Hard water is a common problem faced by private well owners across the US. Hardness in water is caused by a large concentration of calcium and magnesium. A water softener is the most common and effective way to remove these minerals from well water. A typical (salt-based) water softener uses a softening salt to make your water soft.
Hence, the question arises; does a traditional salt-based water softener add sodium (salt) to your well water?
Do Water Softeners Add Sodium to Drinking Water?
Yes. A water softener adds sodium (salt) to your water when water passes through it. The salt is added to your water due to the ion exchange process that removes calcium and magnesium from water and replaces them with salt. The salt can be sodium or potassium based on softening salt.
This article will discuss everything about water softeners adding sodium to drinking water.
How Much Sodium does a Water Softener add to Drinking Water?
The amount of sodium added to water depends on how hard your well water is. If well water is very hard, meaning that it has more than 10 grains per gallon or more than 120 PPM hardness, the water softener will use more sodium ions to remove hardness.
On the contrary, water slightly or moderately hard with 2-5 grains per gallon or below 120 PPM hardness will require much less sodium to make it soft.
Your water softener will add 7-8 milligrams per quart of sodium for 1 grain per gallon hardness and 35-40 milligrams per quart of sodium for 5-6 grains per gallon hardness. For 8-10 grains per gallon hardness, the softener will add 60-75 milligrams per quart of sodium salt.
One quart is equal to 0.25 gallons of water. 0.25 gallons of water equals 1 liter of water, which means 4 250 ml glasses. An average American drinks around 4-6 250 ml glasses per day.
Let’s compare this to what American’s eat daily and how much the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend for healthy adults.
FDA states that Americans eat, on average, about 3400 mg of sodium daily. However, Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests limiting sodium intake to less than 2300 mg per day (or even less if younger than 14). American Heart Association also suggests no more than 2300 mg a day. However, it recommends limiting sodium to 1500 mg per day who are at risk of high blood pressure.
Does a water softener increase your sodium intake?
Yes. Drinking water from a water softener increases your sodium intake only by a minimum amount. You will be surprised to know that the regular food items you consume daily contain much more sodium than softened water. 1 dill pickler contains 930-960 mg sodium, 1 ounce of cheese has 400-420 mg sodium, 2 slices of bread have 220-240 mg sodium, and a cup of milk has 130 mg sodium in it.
So, if you are worried that softened water will increase sodium intake and affect your health, don’t be.
Is it safe to drink water from a water softener?
Yes. Drinking water from a water softener is okay if the hardness is less than 400 PPM. However, there are two specific situations when health experts advise against drinking softened water. These are
- People who are medically prescribed lower sodium or sodium-free diet. They can use a potassium-based salt to soften or install a salt-free water softener (water conditioner).
- For making infant formula powders because high sodium content in water could affect the ingredients in the formula.
One way to deal with this problem is to install an RO filter in your kitchen. RO filters remove all the contaminants from water. It is so powerful that it even removes healthy minerals from water. Most RO systems come with a remineralization stage that adds minerals back to water in the required quantity.
Does Softened Water Taste Salty?
A water softener adds sodium or potassium to your water, making it salty. However, the salt addition is usually so low that it won’t be detected unless you have very sensitive taste buds.
Your softener may also make the water salty if water is extremely hard. Too much salty water from a softener may indicate something is potentially wrong with your water softener. The brine tank is clogged, or the program head has a wrong setting.
How can I Remove the Salt added by Water Softener?
Salt-free water softeners or conditioners cannot remove calcium and magnesium in large concentrations. You must install a water softener to remove hardness in such situations. However, this adds salt to your drinking water.
You can use three different methods to remove salt from water. These are:
- Reverse Osmosis (RO)
- Distillation
- Electrodialysis
RO filtration is suited for private well owners. The filter consists of several filtration stages that remove 99% of contaminants from water. The RO membrane is so small that it doesn’t allow anything other than water molecules to pass through.
Some RO filters come with UV filtration and a remineralization stage. The UV bulb kills microorganisms, and remineralization adds the necessary minerals back to water that were removed during the RO stage.
How can I Soften Hard Water without using Salt?
You can use a water conditioner or a water descaler to make your water soft. A water conditioner doesn’t remove or add anything to your water. It changes the way calcium and magnesium react to different surfaces by making them non-sticky.
However, a water conditioner doesn’t completely eliminate scale and hard water stains. It just reduces them up to a certain extent. Moreover, water conditioners are not recommended for water with high mineral content.
Can Drinking Softened Water Increase Body Weight?
No. Softened water from a water softener doesn’t increase body weight. The added sodium or potassium in water has no connection with your body weight.
What are the Benefits of using Potassium Chloride instead of Sodium Chloride as a Salt in Water Softener?
The biggest advantage is for people on a sodium-free diet plan. Potassium doesn’t increase the chances of blood pressure. CDC states that increasing potassium intake is good for heart health and lowers blood pressure.
Potassium chloride is considered safe for the environment and humans. Using it as a softening salt reduces the environmental impact of sodium chloride.
Final Words: The Best Setup
A water softener is a necessity for most homes. However, many people prefer to limit sodium intake due to its risk of high blood pressure. The best setup with a water softener would be to install a reverse osmosis water filter for drinking water. It will remove excess salt from water and contaminants like chlorine, heavy metals, TDS, VOCs, herbicides, pesticides, and microorganisms.
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