Water Softeners vs Salt Free Water Conditioners 

Hard to believe there is no thumbs up on this comment previously. You bring a good point here and I was recommended to add a reverse osmosis filter under the sink to filter out the extra sodium.

With a water softener, there is more salt in a slice of bread than in the water that has been treated ! There is a COMPLETE miscomseption regarding this !

​@@stephenlongere1140 - There are 12mg per cup of treated water. That is a very small amount and it isn't an issue for most people but there are people who due to health issues are severely sodium restricted (including me for stretches). If you drink a gallon of water a day, that is close to 200mg of salt. Again, that doesn't sound like a lot but it is when you are already having a difficult time creating a diet that falls under your sodium limit and you are counting on water to be a freebie. A slice of bread? On a restricted sodium diet, one piece of toast was my limit for a day. To put it in perspective, a quarter pounder with cheese meal at McDonalds has roughly the same amount of sodium as the daily limit of a restricted sodium diet.

@@johnmininger7472 someone doesn't understand the difference between sodium and salt.

@Dan Nelson - I'm not sure there is a reason to point out the distinction. Without the sodium, it isn't salt, it's chlorine.

1. Soft water does add sodium to the water but health professionals still consider drinking soft water a "low sodium beverage" so in almost every case I would consider it safe. But, if you do have high blood pressure and are concerned then I would just go with a conditioner. Through, my preferred solution in adding a reverse osmosis system to any home so you can get the best of both worlds - soft water and purified drinking water. 2. It's fine for your health as long as the source water is. Again, a reverse osmosis system will give you peace of mind. But if your water is good to begin with then one isn't needed. Check you city's water report online or get a water test done if you are on well water. 3. No, that is not true. Thanks for the questions.

@@uswatersystems What about "skin?" We are on the fence about which system to purchase (conditioner vs softener). We live in Saint George UT, on City Water, high calcium and magnesium content.

@@xokissmekatexo Soft water from a water softener is definitely less harsh on your skin.

Not a fan of Citric Acid Filters. They need to be changed annually which gets expensive plus they can corrode your pipes (depending on your plumbing type) which is exactly what you don't want from a water softener. I would recommend doing your own research though as I don't want to seem bias, but I would recommend a water softener/conditioner if you have hard water. Thanks for the question.

@@uswatersystems Thank you for your reply.. Guess its back to do more research...

True softener is better for all that.

The water will still be hard with a conditioner so if your skin is sensitive it may still irritate it.

It does eventually hurt or even kill your plants.

Hi if it's killing trees, why can't kill human

With the hard water stains yes. I'm not sure about the yellow stains you mention though. That could be from something else like Tannin if you are on well water. You may want to have a water test done before you purchase a treatment system to see exactly what's in your water.

An orange ring sounds like you could have high iron in your water. Are you on well water by any chance?

There really isn't a need for both. It should be either one or the other.

Once the minerals have been taken out, what do you want to condition, the H2O?

Which salt free water conditioner do you recommend ?

Examples of water/best suited

Don't want to disparage a competitor. I'm sure you can find a good system from them. If not, we would be more than happy to help you ;)

Correct. Most softeners should have a bypass on their valves you can turn on and off for this very reason.

Do you have credible sources for that? “Necessary minerals that are good for the body”. If not, then I believe that is neither here nor there. Bottom line, the benefits on the body and your plumbing system out weigh the latter. If you’re concerned about necessary minerals then consider a multivitamin.

@@kj4362 if you don't believe common sense, no one will stop you

@@mularys didn’t mean to strike an emotional nerve. I’d like to see credible sources for “necessary minerals in water.” That goes in the same bucket as using lemon peels to freshen up your disposal, or using ice cubes to sharpen the blades. Live in a fairytale or reality. I guess it’s up to you.

You should aim to get your necessary minerals from your diet, not your water. Even a bad diet should get you the minerals you need unless you eat only snacks. Don't make your water be a protein shake, a carb shake, a mineral shake.... just let your water be water.

It will prevent scale build-up in your plumbing.

Roughly 150 gallons.

Which is what she said lol

It will reduce the residue greatly. Since it's not technically soft water you may still see some residue but like I said, it will be far less than what you noticed before.

No, it's either one or the other based on your preference. There really isn't a benefit to have both.

It will reduce them. Only a water softener will remove them completely though since the calcium is actually being removed from the water.

@@uswatersystems Thanks! And you can still have dry hair & skin with the conditioner since only the softener is taking the calcium out. Is this correct?

@@mel1654 Correct. A salt free system will only have marginal improvements for your hair and skin if any at all.

I've had water softeners at my house for 30 years. So far I have never had a problem with my septic tank.

@@Cynthia_Cantrell Thanks for your input.

@@jerrygilliam7349 No problem - enjoy some soft water! A few helpful hints I've learned the hard way over the years... 1. Avoid the cheap crystal salt, and get the (usually a bit more expensive) pellet salt instead - the crystals have a lot of dirt in them that gets sucked up into the bead tank. 2. Only fill the salt bin about half way or a bit less, otherwise you get "salt bridges" where the water dissolves all the salt in the bottom of the tank, leaving a bridge with all of the rest of the salt stuck on top of it. You'll know there's a problem because you have hard water again leaving white deposits on all your fixtures and dishes. You then have to go down with a stick, open up the salt bin, and pound on the salt until you break the bridge. 3. I've tried at least 3 different brands of softener over the years. The one that has worked the most reliably with the least maintenance for me is the Whirlpool brand. 4. If you get your water from a well, chances are you need a sediment filter BEFORE the softener. If you don't have one, the softener becomes a very expensive filter! It may be fine for a few years, but trust me, you'd much rather replace an $8 cartridge filter every few months than a $700 softener every few years!

@@Cynthia_Cantrell Hi Cynthia, are you draining the "Backwash water" (waste water) from your water softener into your septic tank?

@@eliovi Yes. I've been doing it since 1990 - and the previous owners did it for years before that.

Yes

Yes

That honestly would be redundant and a waste of money. I would recommend either one or the other.

Magnets aren't going to do anything to your water.

@@Cynthia_Cantrell Thank you

No they don't.