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The Three Main Types Of Water Softeners

8 October 2015 by Jetse Wilkes

Water softeners 'soften' water by using a material or method to dissolve 'hard' minerals in your water supply – things like calcium and iron which can build up in your pipes and cause damage to your plumbing. Though they all perform the same function, there are a number of different types of water softeners, all of which operate in different ways and carry with them a unique set of advantages and drawbacks. Understanding the differences between the three main types of water softeners can help you choose the one that best fits your needs.

Salt Based Softener

This is the most common type of water softener on the market, and makes use of a salt resin to exchange ions with the minerals in the water supply, causing them to dissolve into the water. These types of water softeners are fairly affordable, as they are widely available (though high end models do exist), and need to be regularly maintained to ensure that there is enough resin in the system to continue softening the water.

Salt-Free Softener

Salt-free water softeners make use of a salt substitute to ionize the hard minerals in your water supply. However, instead of actually reducing the amount of hard minerals in your water, it only prevents the minerals from collecting on your water faucets and showerheads. The main draw of a salt-free softener is that it will not increase your sodium intake, but it is not as effective as a standard salt based softener and still requires regular maintenance to ensure that enough of a salt substitute is present to soften the water.

Magnetic Softener

Magnetic water softeners are an alternative type of water softener that do not make use of a mineral to ionize the minerals in your water supply. These softeners instead magnetically charge the hard minerals in the water supply, preventing them from clumping together and forming a scale on your pipes and water fixtures. They do not require any plumbing work to be done – instead, they simply clip onto the outside of the pipe, as the magnetic field can penetrate the metal of your pipes. They do not require any maintenance or upkeep like the other two types of water softeners do. However, the effectiveness of magnetic softeners (because again, they do not actually remove hard minerals from your water supply as traditional salt based softeners do) is still up for debate, as they are a recent introduction on the market.

For more information about water softening options, contact a company like Aspen Waterwise, Ltd.

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