Salt or No Salt Water Softener: Exposing the Truth

You're probably wondering whether to choose a salt or no salt water softener to reduce water hardness in your home. Let's make the decision simple for you: there's actually no such thing as a salt free water softener.

When companies talk about “salt-free soft water”, they’re actually talking about salt free water conditioners. These systems alter the chemical structure of hard minerals like calcium and magnesium without using salt in the process.

We’re certified to install salt-free water conditioning systems from WaterTech, an industry leader in safe home water treatment. No wastewater, no salt brine — just clean drinking water and no hard water mineral scaling issues.

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There’s No Such Thing as a Salt Free Water Softener

There is no such thing as a saltless water softener system. The water softening process involves an ion exchange, where calcium and magnesium ions are replaced by sodium ions. Salt is 100% inherent in water softeners. 

TLDR: that means almost every water softening system is a salt based water softener.

Why do companies still use the term “salt-free soft water”?

If salt free water softeners don’t actually exist, why is the Internet flooded with articles about them? (Heck, big sites like Angi write entire “pros and cons” pieces about them.)

There are 3 simple reasons why people still use the term “salt free water softening” online:

1. They’re mislabeling their water conditioning products to appeal to a wider audience,
2. They’re trying to get better results on Google, or
3. They’re being deliberately misleading

We don’t want to think negatively of anyone, so let’s stick with options 1 and 2.

Why do people want a saltless water treatment process?

There are plenty of good reasons why people want to get salt out of their water treatment process. Here are the 4 our expert plumbers see and hear most frequently:

1. People are concerned about increased sodium intake
2. Salt-based systems require more frequent maintenance
3. Salt-based water softeners have frequent regeneration cycles
4. Water softeners produce salt brine wastewater that harms the environment

Even sodium-free water softeners still use a form of salt

The select few systems that don’t use sodium use potassium chloride, which is also a type of mineral salt. If you want a traditional water softener, you're getting a salt based system.

The American Heart Association says that while potassium chloride does reduce the risk of high blood pressure (vs. sodium), it has a negative health impact on people with kidney issues.

Don’t worry — a great salt free system does exist that helps reduce scaling and improve water quality. It’s called a salt free water conditioner.

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What is a Salt Free Water Conditioner?

A water conditioner is a water treatment system that chemically changes magnesium and calcium in hard water. Unlike a water softener, water conditioners do not remove hard minerals from your water supply.

The altered minerals in conditioned water are less likely to stick to your pipe walls and plumbing fixtures, reducing the risk of scaling and low water pressure.

How does salt free water conditioning work?

Most water conditioning systems use a TAC filter (template assisted crystallization) to crystallize hard mineral ions in water. This process is achieved without the use of salt.

Your city water supply passes through a filtration tank filled with TAC media made of polymer beads. These beads cause calcium and magnesium to form micro crystals in your water before they enter your home’s plumbing system.

Conditioned water is less likely to cause scaling issues. Hard water scaling causes pipe clogs, poor water flow, and inefficient operation of water using appliances.

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5 Instant Benefits of Water Conditioner Installation

Installing a salt free conditioner has 5 primary benefits for consumers:

1. Beneficial health properties of retaining calcium and magnesium in your tap water
2. Eco-friendly system operation with no wastewater and salt brine discharge
3. Increased appliance efficiency, especially in home water heaters
4. Improved water taste and odor is reported by many homeowners
5. Protection from 10 harmful water contaminants, disinfectants and forever chemicals

Conditioned water has direct health benefits

Conditioned water reduces the risk of scaling in pipes and appliances, while it retains the positive health effects of beneficial minerals.

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists the following health benefits of calcium and magnesium in your drinking water:

Health benefits of calcium in water:

1. Reduced risk of osteoporosis
2. Reduced risk of hypertension
3. Reduced risk of stroke
4. Reduced risk of kidney stones
5. Increased insulin resistance

Health benefits of magnesium in water:

1. Reduced risk of hypertension
2. Reduced risk of atherosclerosis
3. Reduced risk of cardiac arrhythmias
4. Reduced risk of coronary hard disease

Water conditioning is environmentally friendly

Water softening creates wastewater in the form of sediment and microorganism-filled salt brine.

A water softener creates between 20 and 70 gallons of wastewater during a system flush (aka regeneration cycle).The higher your home’s water hardness, the more wastewater is usually created.

The water conditioning process does not generate this wastewater in its function. This lessens a water conditioner’s overall impact on your local ecosystem and wildlife.

Conditioned water improves water heater performance

The Water Quality Association (WQA) reports that softened water increases water heater efficiency by reducing hard mineral buildup. 

Water heaters that receive hard water must be delimed after 18 months. And their overall efficiency still decreases after deliming and descaling. A soft water system eliminates this decrease in efficiency.

Homeowners that don't want to use salt softeners can achieve the same results with a saltless water conditioner.

Most people think conditioned water tastes better

The Mayo Clinic notes a direct correlation between conditioned water and improved taste.

Water conditioners remove impurities and chemicals from your water supply. This process delivers clean water to your taps without a “chemical taste”.

Salt free systems protect your tap water from 10 harmful contaminants

Mother installs WaterTech Infinity Protector water conditioners. WaterTech products are independently lab certified to remove the following 10 impurities and chemicals from your drinking water:

• Sediment
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Trihalomethane
• Chlorine
• Chloramines
• Pharmaceuticals
• Lead
• PFAS (forever chemicals)
• Cysts
• Giardia

You gain all the health benefits of softened water, plus added protection against forever chemicals and chlorine disinfectants. 

Dallas Salt Free Water Conditioner Installation — And That’s No Myth

There’s no such thing as a salt free water softener. Homeowners concerned about salt in tap water should install a water conditioning system — this water softener alternative protects against hardness minerals, bacteria and PFAS without sodium ion use.

Conditioned water allows users to maintain the health benefits of calcium and magnesium in their drinking water and reduce hard water problems in their plumbing system.

The best water conditioners, like WaterTech products, reduce chemical, lead, PFAS and VOC levels in your drinking water.

Talk to Mother about water conditioner installation anywhere in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. We offer complete water testing services, a full product demonstration, and a 6-year “bumper to bumper” water conditioner warranty — the best in DFW.

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