Salt Tablets

There are a few signs that you might have hard water and could benefit from a softener. Here are some things to watch for:

• Spotty dishes and glasses: After washing and drying, do you see white streaks or film left behind? Hard water minerals can make it tough for soap to lather and rinse clean.
• Dry itchy skin and hair: Hard water can strip away natural oils, leaving your skin feeling itchy and hair feeling dry and brittle.
• Stiff laundry: Do your clothes feel rough and uncomfortable even after using fabric softener? Hard water can make fabrics feel stiff and dingy.
• Mineral buildup: Do you see white, crusty deposits around faucets, showerheads, or on your toilet bowl? This is a telltale sign of hard water minerals accumulating.
• Reduced water pressure: Hard water minerals can build up inside pipes over time, reducing water pressure throughout your home.

If you’re experiencing several of these issues, there’s a good chance you have hard water. You can also confirm by getting a water test kit from your local hardware store or contacting a water treatment professional. They can test your water hardness level and advise you on whether a softener is right for you.

Central water treatment plants in Ireland prioritize public health and safety. Their main function is to ensure the water is free of harmful bacteria and contaminants. Water hardness caused by minerals like calcium and magnesium is not a health concern, so it’s not typically removed during central treatment. Additionally, softening water on a large scale for an entire city can be quite expensive and requires additional infrastructure. Since hard water is safe to drink, the cost-benefit analysis often prioritizes other treatment methods. Although central treatment doesn’t address hardness, you have options to manage it at home by installing a water softener.

Softened water is deprived off calcium and magnesium contents, and some sodium is added during the softening process. That is why in most cases, softened water is perfectly safe to drink. According to regulations water must contain only up to 200mg/L of sodium.

However, in areas with very hard water, softened water might affect the mineral balance in baby formula. The added sodium may be a concern for people on restricted sodium diets. Talk to your doctor about how softened water fits into your dietary plan.

Consider under-sink reverse osmosis system for drinking water  for maximum contaminant   reduction and sodium control.

The frequency of refilling your salt depends on how hard your water is and how much water your household uses. The harder the water and the more water you use, the more frequently your system will regenerate and require salt. As for the salt level in the brine tank, you can let the salt get down to the point inside the tank where you can see the water just above the salt. When you see water above the salt, it is time to add more! Generally, you will add salt to your brine tank about every 6-8 weeks.

Tip: Avoid letting the salt level get too low. This can lead to inefficient regeneration and impact your water softener’s performance.

No, salt used in a water softener doesn’t enter your drinking water. The salt solution (brine) is used in a separate tank to clean the softener’s internal components. This cleaning process removes the hardness minerals captured from your water, keeping the softener functioning effectively.

In Ireland, water softeners are typically installed indoors, under the kitchen sink in most cases. This is a convenient location because it has easy access to the main water line and drain.

However, there are other options depending on your plumbing and space:

• Utility room, garage, or boiler room: If you don’t have enough space under the sink, these locations can work well.
• External wall in a weatherproof cabinet: This is an option if your mains shut-off valve is outside or there’s limited space indoors. Btw, we offer a range cabinets, providing a convenient and protected location for your water softener.