Water Softener Alternatives for Your Home
If you’re looking for water softener alternatives, there are plenty of hard water treatment options on the market. Traditional water softeners have many drawbacks, including an increase of sodium in the soil and in your city’s wastewater. Water softeners can also be expensive, especially because they waste a great deal of water. Here are some examples of water softener alternatives:
- A home reverse osmosis system is typically used when the water source has high levels of contaminants. Usually, municipal water sources are not bad enough to require a whole house reverse osmosis system, so people can get away with an inexpensive under-the-sink model. A reverse osmosis system works by pushing tap water through a semi permeable membrane that allows water to pass through, but not impurities or contaminates. These systems are good for removing impurities like sodium, chloride, and fluoride, but they can produce a high-brine runoff.
- Water softeners without salt are often called “water conditioners.” They help reduce the buildup of limescale, but are not very effective in places where the water sits, like your water heater. The type of water conditioner you use should really depend on where you live, because minerals vary between geographic locations. These systems produce water that’s not as “slippery” as soft water, but how well they work is somewhat variable.
- Hard water magnets are used for magnetic water treatment. The somewhat intriguing theory of this system is that magnets placed on the outside of pipes cause water to pass through a strong magnetic field, changing its structure and making it less likely to leave deposits. It’s hard to measure the results of this kind of system, and there’s a great deal of debate over whether or not it’s effective.
The Best Hard Water Treatment Option
The ScaleSafe Home system is a unique way of handling problems with hard water that are quite different from water softener alternatives. ScaleSafe works inside your pipes and appliances, breaking down of the calcium carbonate that forms the scale. In addition, the ScaleSafe Home system forms a microfilm coating that deters both scale and corrosion. It works on all types of water, and the ScaleSafe Home material meets all ANSI, NSF 60 and USDA standards for potable water. It’s low-cost, low maintenance—easy on your pipes and your wallet!