If you are suffering from high blood pressure or another medical condition causing you to limit your intake of sodium, you might be concerned about soft water, since water softeners are regenerated using salt. Here is some information to help you make the best decision about water treatment and drinking water. Hint: some of these facts might surprise you.

The Amount of Sodium in Soft Water

Water softeners use sodium chloride (i.e. common table salt) to recharge the resin beads that soften your water. Sodium ions (without the chloride, so no longer “salt”) attach to the resin beads, “charging” them. When your untreated water flows through the softener, the sodium ions are exchanged for the minerals in your water that cause hardness and stains (such as iron, lime, and manganese). The sodium has now replaced the hardness in your water.

The harder your water is, the more sodium ions will be exchanged for other minerals. Therefore, if your have very hard water and are treating it with a water softener, you may have slightly more sodium in the water than someone with a water softener who has water that is not as hard.

So how much sodium is in your drinking water when you have a water softener? Typically, the sodium in a glass of soft water is less than the sodium in a slice of bread. It is considerably less sodium than is contained in Diet Pepsi (which is considered a low-sodium beverage).

Drinking Water Without the Sodium

Still, you may choose not to drink soft water because of the sodium in it. Not to worry, you can still enjoy the benefits of soft water such as reduced stains and lime scale, reduced soap usage, and longer appliance life while having another option for the water you drink.

One solution: you can have a reverse osmosis drinking water system installed along with your water softeners. Reverse osmosis removes 95% of “everything” in the water, including sodium. Another possibility is to drink Maher Premium bottled water. You can rent or purchase a water cooler and have five gallon bottles of drinking water delivered to your home. Maher Premium water is filtered via reverse osmosis, and then has some minerals added back in for flavor.

What About “Salt-less Water Softeners”?

A water softener that works without using salt might seem like the ideal solution to concerns about sodium in soft water. But do they work? Recently Kinetico Corporation, manufacturer of a Wisconsin-approved line of water softeners, filters and drinking water systems, conducted a test on the “EasyWater Salt-Less Water Softener.” They installed the so-called salt-less softener, and tested the water before it went through the system, and after. There was no improvement in the water- in other words, it doesn’t work. This may be why it is not approved for installation in the state of Wisconsin.

The amount of sodium in the soft water produced by a state-approved water softener is very low, but if sodium does concern you, you can rest assured that you can have your water soft and have water to drink too. For more information you can talk to a certified water specialist at Maher Water Corporation.