Grains of hardness (gpg) x 1.89 = mg added to an 8oz glass of water. If your water is 15 grains hard you would have about 28 milligrams (mg) of added sodium in the water.

Grains per gallon (gpg) is the measurement used to calculate water harness and the scale goes as follows:

Less than 1 Grain Soft
1.0 to 3.5 Moderately Hard
3.5 to 7.0 Hard
7.0 to 10.5 Extremely Hard

If your water is 15 grains hard then you would have about 28 milligrams (mg) of added sodium in the water.

Even for people who are on a low sodium diet this amount of salt shouldn’t be a problem. Most of the sodium we eat comes from processed foods and table salt. If you compare the amount of sodium already contained in foods we think of as having low amounts of salt the amount added by a water softener is very low. As an example, an 8oz glass of milk will contain 125mg of sodium and a slice of white bread will have about 120 mg.

To find out how hard your water is contact a water softening company and they can test it for you, or contact you local city water department and they can tell you the number of grains per gallon of hardness you have in your water.

For those who don’t want to drink soft water there are a couple of solutions. The first is to install a water purifier that will remove the sodium. Reverse osmosis is the most effective method. Another option is to bypass the drinking water in the kitchen so it remains hard water.

Soft water is simply water that is free of calcium and magnesium; a water softener works by removing the hard minerals and replaces them with sodium through a process known as ion exchange.

The measurement for rating water hardness is a scale called grains per gallon (gpg).  According to the Water Quality Association (WQA) water hardness is rated as follows.

Less than 1 Grain is Soft

1-3.5 Grains is Moderately Hard

7-10.5 is Very Hard

10.5 and Higher is Extremely Hard

A water softener removes the hard minerals from the water and therefore eliminates the problems associated with hard water.

Sediment: This type of water filter is used to remove particulates from the water like dirt, oxidized iron, and other particles that are suspended in the water. A sediment filter acts like a very small screen that filters out the sediments in the water. Sediment filters are sized by the size of particle they remove and can be very small to take out very fine materials like silica or much larger for removing sand from the water.

Carbon: Carbon filters are the most common type of water filter and are a key component of virtually every home water purification system. Carbon is very effective at removing dirt and sediments from water, chlorine, and many other chemicals. Carbon filters have very fine pores that are able to trap the particulates. In addition, the carbon acts like a sponge and is able to absorb the chlorine and other chemicals. It is very important to change the filter as the manufacture recommends ensuring the effectiveness of the filter. This type of filtration is used primarily to improve the taste of water and in removing the objectionable odors, like chlorine.

Reverse Osmosis: This is the most common way to purify water for drinking and cooking. A reverse osmosis system incorporates carbon filtration and a semi permeable membrane. The membrane is used to remove Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) which are minerals, salts, heavy metals, etc. that have dissolved into the water. This provides excellent tasting water that has as much as 99% of most of the impurities that can be in the water removed.

Distillation: A Distiller boils the water and the condensation is collected leaving the total dissolved solids behind, very similar to boiling water in a tea pot and the scale residue collects on the bottle of the kettle. This is an effective way to produce purified water, although, many object to the flat taste the water has.

An internet search for salt free water softeners can sometimes create more questions than answers. There are multiple listings of companies selling these products making all sorts of claims about their product capabilities and other listings from various entities that repudiate these claims.

Over the past 20 years or so I that have been involved with the water industry I have come across information from various sources that may be helpful if you are considering one of these products. In the mid 90’s there was a surge of interest in “salt free water softeners” and at that time several respected organizations did research and published their conclusions.

A leading consumer publication tested magnetic water treatment devices to see how effective they are at protecting water heaters from scale build up. They installed new water heaters in homes and ran one on soft water, provided by a conventional water softener, and others had water from a salt free water softener coming into it. After a couple of years the water heaters were removed, cut open, and examined for scale build up. The water heater that had the salt free water softener providing water to it had no measurable difference in scale build up than if it had had no water treatment at all. In fact the scale build up in the water heater was no different in any way, in quantity or chemistry, as compared to the water heaters that had untreated water flowing through them.

The Utah Division of Consumer Protection also published a Consumer Alert titled “Magnetic Water Treatment Devices Do Not Work.” They quote a water chemist as saying “We could find no measurable water quality benefit that the units provided. If the devices really worked, every public and private water supply in the state would be using one by now; but the fact is – they are not.”

In another study commissioned by the Water Quality Association the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology was selected to determine the effectiveness of salt free water softeners. In the executive summary of their report Dr. Dan Carda states: “The study found that there is no change in the physical and/or chemical properties of the water treated with permanent magnetic devices.”

Recently I discovered a website that lists many of these products that are sold to treat water but make claims about being able to do so without filters or salt and it provides analysis on the science behind them. This may also prove helpful as you seek to sort fact from fiction.

