Ultimately, potassium chloride-based water softeners are a more expensive option but a healthier one compared to softeners that are sodium chloride-based. For people who are health and environmentally conscious, using potassium chloride water softeners is encouraged as it comes with distinct advantageous over sodium chloride. Jake Thompson
What is better for water softener salt or potassium?
Overall, a salt water softener is much more efficient and cost-effective as compared to a potassium one. Potassium chloride is a bit pricier than salt. And the unit will regenerate more frequently as it's less efficient than salt.
Does potassium chloride work as well as salt for a water softener?
Sodium chloride (salt) and potassium chloride water softening salts are both effective in softening your water. The two products can also be used interchangeably or be mixed in together.
Why is potassium chloride better than sodium chloride?
According to FDA spokesperson Nathan Arnold, choosing potassium chloride salt as a replacement for table salt has several associated health benefits, namely that it reduces sodium intake and increases potassium intake.
Can I use potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride?
When used in food manufacturing, potassium chloride can replace sodium chloride (table salt) and can help reduce sodium by up to 50% in certain applications.
What type of water softener salt is best?
Evaporated SaltWhat Is The Best Water Softener Salt? Evaporated Salt. Many water softener manufacturers consider evaporated salt pellets to be the best choice. These are pellets that have been distilled down to as much as 99.99% pure salt.
Is water softened with potassium chloride safe to drink?
Studies have found that softening water with potassium chloride does not add sodium to drinking water, and will also remove up to 90 percent of the existing sodium from the water. The significance of this discovery must not be lost on consumers with restricted sodium diets.
Can I switch my water softener from salt to potassium?
Yes, it is possible to switch from using sodium to using potassium in your water softener system. After a few minor tweaks to the recharge duration or length, potassium is pretty much a one-on-one replacement for sodium. This is the case because potassium chloride, just like sodium chloride, is a salt.
Is potassium better than sodium?
Increasing potassium intake can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by lowering blood pressure. Consuming too little potassium and too much sodium can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. Lowering blood pressure reduces your risk of heart disease and stroke.
What is the difference between potassium chloride and sodium chloride?
What is potassium chloride and sodium chloride? Potassium is a mineral that is found in many foods and is needed for several functions of your body, especially the beating of your heart. Sodium chloride is the chemical name for salt. Sodium is an electrolyte that regulates the amount of water in your body.
Why is potassium chloride for water softener so expensive?
Because extracting potassium chloride from the earth is more costly than mining sodium chloride, potassium chloride is more expensive.
How safe is potassium chloride?
Moreover, it could be considered safe for the general adult population, as intake remains compliant with EFSA guidelines. Based on current modeling potassium chloride presents as a valuable, safe replacer for sodium chloride in food products.
What is the role of potassium chloride in the body?
Potassium chloride is an essential nutrient for human health and plays an important role in the functioning of organs, nerves and muscles. It can be found in a wide variety of foods such as dairy products, meat, fruits and vegetables. In addition, potassium chloride is important to the healthy growth of plant life.
What salts are good for water softeners?
Salt for Water Softeners: Potassium Chloride Vs. Sodium Chloride. Some people prefer sodium chloride, while others prefer potassium chloride. Even though these two products compete for sales in the softening salt market, the fact is there’s plenty of room for both to thrive. In water softener salts – as in life – there’s no accounting for taste. ...
Where does sodium chloride come from?
What is Sodium Chloride? Sodium chloride is a naturally occurring mineral found in the earth and comes from underground salt mines or solar evaporation ponds. It’s the most commonly used salt in water softener brine tanks.
Is potassium chloride a mineral?
Potassium chloride also is a naturally occurring mineral and is used primarily in agriculture. It works in softeners the same way sodium chloride does but replaces the hard water minerals with potassium instead of sodium. Potassium chloride is an essential nutrient for human health and plays an important role in the functioning of organs, ...
Is sodium chloride a softener?
Beside the fact that it’s widely available, sodium chloride often is the customer’s preferred softener salt because of the comparatively lower price.
Can you upsell sodium chloride?
By pointing out these facts to your customers, you may be able to up-sell a sodium chloride customer to a potassium chloride brand. Don’t underestimate your power to influence a customer’s choice of softener salt. More often than not, a customer will buy the product recommended by the salesman.
What is salt in water softener?
Water softener salt comes in different forms: crystals, pellets, cubes and blocks. They all are made from salt (sodium chloride) but differ in how they are produced. What is the difference between a water softener and a water conditioner? Water softeners and water conditioners play different roles.
Can potassium be used for kidney problems?
If you have kidney or other renal issues, potassium can aggravate those problems so your doctor may recommend reducing your potas sium intake. In this case, you may consider using sodium chloride rather than potassium chloride.
Can you mix sodium chloride and potassium chloride?
