Traditional water softeners use ion exchange resin to remove dissolved minerals from the water.
The resin takes out calcium, magnesium, potassium and other molcules from the water and exchanges it for another molecule — usually sodium. When the resin has run out of sodium molecules, it can be ‘recharged’ with salty water.
While ion exchange resin is very effective at reducing hardness, there are a few downsides of using this process:
Very Expensive
Traditional water softeners can cost several thousand dollars. Once installed, there will also be running costs which may include the cost of electricity and replacement resin. There will also be waste water, which is created when the resin is regenerated.
Salty Water
The resin must be flushed intermittently with salty water in order to recharge it. After it is flushed, it need to rinsed with clean water to remove the excess salt. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to remove it all, which can result in salty water entering the house, which is not very palatable.
The SofterWater products avoid these downsides, as there are no replacement parts required and no electricity needed.