What Salt For Water Softeners Options Are There?

Salt for water softeners is often found in the form of rock salt, which is taken from natural sources, namely the earth.

It is taken from salt deposits under the surface of the earth through traditional methods of mining. Salt that is used for human consumption, such as table salt, is well refined. It is purified and often iodized, but salt for water softeners is delivered in a much more raw state.

For a water softener, there are three types of salt that are generally used: rock salt, evaporated salt and solar salt.

Rock salt for water softeners consists of about 98-99% sodium chloride. The most important component contained in this mineral is calcium sulphate, which gives it an insolubility level of approximately 0.5-1.5%.

Evaporated salt is mined from the earth as well, but it is obtained from deposits of salt that are dissolving. The moisture is evaporated out of the salt, usually with the help of coal or natural gas. Evaporated salt has levels of sodium chloride from 99.6-99.99%.

Solar salt is generally obtained through the evaporation of seawater. It is 85% sodium chloride with an insolubility level of below 0.03%. Solar salt is sold in either crystal form or sometimes in the form of pellets.

So, the question that may be on many people’s minds is which of these three; solar salt, evaporated salt or rock salt, is the best type of salt for water softeners?

The cheapest option is rock salt because it is pretty much in its raw form, just the way it came out of the earth. The main problem with pure rock salt is that it isn’t 100% pure salt. Because rock salt is raw and unrefined, it also contains other matter from the earth, some of which isn’t water soluble. This material will be left behind in the reservoir once the salt has dissolved, which means that the softener’s reservoirs will need to be cleaned more often than they would be when using other types of salt.

Solar salt is somewhat better, but it still contains some insoluble materials, so regular cleaning still must be done although perhaps not as often as it would with rock salt.

Evaporated salt is the purest form of salt to use for water softeners. It may cost a little bit more to buy, but it can significantly reduce the amount of time that you spend cleaning your salt reservoirs. It is possible to use a mixture of two or more of these salts in your water softener, but it is not recommended because they dissolve at different rates and may affect the function of the water softener.

In most cases, it is best to wait until one type of salt is completely gone before switching to another type of salt. Sometimes mixing different salts together can plug the unit, depending on the type of water softener you have. It is important to check the manufacturer’s specifications to find out which type of salt is recommended for any given water softening system.