Water softener

What It Means

A water softener takes out the calcium and magnesium that make water hard. Nebraska Extension explains how most home units do it, by ion exchange: water runs through a tank of resin beads loaded with sodium, the calcium and magnesium stick to the beads, and sodium goes into the water in their place. The beads are recharged with brineBriningSoaking meat or poultry in salt water before cooking; USDA says to keep it in the refrigerator at 40°F or below while it soaks. See more, a strong salt solution, which is why a softener needs salt topped up.

How It Sounds at Home

• "The softener's out of salt again."
• "Since we got the softener, the shower glass stays clear."
• "Is the water from the kitchen tap softened too?"

The Breakdown

Deciding and looking after one

1. Find out how hard your water is. Buhata's own suggestion: ask your water supplier for the figure, then compare it with the USGS bands below.
2. Understand the sodium. Nebraska Extension, citing the Water Quality Association, says softening adds about 8 mg of sodium per liter for each grain per gallon of hardness removed. Water at 1010,000 stepsA popular daily step goal that began as the name of a 1960s Japanese pedometer; later studies find health benefits begin well below it. See more grains per gallon ends up with about 80 mg per liter.
3. Keep the salt topped up. The resin can only keep softening while it's being recharged with brine, so follow your model's manual for the salt and the regeneration settings.
4. Ask about potassium chloride if sodium is a concern. Nebraska Extension says it can be used in place of salt but tends to cost more and be harder to find, and suggests talking to a water treatment professional first.
5. Have a licensed plumber install it, following the maker's instructions. That's Buhata's own suggestion.

Short version to try today. Look up your water hardness on your supplier's latest water quality report, or ask them for it.

Good to Know

The U.S. Geological Survey treats hard water as a nuisance with no health concern, so a softener is a choice about scale, soap and cleaning, and the hard water stainsHard water stainsWhite, chalky marks left on glass, faucets, tile and toilets when hard water dries and leaves its calcium and magnesium behind. See more page covers what hardness does to glass and fixtures. Softening does add sodium. If anyone at home is on a sodium-restricted diet, ask their doctor about drinking and cooking with softened water, and ask a water treatment professional about the potassium chloride option Nebraska Extension describes. Keep the manual, the install date and the salt type your model needs somewhere you'll find them.

Related Terms and Categories

• Hard water stains

  White, chalky marks left on glass, faucets, tile and toilets when hard water dries and leaves its calcium and magnesium behind.

• Water heater flush

  Draining a water heater and running water through it to wash out the sediment and minerals that settle inside, usually about once a year.

• Anode rod

  A metal rod inside a tank water heater that corrodes on purpose, so the steel tank doesn't. Makers suggest checking it yearly or every few years.

• Descaling

  Dissolving the mineral scale that hard water leaves inside kettles, coffee makers and other appliances that heat water.

• Water filter replacement

  Swapping a home water filter's cartridge on the maker's schedule or at its rated capacity, so it keeps reducing what it's certified to reduce.

• Appliance lifespan

  How many years a home appliance usually lasts before it needs replacing, from about 6 years for a compactor to 15 for a gas range in Consumer Reports' 2009 figures.

Home maintenance and repairs