How Do Saltless Water Softeners Work

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 saltless water softeners work.

A no salt water softener does not work as far as softening water goes. During the ion exchange process a polymer resin bed attracts hard water minerals and replaces them with sodium ions. For about the last ten years salt free water softeners have become the dream of many marketing companies. 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.

Do salt free water softeners work. And manganese causes black staining. It is this removal of magnesium and calcium that defines water softening. A saltless water softener uses potassium in place of sodium.

The term water softener represents a technology called ion exchange. Water softeners have become more efficient and some use up to 75 percent less salt. So here s the scoop. Problems a water softener won t fix.

Water softening involves an ion exchange process which removes both magnesium mg2 and calcium ca2 from water. This really isn t the truth. After all the ion exchange process still occurs in an electronic softener. The only major difference is that things are a bit more automated for electronic softeners.

For example ferrous iron is a common mineral and it creates nasty rust stains in sinks tubs and toilets. Ion exchange removes hard water ions in an exchange for sodium ions. How do water softeners work. So there s the big question you ve been pondering.

A salt free water softener does not exist. A more accurate description of units commonly marketed as salt free water softeners would be a salt free water conditioner or scale inhibitor. 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. 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.

A water softener by definition is a device that reduces hard water dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium. Cool but do electronic water softeners actually work. Learn how real water softeners work. In many cases we are led to believe both work the same and the only difference is that one doesn t use salt.

Saltless systems do not remove hardness. 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.