If you follow us on Facebook or Instagram, you know water softeners have quickly become a hot item throughout the Kansas City area. And for good reason! The midwest and Kansas City, in particular, suffer from above average levels of hard water. As we often state here on the blog, hard water isn’t dangerous to your health per se. It’s perfectly safe to consume and wash with, but that doesn’t mean there are no downsides to using it. Check out this previous blog post for a nice synopsis of the good and bad of hard water.
This week on our plumbing blog, we’re going to dig a little deeper into some common misconceptions about water softeners. No matter if you’re considering a salt-based softener or a non-salt one (such as Nuvo H2O), there are plenty of opinions out there as to whether water softeners are worth the investment. Today, we’re going to see if there’s actually any truth to these claims and attempt to debunk some myths with our first-hand plumbing experience. Let’s hop right in!
Myth #1: Softened water contains too much sodium.
The way a water softener works is fairly straightforward. While there’s a little more scientific lingo to the process, essentially it’s swapping hard minerals (calcium and magnesium) with soft minerals (sodium and potassium) through a process known as ion exchange. Having said that, one of the popular myths is that softened water contains an unhealthy amount of sodium for people to consume. The truth is softened water has such a small amount of salt that it shouldn’t hardly have any impact on your overall diet.
If you would like to calculate the exact amount of sodium being added to your water, you’ll first just need your current hard water number. After that, the equation is simple:
Your Hard Water Number (10.5 gpg) x Sodium Added Per Gallon (30 mg/gal) / Number of Cups in a Gallon (16) = Sodium Added Per 8 Ounce Glass (19.69 mg/cup)
For comparison purposes, how much sodium is in one slice of white bread? 123 mg! Keep in mind that there are going to be some people who are on strict low-sodium diets. If this is a potential concern for you, make sure to consult a physician to determine what makes the most sense. Before I continue on though, one other possibility would be to only soften your hard water and continue to utilize the unsoftened cold water for drinking/cooking. This is a nice trick that essentially gives you the best of both worlds.
If you want to learn more about recommended sodium intakes, check out this resource from the American Heart Association.
Myth #2: Water softeners waste a lot of water and energy.
Just like any other industry, the plumbing world is no stranger to technological advancements. We’ve touched on a few of these topics before here on the blog. Think about it: Toilets manufactured prior to 1982 used up to 7 gallons of water per flush! Nowadays, they only use 1.6 gallons and some are even lower than that! The transformation of water softeners has followed a similar course. In fact, most of our past clients rarely recognize any noticeable difference on their utility bills.
Myth #3: If you have city water, you don’t need a water softener.
We’ve touched on the topic of water quality a few times prior to this as well. One of the benefits to living in the city and having access to quality water companies (such as KC Water and Water One) is we never have to worry about not getting clean water. This is a luxury that not everyone is fortunate to have. On the flipside, while they do a tremendous job of eliminating contaminants and giving us safe water, that doesn’t mean you don’t have hard water still. Hard water is something that affects the large majority of those living in the US. No matter if you’re on city water, well water or anything else, you can reap the benefits of a water softener.
Myth #4: Water softeners aren’t worth the money.
As is the case with household improvements, installing a water softener is an investment. The bulk of this financial investment will come in the short-term, in regards to the initial installation. After that, there will be some future expenses with buying salt and any service work needed. However, it’s also going to be something that pays for itself over time. Whether that be through the personal enjoyment you get from having soft water or keeping other appliances active for longer periods of time, it is a worthwhile investment! Oh and you’ll likely find yourself using a LOT LESS laundry detergent!
Myth #5: Softeners remove important minerals that we need to live a healthy life.
Remember what we said was one of the primary responsibilities of water softeners in the first myth? Removing hard minerals like calcium and magnesium. On the surface, wouldn’t this make you question whether or not water softeners were doing more harm than good? After all, aren’t calcium and magnesium essential minerals that we need to stay healthy? Yes, calcium and magnesium are minerals we need to consume on a consistent basis. There’s no denying that statement. However, here’s why water softeners aren’t doing any damage on the mineral consumption sentiment: In hard water, the magnesium and calcium deposits are inorganic minerals. While we could get scientific on the exact details, inorganic minerals don’t give us the same benefits we would receive having consumed these minerals in food. With that in mind, drinking hard water (compared to soft water) won’t have as much of an impact on your mineral consumption diet as some might assume!
Myth #6: Water softeners and water purifiers are the same thing.
Water softeners are amazing for so many reasons and something we strongly feel is worth the money! However, one thing it’s not is a water purifier. A water softener system will remove those hard minerals/metals that are causing all of the routine household headaches. On the other hand though, water softeners are not going to possess the ability to filter contaminants. That’s going to require the services of a reverse osmosis system, which is a different story for another day!
Myth #7: Water softeners taste too salty.
Traditionally, water softeners have been predominantly salt-based. Considering it’s utilizing salt on a consistent basis, is the drinking water all of a sudden going to have a salty taste to it? The short answer to this question is NO! Salt is simply the required ingredient for the ion exchange process (removing hard minerals out of the water). It never actually impacts the overall taste of the water.
Looking for a softener that’s not salt-based? Check out the Nuvo H2O systems. They’re citrus-based and have also become a popular option for Kansas City homeowners! Also, feel free to watch our video from a recent installation for one of our customers in Kearney!
Water Softener Installation in Kansas City!
There’s certainly quite a bit of confusion out there about water softeners. Throughout this blog, we touched on a few of the most popular myths and misconceptions. With over 40 years of personal experience in the plumbing industry, I’ve witnessed first-hand the evolution of water softeners over the years. It’s a product that I feel confident in recommending to friends, family and clients!
Here at Stine-Nichols Plumbing, our service team has gotten quite familiar with installing water softener systems for Kansas City homeowners, as they’ve been one of our most popular services over the past year or so! If you’re interested in learning more about the benefits of a water softener system or would like to receive a free quote, don’t hesitate to fill out this form. As always, we’re happy to serve the entire Kansas City area, as well as all of the surrounding cities!