Water Softener vs Water Conditioner.

Hard water is a common occurrence in the Las Vegas Valley and surrounding areas. There are a couple of different ways to treat the hard water.

What is a Water Softener?

A water softener eliminates water hardness by exchanging ions and removing magnesium and calcium from the water. Salt/potassium-based softeners have a resin bed that filters water through it and exchanges the minerals/hardness for sodium ions. When the resin bed reaches saturation, the cleaning cycle (commonly referred to as regeneration) begins. During regen, a series of backwashes flush out trapped minerals and expel them from the resin bed. This process also replenishes the sodium particles, allowing the machine to continue softening. These units require salt or potassium to perform the ion exchange.

What is a Water Conditioner?

A salt-free system or water conditioner does not soften water. It simply helps change the mineral molecules so they lose their ability to stick to your pipes and plumbing. Some salt-free systems and conditioners work better than others.

1. Carbon Filtration: GAC (granular activated carbon) or carbon filters remove harmful bacteria. They also remove contaminants by absorbing or trapping organic compounds that are attracted to carbon. The main use of carbon in a system or carbon filters is to remove unpleasant odors and weird tastes from water, including sulfur in well water and chlorine used to sanitize city water. This is considered simple water purification for consumption and not water softening. This does not soften water by removing hardness minerals through ion exchange. Carbon filters are commonly found in refrigerators or as add-on filters for sinks/faucets.
2. Magnets/electromagnetic water conditioner: These systems use magnets to create molecular motion in the water. This molecular agitation causes the minerals to displace, thereby reducing the concentration of calcium and magnesium ions. The result is effectively soft water in the sense that it’s less likely to make limescale or deposits. Although expensive, the performance of these devices is not guaranteed. Also, the magnetic field is only in the immediate area where the water sits on the device. This means it cannot treat large volumes of water at once, and the water can only remain in its “soft” state for about 48 hours after treatment.
3. Salt Free WS: Catalytic media conditioners, also known as SF WS, don’t use ion exchange to remove hard water minerals like traditional salt-based systems do. Instead, water is treated in a catalytic medium using a physical process known as TAC (template-assisted crystallization). This changes the shape of the minerals into hard crystals that no longer stick to surfaces. The important thing to note is that these systems do not soften; they simply condition it.

Water Softener vs Water Conditioner

A softener is a specific type of water conditioner that reduces water hardness. Hard water forms when dissolved calcium or magnesium ions are present. A water softener will remove all hard minerals from your water source. A water conditioner is just a generic term for any system that alters the quality of your water to improve it in some way.

Different types of treatment units have different abilities. Hard water is a common occurrence in the Las Vegas Valley and surrounding areas. How do we treat hard water? Typically, salt-free options work up to 25 GPG of hardness, and softeners with salt are recommended at 20 GPG and above. Las Vegas is typically between 22 and 28 GPG. It’s based on personal preference and needs. We have customers with systems that use salt, and others who opt for salt-free options. Contact us online to schedule a free site survey with one of our experienced service technicians to learn more about the system that best suits your needs.