Benefits of Using a Water Softener
It’s inexpensive to operate a water softener. It uses less than $3 in electricity per year.2
A water softener only needs about 2.5 pounds of salt. That’s 80 percent less salt than dial-style softeners.
Soft water can make cleaning more effortless, help your appliances work longer and help you avoid plumbing clogs.
Clog-Free Plumbing and Fixtures
Soft water helps water flow easily in plumbing. Hard water causes mineral deposits to build up in your pipes and fixtures. This can create clogs and reduced water pressure.
Showerheads in homes with hard water can lose 75 percent of their flow rate in shorter than 18 months. Soft water preserves the brilliance and full flow for faucets and showerheads, nearly as well as the day they were put in.
Soft water is lacks minerals. It doesn’t leave deposits in pipes or restrict water flow in fixtures.
Longer-Lasting Appliances
Over time, hard water can cause minerals to build up in your washing machine and dishwasher.
The mineral deposits in hard water make limescale when they get hot. This can spread over the heating elements in your appliances, decreasing life span and efficiency.
As a result, your appliances may need repeated service or need to be swapped out ahead of time.
Efficient Water Heaters
Soft water maintains the efficiency of water heaters.
Gas storage and tankless water heaters operating on soft water hold on to the factory efficiency rating over a 15-year life span. In comparison, using hard water for a gas water heater can cut efficiency by up to 48 percent.
If you use an electric water heater, up to 30 pounds of rock-like scale can accumulate in the tank from hard water. The scale is a bad heat conductor. It can reduce the life of your heating element, because it has to work more to heat water.
Soft Skin, Brighter Laundry and Cleaner Dishes
Hard water minerals collect on your skin and in your hair, causing it to look dull. It can also cause painful razor burn.
Soft water is superior at cleaning soap residue, so you’ll have softer skin and sleeker hair. Plus, your clothes will look more colorful and your dishes will have fewer spots.
Less Soap and Cleaning Time
When you have hard water, you have to use additional soap for a good lather. The minerals in hard water react with soap. This makes a scum on showers.
With soft water, you won’t need to use as much time cleaning to get rid of soap scum. You’ll also use less soap.