What is the difference between a Salt-free Water Softener and Traditional Water Softener?

Many Consumers are confused about the difference between a salt-based water softener and a salt–free water softener. The most important thing to know is you cannot remove minerals from water without replacing them with something. A traditional water softener removes minerals completely and requires a regenerate like sodium or potassium. All of the salt-free softeners on the market today do not remove the minerals.

Salt-free water softeners change the properties of the minerals rendering them harmless to your pipes and appliances. Salt-free softeners work behind the scenes de-scaling existing scale and preventing future build-up. You will still see some spots on dishes and a white residue from time to time however it is easily wiped off. Salt free systems require no maintenance like a traditional softener and are considered to be more environmentally friendly.

Knowing which method to choose is simply up to you and asking yourself which category you fall under will help you decide:

Traditional Water Softener Category

I want the minerals completely removed from my water
I don’t mind adding salt to the brine tank every two months on average
I want slippery soft water and a lot of soap suds
I don’t mind using electricity to power the valve
I have extra water to spare for the backwash process

Salt-free Water Softener Category

I want to keep the healthy minerals in the water
I want a maintenance-free system
I want to protect my pipes and appliances from damage
I don’t like the feel of slippery water
I don’t mind a few spots on dishes
I don’t want to waste electricity
I don’t want to waste water

Once you have chosen a category that fits you best look for products that combine filtration treatment (for chlorine, heavy metals and other contaminants) and softening. That is a good way to address several issues in one system while saving you money.

Have Better than Bottled Water Quality in Your Home!

Having bottled quality water at home is not only possible, but it is affordable as well. Bottled water companies filter their water using a technology called Reverse Osmosis and you can have this technology in your own home for pennies a day. I personally prefer treating my own water because I know when the last time my filters were changed. As consumers, we have no idea if our bottled water provider is changing their filters on a consistent basis (or if they are even filtering at all, which is not required of bottled water producers), so you may be paying for water that is worse quality than the unfiltered water at your tap.

Having a Reverse Osmosis unit under your kitchen sink will give you super purified water that tastes great and will save you thousands of dollars while helping out the environment in the process. Reverse Osmosis filtration is proven to remove chlorine, lead, pesticides, cysts, fluoride, arsenic, VOC’s, pharmaceuticals, and much more.

If you are concerned about removing minerals from your water you can simply add a post calcite filter for only $29.00 which adds healthy minerals back into the water balancing the pH while providing a silky taste.

You deserve the best quality water and Reverse Osmosis technology is simply the best!