Hard water, contrary to some reports, isn’t unsafe to drink, but it certainly has a lot of drawbacks. It can leave film on your dishes, lead to premature deterioration of clothes, and even make it harder to get clean in the shower. It’s also horrible on your hair.
While there are options available to soften the water in your home, there are also a lot of myths associated with water softeners, and these can lead to unfortunate misunderstandings. Discover the truth behind the rumors as we debunk water softener myths and demonstrate why these systems can be excellent for your home water quality.
The Salt-Free System Myth
There are no actual salt-free water softeners. Systems that claim they do actually just limit scale, which can help to protect your pipes, but they doesn’t actually soften the water. In some cases they’re combined with carbon filters to help remove impurities and make drinking water more palatable, but if you want a true water softener system, it’s going to use salt.
The Nutrient Depravation Myth
Some people claim that soft water can deprive you of nutrients that your body needs. Again, this is just not true. The magnesium and calcium in your hard water are inorganic and can’t be digested in your body. They just aren’t absorbed, so removing them has no detrimental effect.
The Skin Film Myth
Another common myth is that water softeners add something to your water which leaves a film on your skin. The truth is, hard water actually leaves a film on your skin from the scale and mineral deposits in it! Soft water removes these things.
The Added Salt Myth
It is often claimed that water softeners add sodium to the water because they use salt as a filter. Again, this is simply not true. The salt is used in an ion-exchange system which removes the salts associated with magnesium and calcium, and replaces them on a 1:1 basis with healthier salts. Your water won’t be any saltier or have more sodium when it’s softened.
The Myth of Leaching Minerals
One of the crazier myths about soft water is that using a reverse-osmosis or distilled water softener will leach important minerals from your water. This is one of the oldest myths about water softeners, and has been perpetuated all over the Internet. It’s also complete poppycock. The Environmental Protection Agency actually recommends the use of reverse osmosis systems, in fact!
The Acid Water Myth
Some folks like to claim that water softeners will make the water in your home acidic. While it does slightly lower the pH level of your water, it’s because there are actually dissolved bases in your water that are removed in the process. It doesn’t actually make the water acidic, however, to the point of being a health hazard or endangering your plumbing. In fact, the scaling from hard water is far harsher on your pipes than the increased pH from softeners.
EcoWater is a trusted and respected provider of whole home water systems to the Las Vegas region. If you’d like to know more about water softeners, or get information about having one installed in your home, call EcoWater Las Vegas today.