Choosing Between The Three Different Types Of Water Softener Salt

Health & Medical Blog

If you recently purchased a new home that has a water softener installed in it, then it is vital that you understand the difference between the three types of water softener salt available on the market today. Using the right type of salt for your water and machinery types greatly increases the efficiency of your water softener and helps it remove hard water scale from your home's plumbing and appliances.

The three types of water softener salt available today are:

  • evaporated salt pellets
  • solar salt crystals
  • rock salt crystals

Here is some information on each of these three types of water softener salt:

Evaporated Salt Pellets

Evaporated salt pellets for water softeners are made from salt that has been mined out of underground mines. The salt contains a lot of natural mineral impurities, so it is placed into a brine tank and water is added until it dissolves. The salt brine is then evaporated to create salt pellets that are high in purity and are the best option for use in most residential water softening machines. Machines that are run with clean salt will not need as frequent maintenance as those that are run using impure salts.

Solar Salt Crystals for Water Softeners

Solar salt crystals for water softeners are made of evaporated sea water. The sea water is evaporated in large ponds near the ocean, and then it is processed into cubes.

Solar salt does contain some impurities, but it has an acceptable level for use in residential softening systems. Evaporated salt pellets are higher in purity than solar salt cubes, and both are less expensive and less pure than rock salt.

Rock Salt for Water Softeners

Rock salt is one of the purest forms of sodium chloride that you can purchase for your residential water softener. Rock salt is mined from natural salt deposits that are located underground in various locations around the globe. Since rock salt is a crystal found in nature, it often contains a lot of mineral impurities. For this reason, solar salt crystals and evaporated salt pellets are more often used in home water softeners. They both keep the softening beads from becoming contaminated with mineral deposits.

Who to Contact for Additional Help

Finally, if you need more information on the type of salt that you should purchase for your new home's water softener, then you should speak with a local plumbing contractor or water filtration company like Hague Quality Water of Kansas City Inc. They can inspect your system and let you know which type of salt will work the best.

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