What Are The Advantages Of Salt Free Water Softeners?

Some homeowners are opting for salt free water softeners as an alternative to salt-based water softening units.

There are several reasons why you might want to look into salt free water softeners as a solution to your hard water problem as opposed to buying a conventional salt-based system.

The first consideration of course, is cost. Many conventional water softening systems have digital interfaces and even computer chips to monitor and regulate the softening process. Naturally, this technology isn’t cheap. A good household water softener costs hundreds of dollars and then you have to pay the cost of installation as well.

A conventional salt-based water softener must be installed by a professional because the installation involves cutting the pipes and reattaching them to the unit. When not done correctly, you can end up with leaks that not only waste water but can cause extensive water damage in the home as well. These units can be bulky and unsightly and require the homeowner to buy a continuous supply of salt.

Salt free water softeners offer a cost effective and maintenance free alternative to conventional water softening systems. They operate on a completely different principle than the salt-based softeners. Rather than replacing ions of calcium and magnesium with sodium ions, they use electromagnetic energy to keep these minerals in liquid form so they pass easily through the pipes without forming scale and clogging them.

These types of salt free water softeners are either electronic or magnetic, and they are generally referred to as water conditioners rather than water softeners. Magnetic systems operate based upon Faraday’s Law of Induction . A magnetic device is placed on the outside of the pipe. When the water passes through the magnetic field the mineral crystals are transformed into low density particles, which flow easily through the pipes without adhering to the surfaces as scale. Magnetic systems are rather costly though, and their price really isn’t justified in residential use.

You can achieve similar results with an electronic system, for a much more reasonable cost. The electronic water conditioner works on the same principle, but it uses electricity instead of magnets to create a water-treating electromagnetic field inside the pipe.

An electronic water treatment device typically lasts longer than a conventional or magnetic system, and many homeowners love the fact that they don’t have to keep buying salt to fill the tank.

The salt free system is also much smaller than a conventional water softener. It consists of a small device or electronic coil that fits around the outside of the pipe, and that’s all. There is no need to make space for it or try to conceal it by building a closet around it.

One of the downsides of the electronic water treatment system is that it does consume a moderate amount of electricity, which some say is equivalent to what one would spend buying salt for a conventional system. On the other hand, there is no installation cost and no need to sever plumbing pipes.

When you switch to a salt free water softener you don't have to worry about a brine fill. Brine is the product left over from the salt exchange. This product is not suitable for any use and the disposal of it can be difficult, not to mention messy. Many homeowners take the brine fill outside and find a place to dump it. This can cause some environmental impacts that are hazardous to the wildlife and the ecology of the area. It's also not a good idea to dump anything that can eventually seep into the ground water or the drainage runoff as there are contamination factors that can have a vast impact on the environment.

While many homeowners are simply unaware that their actions are causing environmental problems, many towns and cities have restricted or even outlawed the use of salt for such purposes.