What Are Your Water-Softening Options If You Have High Blood Pressure?
If your physician has recently cautioned you to reduce your sodium intake -- or even prescribed medications to help manage your high blood pressure -- your water softening system may be the last thing on your mind. However, salt-based water softeners can add trace amounts of salt to the water you use to eat, bathe, and cook, and for those on a sodium-restricted diet this added salt could make it more difficult to lower blood pressure. Should you remove or replace your current water softener? Read on to learn more about how sodium ion-exchange water softeners can impact the sodium level in your household's water, as well as some alternatives if you decide it's time to replace your existing softener.
How much sodium does an ion-exchange water softener generate?
Ion-exchange water softeners operate by replacing "hard" mineral ions (like calcium, magnesium, and iron) with "softer" sodium ions. The more mineral ions removed from your water, the more sodium will be added. While this sodium remains at trace levels in most cases, for areas with very hard water the sodium content can add up.
Water hardness (or softness) is measured in grains per gallon, and a sodium ion-exchange water softener will add approximately 30 milligrams of sodium per grain, per gallon. This can mean if you have very hard water with measurable hardness of 25 grains per gallon, there will be around 750 milligrams of sodium in each gallon of water your softener generates. For those who drink a lot of water from their home's taps each day, or who cook pasta, soups, or other foods that require water, this added sodium could be enough to exceed the limits of your low-sodium diet.
What options will help return your home to sodium-free water?
If you already have a salt-based ion-exchange water softener installed in your home, you won't necessarily need to replace it -- however, you may want to install an alternative water softening system to treat your drinking and cooking water just to ensure your sodium intake stays below the recommended limits. And if your current system seems to be nearing the end of its useful life, it may be time to upgrade your home to a salt-free whole house water softener.
Ion-exchange non-salt softeners
Not all ion-exchange softeners use salt -- some use pellets made of potassium to replace each grain of hardness removed. Potassium chloride is often used as a salt substitute by those who have been instructed to reduce sodium (or restaurants advertising low-sodium dishes), and adding these potassium ions to your drinking water shouldn't increase its sodium level or pose you any harm. As with sodium-based ion-exchange water softeners, you'll need to "recharge" your water softener by adding fresh potassium pellets on a regular basis. These can usually be purchased at a garden center or home supply store, or you may opt to schedule regular pellet deliveries by a water softening company.
Reverse osmosis softeners
These softeners operate differently from ion-exchange softeners -- rather than replacing a hard ion with a soft ion, they use a semi-permeable membrane to physically filter out the larger hard water ions, allowing pure and mineral-free water to flow through. This is likely the best option for those who wish to remove all their water's impurities without adding anything (even harmless ions) to the water supply. You'll need to replace this membrane periodically as it becomes damaged by (or clogged with) the hard water molecules it filters, but this should be the only regular maintenance your reverse osmosis softener needs to provide you with years of clean, healthy, and salt-free drinking water.
For more information and options, talk with water softener supply companies, such as Johnson Water Conditioning.