It is commonly believed that salt-based water softeners are not that environmentally friendly as well as safe for your health. Nowadays, this way of combating hard water minerals is becoming less popular due to the advent of salt free water softeners.
But what is the difference between these two methods and which softeners are worth buying and what options should be avoided? Let’s discuss this relevant topic in detail.
What’s Wrong with Salt-based Water Softeners?
For those of you who have high blood pressure or are required to live on a low- or sodium-restricted diet, added salt in the softened water can cause serious health issues.
Moreover, in many US states, salt appears to be a devastating pollutant once released into the environment. Discharged in the wastewater, ions of sodium and chloride will negatively affect farm crops and, consequently, cause a reduction of crop production. To give an example, due to being extremely salt and chloride-sensitive, products such as strawberries along with avocados are always detrimentally affected by salty water used for irrigation.
In today’s climate, most people believe that leading an eco-friendly way of living is a must, therefore we do recommend you consider avoiding traditional water softeners that are based on salt.
No-Salt Breakthrough
There exist diverse types of salt-free water softener systems, but what they have in common is that they do not remove hard water minerals that cause scale deposits in home appliances. However, they do considerably reduce or dissolve already existing scale in pipes, fixtures, and so on.
Types of Salt-Free Softeners
Template Assisted Crystallization and Nucleation Assisted Crystallization
Template Assisted Crystallization, or simply TAC, along with Nucleation Assisted Crystallization, also called NAC, are methods based on the process of crystallization. Triggered by catalytic media, during crystallization, crystals are formed from calcium and magnesium ions dissolved in hard water.
It is owed to their crystalline form that calcium and magnesium crystals cannot adhere to surfaces and therefore scaling is eliminated. The method’s effectiveness is estimated at 99%.
Electromagnetic Water Softeners Systems
An electromagnetic field in the water induced by a magnet or coil is the main reason why hard minerals do not adhere to surfaces of domestic appliances. Furthermore, it is proven that existing limescale build-up is removed with approximate efficiency of up to 50%.
The Usage of a Chelation Agent
The chelating agent added into the household water is responsible for binding multivalent cations Ca2+ and Mg2+to stop limescale build-up. This method cannot be considered ideal due to the usage of chemicals. And also, its effectiveness is not impressive.
To conclude, you should bear in mind that all sorts of salt-free water systems do not remove existing minerals from water, but they help to prevent scaling by changing ions’ adhesion properties.
How to Choose a Salt-Free Softener
Costs
The price of a product is one of the major factors affecting our decision to buy. Before purchasing a desired water softener, you should be aware that the costs include not only the initial price of the product, but also the cost for installation as well as extra expenses on maintenance and replacement of certain elements.
It is not surprising that salt-free water conditioners based on crystallization are amongst the most expensive on the market. Moreover, there is the cost for installation of the unit and extra spending on replacement cartridges for a pre-filter system – although the latter comes at a low price. In total, the estimated amount of money you should consider spending is about $1,500 plus an additional $50 per year.
Systems working with a chelating agent are inexpensive in comparison to TAC and NAC water conditioners and come at around $600 plus an extra $150 per year for replacement cartridges.
Electromagnetic water units seem to be the most affordable amongst other options on the US home improvement market. If it were not for relatively low performance efficiency, this type of salt-free water softening systems would be the leader on the market. However, it does have considerable benefits such as the low cost of the unit which is about $200 without extra spending on installation and maintenance.
Enhancing Overall Performance of a Salt-Free Water Softener
It is important to point out that not all types of salt-free water softeners work equally well with different water conditions. This means that before rushing into purchasing, first of all, you should check all the requirements that any system may have and understand whether your water makes a good fit.
In order to effectively choose a salt-free softener, you can conduct a water hardness test using a simple test kit. After clarifying such important nuance, you can check whether your water meets the requirements established for the water softener.
The quality of water is also defined by other parameters. There is water temperature; there is water pH; there is heavy metal content in case you are on well water; and there are many more potential water contaminants that might be present in your water supply.
Knowing your water parameters is of utmost importance. In other words, to make the right choice you should be aware of all parameters that might have an effect on the overall performance of a water softener system.
Best Salt-Free Water Softeners
To sum up, there is no doubt that most salt-free water softener systems are based on up to date technology that comes at a relatively high price, depending on the method you prefer. These units have not only advantages but also some minor drawbacks that still have to be taken into account.
Today’s market has a lot to offer and a lot to choose from. To clear up any confusion, make sure to consult honest and up-to-date product reviews. These will help you to pick a salt-free water softener system suited for your water supply and budget.
Conclusion
Salt-free water softeners work and they are a great alternative to salt-based systems. However, which type of saltless softener you choose has a big impact on scale reduction efficiency. It also determines the costs for purchase, installation, and maintenance. Testing your water hardness level together with other parameters allows you to make the best buying decision.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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