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Salt is manually added to the brine tank in the form of pellets or blocks. These dissolve in the water at the bottom of the tank. When the control valve registers the softening capacity of the resin is diminishing, the heavy brine solution is drawn out of the tank and flushed through the resin in the mineral tank.
Correspondingly, do salt free water softener systems work?
First, salt-free systems are not true water softeners. Water softener salt removes minerals, including calcium and magnesium — which cause hard water — through a process called ionic exchange and replaces them with soft minerals potassium and sodium.
Similarly, how much salt does a water softener use?
The average family of four with hard water, or levels around 7-10 grains per gallon hardness, will typically use about 10 lbs. of salt each week. This would equal out to about one 40-lb bag of salt each month.
Minimizing sodium consumption One solution is to use potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride pellets to soften your water. Another option is a reverse osmosis drinking water system installed along with your water softener. Reverse osmosis removes 95%+ of “everything” in the water, including sodium.