There is a difference between salt-based and salt-free water softener systems. Salt-based softeners remove the minerals that cause hard water through an ion exchange process. The “hardness” is from the mineral’s calcium and magnesium. Salt-free softening systems neutralize the minerals, so they don’t adhere to surfaces. When the hard water minerals become “crystallized”, they will no longer stick to surfaces such as inside pipes and appliances. Water softening systems get rid of hard water minerals in a similar way that their salt-based counterparts do. Some believe that the main difference is that one uses salt, while the other does not. However, without salt the water softener doesn’t really soften water, but conditions it.
Salt-Free versus Salt-Based Water Softeners
Salt-based water softeners utilize a charged resin bed to draw in and expel
magnesium and calcium
from the water supply with the use of electricity. These water softeners additionally use salt to clean the water softener and restore the resin bed. During this recovery, charged sodium particles move the hard water minerals caught in the resin bed, and the hard water concentrate is flushed through the pipes. These softening systems boast protection from corrosion and hard water build up on plumbing and appliances.
Changing the Minerals in the Water
Salt-free water softeners, on the other hand, don’t expel hard water minerals from the water. What they do instead is change the magnesium and calcium synthetically, with the result of them not sticking to surfaces and cause residue build-up. Since the hard water minerals are not really caught by salt-free water softeners, there is no requirement for added salt material or a recovery cycle to cleanse the minerals out of it afterward. The very meaning of water softening necessitates that hard water minerals be removed. However, the salt-free softener changes the composition of the minerals, enabling them to stay in the water without incurring undesired effects of hard water.
