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Originally Posted by Julian
I live in a hard water area. The tap water is fine for drinking... but you cannot create any lather for washing etc. Also the calcium knackers your washing machine, dishwasher, central heating system etc.
I fitted a water softener to soften the water for those things to do with washing/central heating, leaving unsoftened water available for drinking and outside taps. I do use a Brita water filter for the water that goes into the kettle.
Earlier in the thread it was said that salt softens the water... not as far as I know... the saline solution is used to clean the softener during its recharge cycle not to actually soften the water itself.  |
Is softened water safe to drink?
A water softener cannot remove microbiological contaminants that cause illness and should only be used to treat drinking water that is considered to be microbiologically safe.
Water softeners replace "hard" minerals with "soft" minerals such as sodium. The fact that sodium chloride (a salt) is used to soften water raises a concern about the potential health risks for those persons suffering from hypertension, kidney disease or congestive heart failure.
As the incidence of hypertension increases and the number of individuals on sodium-restricted diets rises, water softener manufacturing companies have begun to promote the use of potassium chloride as a safe alternative to sodium chloride. However, potential health risks are also a concern where potassium chloride (also a salt) is used to soften water.
Water containing high levels of sodium or potassium should not be used for drinking, making coffee, juice, infant formula or for cooking.
If you do not want this additional sodium or potassium in your diet, or if you are on a medically prescribed diet, a separate cold water line and faucet can be installed which bypasses the water softener. This allows for drinking and cooking with unsoftened cold water.
http://www.cmhc.ca/en/burema/gesein/...abhose_066.cfm