ᐅ Water softening system – Calcium and magnesium increase sodium content

Hello everyone,

I have read several posts about water softening systems so far. The following disadvantages have come up repeatedly.

• By removing calcium and magnesium, the sodium content increases, but too much sodium is not good for health.
• The pipes can be damaged over time and will eventually need to be replaced. This can supposedly be counteracted with phosphorus, but that also should not be in the tap water.

Can anyone confirm this? Are there possibly other ways to prevent limescale buildup?

That's nonsense. The sodium content doesn’t increase that much. If you’re concerned about that, you can install a separate water line to the kitchen without a water softener. This is common practice and has a major advantage—the water tastes much better than softened water.

Otherwise, the pipes won’t be affected; I can’t think of any reason why.

However, keep in mind the ongoing costs of water softening. The unit requires maintenance and won’t last forever. On the other hand, your house will benefit from it, and you'll notice it when cleaning. I wouldn’t want to be without one!

Bookstar schrieb:

That’s all nonsense. The sodium content doesn’t increase that much. If you’re concerned, you can install a separate line to the kitchen without water softening. This is common practice and has a major advantage: the water tastes significantly better than softened water.

Otherwise, it doesn’t harm the pipes; I can’t think of any reason why it would.

However, consider the ongoing costs of water softening. The unit requires maintenance and won’t last forever. On the plus side, your house benefits and you’ll notice the difference when cleaning. I wouldn’t want to be without it!

What kind of ongoing costs should I expect? Which system are you using?

Judosoft Softwell S – ideally, you should have maintenance done every 2 years, which costs around 200 euros. I usually do most of it myself, but you have to be willing to take it on. Otherwise, I expect the system to be useless after 10 to 15 years. Nowadays, things just don’t last as long. Salt is not a significant cost factor.

So, I would say the annual descaling costs about 200 euros.

Bookstar schrieb:

Judosoft Softwell S, actually you should have maintenance done every 2 years, which costs around 200 euros. I mostly do it myself, but you have to be willing to take it on. Otherwise, I expect the system to be worn out after 10 to 15 years. Nowadays, things don’t last as long. Salt is not a major cost factor.

So I would say the descaling costs you about 200 euros per year.

How is the 250 euros composed? Salt + maintenance?

We have a Grünbeck system, reduced from 18°dH to 4-6°dH. The water still tastes fine, but it’s better for the appliances (and there are fewer lime scale spots).