A water softener removes heavy minerals from water such as magnesium and calcium that have the effect of being harsh on skin and hair as well as leaving calcium deposits on faucets and inside pipes.
But you may have come across references to so-called salt free water softeners. How can this be? A key component of a water softener is that salt must be used as part of the process.
There is no such thing as a salt free water softener. The ion exchange process in a water softener requires salt so it’s a necessary component. A salt free water conditioner does exist but it is a descaler, not a water softener.
The process of softening water involves using dissolved salt in a brine mixture to neutralize the minerals in the water such as magnesium and calcium that cause the water to be hard in the first place.
A salt free water conditioner is a descaler which inhibits scale from building up within the pipes and other water-using fixtures such as faucets and taps. Below we’ll take a closer look at how a salt free water conditioner differs from a water softener.
What is a salt free water conditioner?
Also known as a scale inhibitor, a salt free water conditioner is a descaler that prevents the build up of hard minerals inside water pipes and on faucets and taps by altering the chemical structure of the minerals that pass through the system.
Minerals such as magnesium and calcium can build up on the inside of water pipes and can also cause water stains on your taps and faucets.
Over time, a calcium build up inside pipes can cause blockages, corrosion and scaling. You will also notice water stains on faucets and taps. Over time, scaling will cover the bottom coils inside your water heater which can reduce efficiency and eventually its lifespan.
Salt water softener vs salt free water conditioner
Here are the main differences between a water softener which uses salt and a salt free water conditioner.
| Salt water softener | Salt free water conditioner | |
| Salt | Must use salt pellets or similar salt product. | Not required. |
| Purpose | A water softener removes harsh minerals like calcium and magnesium to soften water making it silky on the skin, less likely to leave calcium deposits inside water pipes and less likely to leave water stains on faucets. | Acts as a descaler or water conditioner to prevent calcium and other deposits from forming inside the pipes. |
| Process | Hard water passes through negatively charged resin in the system and as positively charged minerals like calcium and magnesium pass through, they stick to the resin and are removed from the water, producing soft water. | Hard water passes through the conditioner which alters the chemical structure of the minerals through the descaling process. |
| Benefits | Produces soft water which is easier on the hair and skin for showers plus it reduces calcium deposits inside pipes and water stains on faucets. | Reduces limescale, calcium and other build up inside pipes. |
| Downsides | Wastes a fair amount of water – up to 120 gallons for every 1,000 gallons softened – during the regeneration process which occurs every few days as the system rinses. | More expensive than water softeners. Tends not to work well with water wells or with sitting water i.e. bottom of a water heater. |
| Lifespan | A good system can last 10 years or longer. The resin will probably need to be replaced during that time as it wears out and gums up the system. | A good system can last 10 years or longer. |
How is a water softener different from a water conditioner?
A salt-using water softener uses a process called ion exchange to remove magnesium and calcium from the water before it is distributed throughout your home for normal water usage. Hard water runs through the system and passes through a resin bed with a negative electrical charge which attracts the positively charged minerals.
The minerals attach themselves to the resin beads and the now-softened water leaves the softener and is distributed through the house, minus the harsh minerals. Salt is a soft mineral and the softened water has the added sodium minus the hard minerals such as the ones mentioned above.
When the system regenerates, it flushes out the collected hard minerals and regenerates the system with fresh brine (concentrated salt water).
Over time, the resin bed will wear out and will have to be replaced.
Why have some areas banned water softeners?
Some cities and regions have outright banned salt water softeners, particularly in the state of California. Water softeners add large amounts of salt water to the wastewater systems, not only from the water used by your household but water used during the rinsing and regeneration.
Using a water softener is a way of turning water that is high in minerals such as magnesium and calcium (so-called hard water) into soft water where those minerals are effectively neutralized and removed from the water that you end up using within your home.
The problem?
Water softeners use salt as part of the process which adds salt to your local waste water which be very problematic. To the point that local waster water authorities often have to build expensive desalination plants to deal with the excessive salt.
An average family might require around 10 lbs of salt per week for their water softener so you can see how quickly it can add up across an entire city or region.
So if you can’t install a water softener in your area, you might choose instead to look at a water conditioner that doesn’t use salt.
The cost to your local waste water supply can be high
Part of the way that a water softener works is to regenerate usually every few days to resupply the unit with a concentrated salt water supply called brine. When it regenerates, the system rinses itself which involves dumping a number of gallons of concentrated salt water into the water supply, further exacerbating the problem.
Every time your system regenerates, concentrated salt water gets dumped into the water supply which adds to the stress on the system. That’s just from a residential perspective too. There are then commercial operations such as fish processing, food pickling and meat curing operations which also inject salt water into the local waste system.
Thus, a desalination plant is often necessary to deal with this excessive salt.
Building a desalination plant is not a cheap option. Recent installations have ranged from $32 million to $658 million to build various sized desalination plants.
They can be contentious projects too since people who don’t have water softeners are subsidizing the cost on behalf of other residents who do have them.
In that regard, some local areas have either banned water softener sales and/or offered incentives to existing owners to get rid of them.
Again, this is another reason why a water conditioner might make sense for you especially if over time we see more jurisdictions banning salt water softeners.
Summary
There is no such thing as a salt free water softener since the ion exchange process that is used requires salt to be utilized in the process. Instead, a salt free water conditioner exists that doesn’t use salt and can help to reduce calcium deposits inside your pipes which is a major concern when using hard water.
Want to learn more about options you have to improve the water within your home? Check out the articles below:
How Much Does A Water Softener Cost? – Water softeners aren’t cheap to install but there are several benefits to be had that can justify the cost.
Why Does My Tap Water Suddenly Taste Bad? – If you lousy tasting water within your home, there are several possible reasons why and some things you can do to improve it ASAP.
Tankless Water Heater vs Tank Water Heater – The standard hot water tank is slowly being replaced by a small and efficient tankless water heater. Here are the pros and cons of each.