The Three Best Water Softener Salt Types

Quite often, when people buy a salt-based water softener, they aren’t sure which type of salt is the best water softener salt. To some degree, it depends on the type of unit you have, because some are designed to operate best with a specific type of salt, but in many cases it’s a matter of preference.

You have three choices when it comes to water softener salt. There is rock salt, evaporated salt or solar salt. Rock salt is mined from salt deposits under the ground and is used in its raw form, which contains traces of other materials besides salt, some of which are not dissolved in water.

Evaporated salt is much more pure than rock salt because it is taken from salt deposits that are in the process of dissolving. It is converted back into nearly 100% pure salt by evaporating the moisture using heat, leaving only the salt.

Solar salt comes from evaporated seawater. It has a lower sodium content as well as a much lower insolubility level than the other salts. It is available as crystals or as pellets.

The best thing to do when you first buy a water softener is consult the manufacturer’s specifications regarding the recommended type of salt.

Sometimes there is one specific type of salt that is recommended as the best water softener salt for a particular water softening unit. Some water softeners are more forgiving than others, but some work best with a specific type of salt. Mixing different types of salts together isn’t a good idea because it can actually clog the unit because they dissolve at different rates.

In addition to what kind of water softener unit you have, how often the softener is used will also have a bearing on which is the best water softener salt to use. In units that have to soften high volumes of water, evaporated salt may be the best water softener salt to use because it is nearly 100% pure salt and leaves behind very little non-soluble residue.

Using rock salt, for example, in a water softener that has to deal with high volume would mean frequent cleaning of the salt reservoir to remove the insoluble matter that the dissolved salt left behind. In units that aren’t used as often, other types of salt can be used and cleaning wouldn’t be needed as often.

Another consideration when it comes to deciding on the best water softener salt is the cost. In low volume units, the cheapest option is definitely rock salt. True, you may need to clean the reservoir from time to time but if your water softener isn’t under heavy use the cleaning wouldn’t have to be done all that often. Evaporated salt is almost 100% pure salt, so it leaves behind very little residue to clean up.

If you decide to switch from one type of salt to another, it is advisable to wait until the tank is empty of one kind of salt before adding another to avoid mixing them together.