Can You Drink Water From A Water Softener
Have you ever wondered if you can drink the water from your water softener? Well, the answer depends on your preference. You can drink soft water without any ill effects, but you may not enjoy the taste. While many people like the taste of soft water, others don’t. Other than that, some people with eczema claim that water softeners help them with their skin condition, but due to limited evidence, you cannot be sure about it.
Unfortunately, there are some drawbacks when babies drink soft water. A major reason is that softened water contains much more sodium. This can cause various health issues for infants. Other than babies, water from a water softener is also not suitable for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Drinking softened water can increase your risk of hypertension.
So, are you still confused about whether to drink water from a water softener or not? Let’s dig deep by understanding what soft water actually is.
What is Soft Water?
When water falls from the sky, it goes through so many processes before it reaches your home. Its journey begins from rivers, reservoirs, water tables, streams, and over fields. It flows through soil and rocks before you can use it through your faucets. During the course of the journey, it will collect numerous minerals through soils and rocks. It becomes soft by passing through non-porous rocks, including slate, granite, marble, and other minerals.
On the other hand, if the water flows through porous rocks, it collects magnesium and calcium. These minerals incorporate with the water through rocks such as gypsum, limestone, and chalk. These minerals make the water hard. Especially when the water collects calcium carbonates, the hardness levels become higher. Depending on the geological condition, some regions in the country receive hard water, and some get soft water.
How to Make Soft Water
Hard water is dangerous for your pipe system due to the abundance of magnesium and calcium. This will increase the amount of soap and lather, causing minerals to build up in the pipes. When you have a water softener system, you decrease the hardness level from the water, turning it into soft water. The softener system will use an ion exchange process to eliminate the minerals.
A water softener contains polystyrene beads, which include sodium chloride ions. These sodium chloride ions swap with mineral ions as the water flows through these beads. This removes the minerals from the water.
The safety of drinking soft water from a water softener depends on the hardness of the water. If the hardness level of the water is higher, it indicates that your system needs more sodium ions to replace the minerals. Therefore, you need to choose the right amount of salt for the system. To do that, you need to know the hardness level of the water. As suggested by Water Quality Association, you can measure the hardness of the water by parts per million or grains per gallon.
Softened Water Side Effects
The abundance of sodium in the water can cause high blood pressure. Now, as a water softener eliminates the minerals from hard water by replacing it with sodium, it can be dangerous to drink. Considering this drawback of water softener, you should not drink this soft water, especially if you have blood pressure-related health problems. If you consume plenty of sodium, you will develop other signs of blood pressure, such as kidney failure and eye infections. Furthermore, it is also harmful to your heart. In other words, it elevates the risks of developing conditions related to high blood pressure.
If you have concerns about the additional intake of sodium, you need to make sure of your water’s hardness level. Simply measure the hardness level or go through this link. It includes the hardness level of water in different areas of the United States. You can drink soft water with a 400 PPM hardness level. However, if the hardness level is higher than 400 PPM, softening the water will make it dangerous for your health. The water will include abundant sodium replaced by minerals. So, it is essential to check the hardness level of the water before it flows through the water softening system.
How to Make Soft Water Drinkable
If your location contains water with a high hardness level, you can make it drinkable. The best method to consider is reverse osmosis. Including a reverse osmosis filter will eliminate the minerals and salt from the water. Reverse osmosis is a water purification technology. It contains a semi-permeable membrane that filters out salt and other minerals that are harmful to health. When you remove the sodium level from the soft water, it becomes drinkable. Other than sodium, this system also makes the water healthy and great-tasting. Other filters will not remove the minerals and sodium from the water, so they are not suitable for drinking.
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Conclusion
To sum this up, drinking water from a water softener is unhealthy and harmful. If you are consuming water with a hardness level of 11 GPG, you should follow some prevention techniques. If you are consistently drinking water with a level of hardness or sodium, you can develop health and kidney issues. The best advice is to shift your water filtration process to a reliable reverse osmosis system. You can also install a whole house water system that delivers pure water inside the house. Both these systems help eliminate the minerals. Because these filtration technologies include single to multiple filters, access to safe drinking water becomes easier.
