Pros and Cons of Installing a Water Softener in Your Home

You know that the quality of your home’s water supply is important, but knowing how to take care of your supply and what your options are can be confusing, especially when you don’t know where to start. To help get you started, learn the pros and cons of installing a water softener in your home.

Hard Water

Hard water contains minerals like iron, magnesium, and calcium as it percolates through limestone and gypsum. These minerals are not health risks; they’re actually healthy for you, and some people believe they improve the taste of drinking water. The minerals in hard water are often the same minerals you’ll find added to bottled drinking water.

One negative of hard water is that buildup will occur. By the time you notice your bathtub and appliances losing their efficiency, it’s usually too late, and you’ll need to hire a plumber. Also, with hard water, you may notice a strange smell or taste as well as stains in your tubs and sinks.

Soft Water

Soft water lacks these minerals, and the process of water softening adds sodium to your water. Without hard water, you may be losing out on important vitamins and minerals and accidentally upping your sodium intake.

However, soft water is better for your skin and hair, as it doesn’t make them dry and brittle like hard water does. In addition, soft water won’t cause buildup in your pipes.

Pros of Installing a Water Softener

The good news is that you can have water softeners installed that only affect parts of your water supply. If you want to keep the hard water for your vitamins and minerals, you can keep it for drinking and cooking while having soft water for your laundry room.

This means your pipes will be protected, you’ll prevent limescale buildup, and you can better protect your skin, hair, and clothing. Soft water also helps you save soap, as it lathers up soap more efficiently than hard water. This also means that your glassware will come out looking clean and sparkling.

Cons of Installing a Water Softener

The biggest con of installing a water softener is the expense. This is especially true if you choose to have a salt-based system installed, as you will regularly have to buy and replenish the supply of softener salt crystals in the brine tank. In addition to losing out on vitamins and minerals or taking in too much sodium, a water softener system also means more maintenance.

Now that you know the pros and cons of installing a water softener in your home, you can decide whether this is the right installation for you. With the warmer months right around the corner, you’ll be using more water. If you’ve decided a water softener system is the next best step for you, contact a  water treatment company today to get a quote!

image credit: Pros and Cons of Installing a Water Softener in Your Home by Nikolay File#: 396094131