Remove arsenic in drinking water in BOXFORD,MA

    “SALT FREE” WATER SOFTENERS 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT “SALT FREE” WATER SOFTENERS

Several companies have begun promoting a product they call a Salt Free Water Softener. They claim these systems change the physical properties of hardness minerals (calcium and magnesium) by turning them into tiny hard crystals which will not adhere to pipes and other fixtures in your home. In theory, it’s a nice idea to be able to eliminate a salt requirement. The problem is that there are a number of common minerals typically found in your Boxford, MA water that make these systems ineffective after having invested your money into this type of product. Additionally, this approach does not create “soft water”, therefore you will not get the full benefits of soft water in your home.

CAN’T TEST TO SUBSTANTIATE A SALT FREE WATER SOFTENER IS WORKING

Standard water softener testing by measuring hardness levels before the water softener and then after the water softener to make sure hardness minerals are being removed cannot be employed with a Salt Free water softener as the hardness minerals are not removed from the water. Testing will show hardness levels approximately the same prior to water going through the system as it is after going through the system. As a result of this, the only way you will know for sure if the hardness minerals are not building inside your pipes and other fixtures is if you see no evidence of this after many months or years.  By then, your warranty period will likely be over.

IF MY WATER HAS IRON OR MANGANESE IN IT, WILL IT WORK?

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Dissolved Iron Staining

Different companies selling a purported salt free water softener have different parameters regarding levels of iron and manganese that will render the “Salt Free” Water Softener ineffective.  The highest allowable level in the published information we have seen is Iron at .3 parts per million and manganese at .05 parts per million.  For those of you living in Boxford, Massachusetts, you know that iron and manganese levels typically exceed these levels.  As a result, a Salt Free water softener is definitely not a viable option for you.  If you lived in Nebraska or Kansas where they have plenty of calcium and magnesium (the “hard water” minerals) in the bedrock and water but no iron or manganese, you might consider one of these products.  For more information on Iron or Manganese, see the link at Manganese in Water Article in Water Tech or at Iron Article in Water Technology Magazine.

For a full description about water softeners, please see the Water Quality Association link at WQA Water Softener Info.

Since 1989, we have seen and are presented with new technologies all of the time.  The ones we feel have merit we test in-house and in the field before offering these products to our customers as viable solutions to their water quality issues.  If we were presented with a Salt Free water softener that we believed would work in Massachusetts, New Hampshire or anywhere our customers are located, we would add the product to our warehouse.  To date, we have not seen such a product.

Salt free water softener in Boxford, Massachusettsno salt water softener Boxford, MA

H2O Care is an established full service water filtration and testing organization, originally formed in 1989, based in Middleton, MA on route 114 with additional offices in Stow & Lakeville, MA. See our published articles in Water Technology Magazines by going to our website, http://h2ocare.com. Reach us at [email protected] or 978-777-8330.