Some research indicates that bathing and showering in chlorinated water may actually be more harmful then drinking it. When we bathe, the hot water causes the pores of the skin to enlarge which allows the body to readily absorb the chlorine and associated chemicals. Other research indicates that when we shower in hot water the Chloroforms have much greater vaporization rates and are easily inhaled and absorbed through the skin. According to research published in the Science News in January 2007 researchers at the Municipal Institute of Medical Research in Barcelona found that people who drink Chlorinated tap water have a 35% increase in bladder cancer than those that didn’t. A similar link was found in those who frequently swam in pools treated with chlorine and also those who bathed in chlorinated water. Other side effects are dry hair and dry itchy skin, and premature aging of the skin.

Chlorine isn’t all bad though, it’s added to the water to act as a disinfectant, therefore protecting us from bacteria and other living organisms that can be in the water. The good news it that is can be very easily removed with some basic filtration methods. The most common way chlorine is removed is with a carbon filter and this can be done at the kitchen sink, refrigerator, drinking fountain, shower, or from all of the water in the home.
Carbon works by absorbing chlorine and other chemicals from the water. Carbon is also very effective at removing dirt and sediments from water.

A properly functioning water softener will add years to the life of any water using appliance or fixture, significantly reduce the soaps required for laundry, dish washing, and bathing, and eliminate the use of harsh chemicals for cleaning scale deposits from showers, toilets, etc. They also help to reduce the energy needed to heat water by 17-20%. Recently the Water Quality Association (WQA) released the results of a comprehensive study detailing some of the ways soft water can protect appliances and save energy.

Additionally, BCIC, which is an organization the strives to find green solutions for people who live in urban areas, rated what they believe to be the 5 best home water filters and the Kinetico Water Softener was rated as the most Green Water Softener.

Kinetico water softeners are different from other systems in many ways that make them more environmentally friendly. They are non electric so no power is required to operate them, they use an average of 70% less salt and water, and they will provide you with an unlimited supply of soft water 24 hours a day so you receive the benefits of the system no matter how much water you us.

2. Spot Free Dishes and Silverware: Dishes washed in hard water will have white spots or a film left on them when they dry. To reduce this we use products like jet dry and other rinse aids that add phosphates to the water and we significantly increase the amount of soap used. When water is soft, dishes, pot and pans, and silverware will dry virtually spot free, therefore looking cleaner.

3. Use Less Soaps and detergents: With Soft water the amounts of soaps and detergents used can often be reduced by 50 to 80% saving money and protecting the environment from harsh chemicals. As an example, in a dishwasher the Maytag Answer Book recommends using 10-12 teaspoons of detergent with hard water and with soft water no more than 3 teaspoons. The University of Wisconsin reports in a research study that 12-14% of the typical family’s grocery budget is spent on cleaners and soap products, therefore a reduction in soap usage can provide a significant savings.

4. Eliminate Scrubbing Hard Water Residue: Anyone who lives with hard water has tried to scrub the unsightly build up of lime deposits on shower doors and walls, rings in the toilet bowls, and scale build up on faucets and fixtures etc. With a lot of elbow grease most of this damage can be reversed but according to Ohio State University a water softener saves the average family over 1 ½ hours each week in cleaning time.

5. Longer Lasting Appliances and Fixtures: Not only does the scale build up on faucets and fixtures but it also collects inside of our appliances and water heaters. Several Studies indicate that with a properly functioning water softener you will extend the life our your water using appliances by at least 30% and they will operate more efficiently giving you better results and require fewer service calls and less maintenance.

A properly functioning water conditioning system will significantly reduce the amount of harmful chemicals added to the environment from dish washing, laundry and other cleaning products, especially chemicals like jet dry and fabric softeners which are very high in phosphates. Soft water will increase the life expectancy of your appliances, often doubling their use able life span, saving our landfills. Your water heaters will also be free from scale build up which will reduce the amount of energy they use by 17-20%. The Water Quality Association (WQA) published the results of and exhaustive study they commissioned regarding the savings and benefits using soft water in our homes to protect appliances and fixtures that is very informative.

Kinetico Incorporated has long been recognized as the leader in manufacturing environmentally friendly water treatment products. Kinetico Water softeners use no electricity, flush 50-80% less salt and water down the drain when they backwash. A Kinetico will also ensure that you have a continuous supply of soft water no matter how much water you use so you always get the maximum benefit from your water softener.

In a recent article BCIC, http://www.ecobcil.com/blog/five-best-home-water-filters, an organization that is focused on environmentally friendly solutions to issues facing people in urban environments, listed what they believed to be the 5 best water filters and they rated Kinetico as the GREEN option for water softening. They also listed the Trojan UV Max ultraviolet system as the best solution for treating water that is micro biologically unsafe. This is the only UV system we have ever recommended and sold.