A salt-based water softener can prove to be a useful convenience appliance for homeowners. With the installation of a whole house water filter, people can ensure a soft water supply in every tap on their property. However, salt-based water softeners are not as popular and in-demand as they should have been.
The main reason why most homeowners avoid installing a salt-based water softener is they consider its treated water harmful for human health. The basis of this apprehension is just a misconception and nothing else. People believe that by consuming water treated by a salt-based system, they will consume too much sodium, harmful to human health.
So, most homeowners miss out on using a reasonably-priced and effective water treatment system just because of this misinformation.
In this post, we will try to deconstruct this prevailing misconception in detail. We will try to address the different shapes of this misconception with facts and logic.
Hang in there until the end of this discussion if you want to update your knowledge about salt-based water softeners.
What Is Soft Water?
Before we jump into deconstructing the misconceptions regarding the use of salt-based water softeners, it is imperative to know what soft water actually is. Without going into the chemistry of it, we can simply
define soft water as hard water without its calcium, magnesium, and other metal cations. Soft water is okay for household consumption for various reasons. For instance, it makes washing and cleaning easier
because you can make the same amount of foam while using lesser soap and detergent. Soft water is also good for hair and skin as compared to hard water.
Soft Water Is Safe to Drink
Soft water contains a small amount of sodium. However, it doesn’t make soft water unsafe for human
consumption because sodium is not a toxic element. The human body needs a certain amount of sodium
to function. One standard glass (250ml) of soft water usually contains sodium that only makes 1% of your daily recommended sodium intake.
Shell Water Systems, Salt-Based Softeners do not add a harmful amount of sodium in your water
Many people just assume that since it is a salt-based water treatment system, it will add salt to the supply.
That’s not the case at all.
Yes, these water softener systems use water softening salts. However, those salts are first broken down into ions. Those ions then charge the filter media and replace the hard minerals like magnesium, calcium in your water. Those hard minerals get neutralized after reacting with the halogen part (e.g., Cl ion) of the salt.
So, no salt is added to the water. It’s just its one component (sodium) left in the treated water in harmless quantity. It is possible that some salt doesn’t break into ions. However, this amount is so negligible that it doesn’t affect the treated water’s taste profile and health index.
The water entering the home does not contain a substantial amount of sodium.
Interestingly, this misconception stems from the fact that a salt-based water softener leaves sodium in the treated water.
Soft-based water softeners add sodium to the water. However, it doesn’t imply in any way that this sodium addition makes water unhealthy for human consumption. In fact, an excellent salt-based system produces healthy water that is exceedingly better than regular tap water.
As a consumer, you have an absolute right to investigate the claim that salt-based water softener doesn’t add an unhealthy amount of sodium to the drinking water. To assist you in this investigation, we will use the findings of National Health Research Institutes instead of what water softener manufacturers have to say about it. The idea is to provide a research-oriented, unbiased outlook of sodium content in the treated soft water.
The studies suggest that both children and adults can consume up to 2.3 grams of sodium daily without experiencing any adverse side effects. Moreover, children and adults must consume 0.3 and 09 grams of sodium every day, respectively, for healthy bodily functions.
Now, let’s take a look at the amount of sodium found in various daily dietary items.
· Three standard-size biscuits or cookies contain 150 milligrams of sodium
· A loaf of white bread contains 510 milligrams of sodium
· A big slice of cheesecake contains 260 milligrams of sodium
· An omelet contains 1030 milligrams of sodium
· A bowl of chickpeas contains 560 milligrams of sodium
On the other hand, a gallon of water treated with a salt-based water softener won’t contain more than 1192 milligrams of sodium. The amount of sodium retained by water depends on its hardness. It is in direct proportion. If you are getting acutely hard water (around 40 grains per gallon) in your supply, only then the amount of sodium exceeds one gram per gallon (still well within healthy ranges).
In most cases where homeowners have to treat moderately hardened water, the treated water’s sodium value lingers around 200-400 milligrams per gallon.
To sum it up, a salt-based water softener doesn’t add unhealthy sodium levels to the treated water. The healthy water coming out of a salt-based water softener will only help you get to the daily recommended value of sodium consumption.
While we are at it, it will be fitting to address another prevailing misconception before we give our final verdict on the use of water treated by a salt-based water softener.
Final Verdict
If you have read the above sections, we are pretty confident that you will be able to make your own conclusion regarding the use of salt-based water softener. However, we will give our verdict to round off the discussion in a more categorical and decisive manner.
Yes, the water treated by a salt-based water softener and whole house filtration is 100% consumable. The soft water coming out of the taps in a home with a whole house water filter is perfect for human consumption. You can drink it directly from the tap to fulfill your daily water consumption without passing it through any other treatment process.
If you want to treat your municipal or well water supply with high-performance filters, Shell Water Systems is there to help you. We offer a range of whole house filtration systems with salt-free and salt-based methods. All our water systems feature certified components and offer guaranteed filtration results for a long time.
