No Salt water softner, or conditioner

[OKnewguy]

I thought I would pick your brains and experiences on hardwater. I have been researching water softners for our house and have come up more more confused then when I started. The salt people say no-salt systems are worthless and the no-salt people say they work great. Then to make matters even more confussing, the no-salt systems do not actually remove the hardness (they supposedly, change the minerals so they do not cause scale), so conventional testing can not be used. I have looked all over the web and have yet to find an unbias source. One of the companies I have been looking at is http://www.no-salt.com/tech.htm any help would be GREATLY appreciated. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[boustany]

Well, lets see, not a chance in h*ll this thing will make your water soft, any more than the magnetic ones do (or, actually, don't).

In fact, if you read the wesbite, the thing doesn't actually claim to do anything, except in the vaguest possible terms. Nor do they explain how it works (except via pseudo sicentific nonsense - Amplified Catalytic Power and magnets - sure ....). The article they cite "THE SCIENCE BEHIND AMPLIFIED CATALYTIC POWER" doesn't appear on the Water Conditioning & Purification magazine website (http://www.wcponline.com/search.cfm), which is surprising, to say the least. In fact, WCP doesn't even have a single article on magnetic softener. A google on the company only shows up companies shilling the product. Also curious, for such a revolutionary product.

I once contacted a company like this and asked them for a document which showed how the system worked. I meant a document with a scientific explaination. They send me a whole list of anonymous customer endorsements. Even if those people exist, what does it matter about how happy they are about their purchase?

All in, save your money.

 

[thcri]

If the no salt systems really and truly worked, we would all have them. If the no salt systems are so good why doesn't the big manufacturs make them. They can make just as much profit on a small device as they can on a large device. None of them are in the business of selling salt except for Culligan and they don't sell a lot of it. Culligan's big business is the machines. For me, salt works and that is what I would go with.

murph

 

[SPIKER]

if you really want to get confused just think about how this works, ad salt (a mineral) to soften it ? lol. ok it does work but if you REALLY want to get it done by actually removing the problem minerals the only real way is using a R.O. system to FILTER it out. otherwise it is still there only changed slightly as for those magnetic things never used one and well there are plent of them born every minute who will try and convince you they like them just so they can feel they were not taken to the cleaners.

just my personal oppinion.
MarkM

 

[OKnewguy]

I have read that in California the salt systems are outlawed or strongly discouraged. If this is the case then what do these people do? I LOVE my well, but I would like to get this taken care or. I kind of figured these systems are to good to be true, but I would love some other way to treat the water without adding salt (my blood preasure is high enough). So is salt the only reasonable way?
Thanks for all the reply's TBN rocks /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Junkman]

I know someone that recharges there water softener with potassium instead of salt. He told me that it was the same water softener that used salt, but the potassium was better since he had a heart condition. Other than this one persons use, I have no other knowledge about them. I do know that if you use salt, you shouldn't have the recharged water drain into your septic system. The local health department sent out notices a few years ago warning that the practice can ruin a septic system in less than six months.

 

[willywildes]

Home depot sells the potassium right next to the salt. it says you can use it in any salt softener. tells you how it works and all, just costs a little more. I have not heard of any phase out of salt softeners in Ca. It could be in tomorrows paper.

W.W

 

[AndyM]

<font color="blue"> I know someone that recharges there water softener with potassium instead of salt. </font>

The unit we bought actually recommends that you don't use the "regular" salt pellets (usually in the yellow bags) ,
but rather use either solar salt (the cheap stuff in the blue bags) or potassium chloride...

(I think the other brands use similar color coding on their bags for each type of "salt")


<font color="blue"> I do know that if you use salt, you shouldn't have the recharged water drain into your septic system. </font>

You're absolutely correct on this. Not only does it add extra salt to your leach field, but the high concentrations of salt can't be good for the concrete tanks. My discharge goes into a 1/2 inch plastic pipe to the ditch that runs along the road. This is helpful, becuase the salt kills the weeds growing in the ditch where I'm not able to mow!

 

[OKnewguy]

Thanks a bunch guys, I had discovered the potassium subsitute awhile back in my research, but then the tractor came and to be honest I completely forgot about it /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif. It definetly sounds like the best option. It is really funny how when I got my tractor I have overlooked all kinds of stuff. But now that I have gotten some major tractor projects completed I have to get back to all my honey-do stuff. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gifThanks, this community is great!

 

[boustany]

Uh, not you don't add salt and remove the hardness. There is a chemical conversion that take place whereby the chemicals in the water (in particular the calcium and magnesium) stick to the resin and are effectively removed from the water you drink. The brine converts the calcium to calcium chloride (and, I guess, the magnesium to magnesium choride) and leaves sodium in its place. . The calcium chloride is what gets flushed out of the system. The sodium on the resin swaps places with the calcium, and you end up drinking an extremely dilute sodium bicarbonate solution.

So you do remove the hardness.

Magnetic systems, however, sort of claim to magically transform 'hard' calcium to 'soft' calcium throogh a process which remains a mystery to science.