{"id":999,"date":"2024-02-28T16:50:42","date_gmt":"2024-02-28T22:50:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.compassminerals.com\/suresoft\/?p=999"},"modified":"2024-03-01T09:24:21","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T15:24:21","slug":"quick-guide-to-water-softener-salts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.compassminerals.com\/suresoft\/blog\/quick-guide-to-water-softener-salts\/","title":{"rendered":"A Quick Guide to Water Softener Salts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Water softener products are made of either sodium chloride (salt) or potassium chloride. In this blog, we\u2019re focusing on the different water softener salt (sodium chloride) products that can help deliver the benefits of softer water to your home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on the differences between sodium chloride and potassium chloride products, check out our FAQs<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Does Water Softener Salt Help Soften Hard Water?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your water softener system includes a brine tank (which stores the water softener salt) and a resin tank (which contains the resin beads that work to remove the hard water minerals from your water).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the regeneration process inside your water softener system, the brine solution from the brine tank rinses the resin beads in the resin tank and attaches positively charged sodium ions onto their surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When this regeneration process is finished, and the resin beads are positively charged, the hard water passes through the resin bed, and ion (cation) exchange takes place. During ion exchange, the calcium and magnesium minerals in the hard water exchange places with the sodium ions adhered to the surface of the resin beads. This swap effectively removes the calcium and magnesium ions from the water, and results in softer water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a certain amount of hard water passes through the resin, most of the sodium ions are depleted from the resin, and the resin is now mostly coated with calcium and magnesium. When this occurs, to recover the exchange capacity, the regeneration process begins again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you want to know more about hard water? Read our hard water blog<\/a> for a deeper look at how minerals like calcium and magnesium affect your home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Choose a Product That\u2019s Right for You<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Choosing a water softener salt means choosing the form it comes in and whether it contains an additive. Higher purity salts contain less water-insoluble matter, which can mean less buildup in your water softener system for less cleanout and maintenance; however, these products can also cost more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forms of Salt:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n