes.
No salt softeners have no electricity required, no drain required, no backwash required, plus when the unit is paired with a carbon filtration system the taste and odor of city water has been removed and your whole home has drinking water coming from each faucet.
The choice is yours, neither is a bad choice. Both choices are good in the right circumstance. It comes down to what you want and what makes you happy with your water.
