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You’ve probably heard about the benefits of soft
water. Cleaner clothes, softer skin, better pipes and no
spotting on dishes are always at the top of the list.
But what about all that salt?
If you've ever seen someone replace the salt rock supply
on their water softener it’s easy to leave with the
impression that this 10 pound bag of sodium is actually
being added to the water. However, the salt is really being
used to recharge the resin medium that the water passes
through. This recharging is an ion exchange. As the water
passes through the tank hard mineral ions (mostly calcium
and magnesium) are exchanged for soft mineral ions (sodium
or potassium).
After about 6 days the resin medium is depleted and can
no loner exchange ions. At this point the resin will be
automatically recharged with a flush of sodium or potassium
and be ready for another week of work.
The small amount of sodium that is added to your water
is a result of this ongoing ion exchange between the water
and the resin medium.
So how much sodium is added to your water?
That depends on the hardness of the water entering the
softener. Below is a simple chart which shows the additional
amount of sodium you would consume by drinking one quart
(32oz) of softened water.
Hardness in Grains per Gallon Sodium in Milligrams per
Quart
1.0 GPG Hardness equal 7.5 Mg/L per quart
5.0 GPG Hardness equal 37.5 Mg/L per quart
10.0 GPG Hardness equal 75 Mg/L per quart
20.0 GPG Hardness equal 150 Mg/L per quart
40.0 GPG Hardness equal 300 Mg/L per quart
To make a more normal comparison using everyday foods:
One slice of regular white bread 161 mg sodium
3/4 cup of canned baked beans 1130 mg sodium
1 tablespoon of catsup 204 mg sodium
1 medium frankfurter 610 mg sodium
1 cup of whole milk 127 mg sodium
As you can see, for water 20 grains hard you only have
150 milligrams per quart of water in sodium added which
is less than one slice of regular white bread!!
So we can see that the amount of salt a water softener
adds to your diet is quite small when compared to the everyday
foods you already eat but the benefits to your pipes, clothes,
skin and hair are enormous.
Today you have another choice besides using salt to recharge
the resin bed in your softener. Potassium Chloride is commonly
used now instead of rock salt to recharge the resin bed.
Potassium Chloride is available at most hardware stores
just like rock salt and only cost about $2.00 more per
fifty pound bag.
There was a three year study performed by Dr Lynn Woo
and her staff at UC Davis using different percentages of
water softener discharge water to irrigate different turf
grasses with and the results were very positive, the turf
grasses were healthier using percentages of potassium dosed
water than without and less watering was needed.
Because of its additional benefits, a growing population
of folks are using potassium chloride instead of rock salt
in their water softeners
So not only is potassium an important part of your diet,
you can also use the water for healthier plants, trees
and turf!
Craig Phillips
President
www.QualityWaterTreatment.com
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