Sodium chloride (salt) and potassium chloride water softening salts are both effective in softening your water. The two products can also be used interchangeably or be mixed in together. One reason you might choose one product over the other could be if your water softener is connected to the cold water line in your kitchen, ...
Can you use potassium chloride water softener salt instead of sodium?
If your doctor recommends reducing sodium intake, you may want to consider using potass ium chloride water softener salt instead. When using potassium chloride water softener salt, a minimal amount of potassium is transferred to the water.
What is potassium chloride?
Also used in agriculture, potassium chloride is a mineral that occurs naturally on the surface of the earth. It works in water softener systems in the same way as sodium chloride but instead of sodium, it uses potassium to replace the hard minerals in your water.
Why is potassium chloride so expensive?
Because the process of potassium chloride extraction from the earth is considerably more costly when compared to mining so dium chloride, it (potassium chloride) tends to be more expensive. Sodium chloride brands are available in several forms such as pellets, blocks, cubes, or crystals.
What is salt in water softener?
Water softeners work well with either sodium chloride (salt) or potassium chloride (also a type of salt).
Is potassium chloride water softener better than sodium chloride?
Ultimately, potassium chloride-based water softeners are a more expensive option but a healthier one compared to softeners that are sodium chloride-based. For people who are health and environmentally conscious, using potassium chloride water softeners is encouraged as it comes with distinct advantageous over sodium chloride.
Can you mix potassium chloride with sodium chloride?
Today, most experts recognize potassium chloride as a logical and excellent alternative to using sodium chloride in your water softening but the two should not be mixed.
Is potassium chloride harmful?
But the truth is that the harmful environmental effect caused by the discharge of chloride remains the same whether you are using a Potassium or Sodium softener. ...
Is sodium chloride water softener good for hypertension?
As concerns grow regarding the amount of sodium being consumed by people suffering from hypertension, softened water that contains sodium has gained increased interest. For consumers who are price-sensitive and have no health concerns related to sodium, using sodium chloride-based water softeners makes lots of sense.
How much potassium is used in a water softener?
A water softener using potassium chloride will use approximately three times as much potassium as a sodium chloride system. This means you’ll be running through your materials more often and thus having to purchase sodium chloride more often.
Do water softeners have more sodium?
Sodium chloride-based softeners are great and typically the more common solution used in water softeners. Yes, they do contain more sodium and that may affect your health if your diet is already filled with sodium.
Which is better, sodium chloride or potassium chloride?
Sodium chloride is the best option, whether about the expense or the ability to lower the hardness of hard water. If sodium and potassium salts are compared, potassium chloride is about three times more expensive than potassium chloride. Not only this but also the ability to decrease the hardness is excellent in sodium chloride.
What is the best water softener for low sodium?
If you’re running on a low sodium diet, potassium chloride is considered the best regenerant for your water softener. Discussing the cost factors of both these salts, sodium runs the race, but when it comes to those who don’t want much sodium in their diet, potassium is considered the best choice among the homeowners.
What is the best water softener?
Sodium chloride or potassium chloride. There is no doubt that water softeners’ activity depends on the type of salts present in them. You may get confused about whether sodium chloride or potassium chloride. Sodium chloride is the best option, whether about the expense or the ability to lower the hardness of hard water.
How long can you use salt water?
You can use these systems for up to five years without any replacement. Coming to the discussion of the salt-based water systems, they are the best solutions if you find a permanent solution for getting the freshwater, salt-based water systems will be the best option for you.
What salts are used in water softeners?
In this method, two salts can be used in water softeners, sodium chloride, and potassium, but salts’ choice depends on the type of water filter you have.
Why is it important to have a water filter?
The importance of water filters can never be denied any means because drinking contaminated water can bring you many harmful gastrointestinal diseases. Moreover, they play a leading role in removing chlorine and other chemicals to a greater extent which can damage your health to disastrous levels.
How to get rid of hard water in taps?
You may have tried several methods to get rid of the challenging water problems. Most of these solutions include the use of brine solutions . After buying a water softener, you may wonder about the brine tanks that come with water softeners. These are the places where all the treatment of hard water takes place. Water softeners are meant to decrease hardness levels in tap water by exchanging the ions from it.
What is the difference between potassium chloride and sodium chloride?
However, there are some differences between the two salts, the main difference being the effectiveness of potassium chloride in softening your water. Potassium is only about 80% as efficient as sodium , this means you will need to use around 25% more potassium than you would need when using sodium. This means you will have to increase the number ...
How many times does potassium run cost compared to sodium?
First of there is the cost of the product, because of the different production processes potassium can generally run two to three times the expense compared to the same volume of sodium.
Why is water softener resin used more?
Increased Water Usage. Because the ion exchange process is less effective when using potassium instead of sodium the volume of water used for recharging the water softener resin increased. Freshwater is a scarce resource and thus should be used with care.
Why are salt free systems nonsense?
