Have you ever wondered what happens within your home’s water softener system? You may find yourself wondering more about the operation and why you may have to add salt. That’s why we’ve created this article to explain precisely how water softener systems work using salt.

Why Is Sodium Involved in Water Softeners?

Sodium plays a crucial role in traditional water softener systems. Hard water is caused by excess amounts of calcium and magnesium, and adding sodium safely removes these hard minerals. Your water must go through an ion exchange cycle to get rid of those minerals.

What Is the Ion Exchange Cycle?

The ion exchange cycle occurs in the cylinder tank, which is filled with media such as resin beads or zeolite. The media within captures calcium and magnesium ions and removes them from the water before it flows to the rest of your house. Softener salts are used to refresh the resin once it has become completely saturated with hard minerals.

Saltwater from your brine tank passes through the media tank during the regeneration cycle of your water softener. The brine solution contains sodium that carries a positive charge. As a result, it separates from the chloride and binds to the negatively charged resin.

Calcium and magnesium molecules are blasted off the softening media and expelled from your system when this transpires. This recharges the media, allowing it to continue extracting hard minerals from the water passing through your house.

Does Salt Go Into the Water?

The amount of sodium in softened water is determined by how hard your water is. Harder water will necessitate more salt to successfully eliminate calcium and magnesium.

However, overall sodium levels are minimal, even with exceptionally hard water. Although the FDA considers softened water to be very low in sodium, you should be cautious if you have conditions such as hypertension.

How Much Salt Do You Need?

You should make sure the salt content rises three inches above the water level. Your overall salt needs will depend on how much water you use and how hard it is.

Typically, you would add salt to the softener at least twice a month. Alamo Water Softeners provides a salt delivery service to ensure you never have to worry about running out.

We hope this guide has helped you learn more about how water softener systems work using salt. Alamo Water Solution offers the best whole house water filtration systems in Houston to ensure your home’s water gets adequately cleaned and regulated. Feel free to contact us with any questions about our products and services.