Understand The Difference Between A Softener And Conditioner When Treating Water In Your Home

Home & Garden Blog

A water conditioner is an appliance that treats the water in your home in some way to improve its quality. A water softener is a type of conditioner that works specifically to reduce hard water. Whether you buy a conditioner or softener depends on what you want to achieve with the water.

Water Softeners Alter Minerals With Salt

If your water has excess minerals, it's called hard water. The minerals leave deposits on your laundry, dishes, and even your skin when you shower. A water softener doesn't actually filter out the minerals, instead it causes a chemical reaction that alters them. The result is much softer water and a loss of minerals detected in hardness tests.

The benefits of soft water include better performance of detergent and soap, silky feel to the water, and reduced scale build up on your dishes and appliances. Water softeners achieve this chemical reaction through the use of salt. A softener has a large salt chamber that is filled and maintained regularly by you or by a water softener company.

Other Water Conditioners Don't Use Salt

Other water conditioners don't use salt. They are sometimes called saltless water softeners because they also soften hard water. They do this by attracting minerals to a plate inside the unit that changes their structure. The difference here is the hard minerals stay in the water, but they are changed in such a way that they don't cling to dishes and laundry.

You still get soft water, but there is less maintenance needed since there is no salt to fill on a regular basis. The main advantage to a saltless water conditioner is that they are allowed in cities where salt-based water softeners are prohibited.

Water Conditioners Also Act As Filters

Some water conditioners can improve the quality of your water in other ways too. They filter out gases that cause foul odors in your water. They can improve the taste of water as well as remove certain contaminants. If you have well water, you may prefer a conditioner over a softener because you can reduce hard water as well as improve its taste and purity. A water conditioner is also a good choice if you don't have hard water, but just want to improve water quality in your home.

The first step in determining how to treat the water in your home is to have your water tested by a water conditioning company, such as Johnson Water Conditioning. This is necessary even if you're connected to municipal water that has already been treated. A water test reveals if you have hard water, and it lets you know the type of contaminants in the water you should consider removing. When you know the results of a water test, you can decide on the best type of water conditioning appliance for your home. Then, you'll be sure you get the results you need.

6 June 2017