Claims about systems that are salt-free because they allow the use of potassium chloride are non sense. First of all, because they also use salt, and secondly because they use the exact same ion exchange technology. However, there are some differences between the two salts, the main difference being the effectiveness of potassium chloride in ...
Why switch from sodium to potassium?
If you have a specific reason for switching from sodium to potassium, because of your health, or perhaps because of how you need to dispose of your backwash, the option is there for the tacking, your water will be nice and soft either way. However, for most users, no amount of benefits will weigh up against the staggering increase in costs, ...
Is potassium chloride a salt?
As previously mentioned, potassium chloride is also a salt just like normal water softer salt which contains sodium chloride. It can therefore be used as a one on one replacement in your water softener system. Claims about systems that are salt-free because they allow the use of potassium chloride are nonsense.
Can you use potassium chloride instead of sodium?
What Are The Benefits Of Using Potassium Chloride Instead Of Sodium? Yes, it is possible to switch from using sodium to using potassium in your water softener system. After a few minor tweaks to the recharge duration or length, potassium is pretty much a one-on-one replacement for sodium. This is the case because potassium chloride, ...
What is the best salt to use in a brine tank?
There is one last option for your brine tank—potassium chloride. It may be used in place of salt (sodium chloride) in the brine tank to regenerate the softening resin. Potassium chloride is 99.9% sodium free and an alternative for those who are looking to reduce sodium intake . Be aware that potassium chloride pellets are generally more expensive ...
What are the different types of salts?
Let’s first discuss salt (sodium chloride). Salt can come in three different forms: 1 pellets 2 crystal 3 block salt
Why is my salt pellet softener not working?
This insoluble matter can cause buildup in the reservoir or cause your softener to malfunction. If you notice buildup, the brine tank will need to be cleaned more often.
What is the highest purity of salt?
Evaporated salt pellets have the highest purity rate of the aforementioned salts and are generally the most expensive. The higher the purity of your salt (we prefer 99.9% pure salt), the less water-insoluble matter, which means less chance of “bridging”, “mushing”, or insoluble buildup in the bottom of the tank that will need to be cleaned out ...
What does it mean to buy bags of salt pellets?
Purchasing bags of high-quality evaporated salt pellets will mean fewer cleaning and maintenance issues and will also help you achieve better results with your water conditioner.
What happens if salt levels drop?
When salt levels drop too low, you run the risk of not having conditioned water. Regularly check your salt levels and don’t let the salt in the brine tank fall below one-quarter full of salt. Before adding new salt to the brine tank, always be sure to loosen any encrusted salt that may be adhering to the perimeter of the salt keeper ...
Can you use block salt in water?
Rock salt resembles small rocks or pebbles. Although this form of salt is more economical, we don’t recommend using as it contains a high amount of calcium sulfate which means it won’t dissolve well in water and can cause maintenance headaches. Block salt should not be used unless your WaterTech dealer recommends and raises the water level in ...
What is the purpose of water softener salts?
In addition to these basic types of water softener salts, there are also specialty water softener salts with specific purpose, including: Rust removal and iron removal: Iron in water can lead to rusting pipes and rust stains. Some specialty salts are specially designed to remove high amounts of iron.
What does it mean when a water softener has a high purity rate?
A high purity rate of water softener salt means there will be less water-insoluble matter in the salt, which means less buildup in the bottom of the tank to clean out. Cons of Evaporated Salt. Because evaporated salt is so pure, it is often the most expensive type.
How is evaporated salt made?
Evaporated salt is salt made by an evaporation process using water and steam, which produces salt in a crystallized form. Salt crystals are then processed using a drying and screening process before they are formed into pellets. Pros of Evaporated Salt. Evaporated salt generally has the highest purity rate.
What is specialty salt?
Some specialty salts are specially designed to remove high amounts of iron. System cleaning and buildup reduction: These salts fight buildup to extend the life of your water softener and cut down on maintenance required. You can find specialty salts like these from leading manufacturers like Morton and Diamond Crystal.
What are the pros and cons of using block salt?
Pros of Block Salt. Block salt is very pure, and is created to resist bridging and mushing in the brine tank. Cons of Block Salt. In order for block salt to be used, the water level in the brine tank must be raised to ensure the blocks are fully submerged. When to Use Block Salt.
Is potassium chloride cheaper than sodium chloride?
Cons of Potassium Chloride. Potassium chloride is generally more expensive than sodium chloride. You may also need to increase the salt dosage program settings during regeneration. It’s best to consult with a water softener expert if you want to use potassium chloride in your water softener.
Is solar salt insoluble?
Solar salt has a lower solubility level than evaporated salt. Many available brands have 99.6% or above salt contents. However, its insoluble level is around 0.03%, which means it may cause problems like insoluble buildup and a salt bridge, which will need to be cleaned. When to Use Solar Salt.