Chances are, you have a water softener in your home. You will note that this softener will enable you to take pure water as it will not have hard minerals. Also, this water will be good for washing your clothes and so on. However, did you know that after the water has been processed by a water softener, it might still have some impurities? Therefore, it is important that you get rid of these impurities, which might otherwise make you get ill.
To start with, filtering softened water does not really involve the same processes that are used to make hard water taste better. Instead of just removing chlorine and other contaminants, the filtration of soft water basically involves the removal of excess ions from your drinking water.
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What happens when water is softened?
Once you are able to soften your water, you will be able to get rid of excess calcium and magnesium that make water heard. These ions are usually replaced with other soft ions such as sodium or potassium. This process is commonly known as ion-exchange.
You might ask, is soft water safe to drink? This actually depends on the hardness of your water. For instance, if your water is very hard, there might be a lot of calcium and magnesium that needs to be replaced by sodium. This in turn can make the sodium levels escalate in the long run. Sometimes, it might go beyond the recommended limit set by regulation.
It is important to note that a water softener will add about 46 mg/liter of sodium for every 100 mg/lire of calcium carbonate, which is one of the hard minerals taken out of hard water. Here, a water softener will produce 184 mg/liter of sodium in water that contains 400 mg/liter of calcium carbonate.
Once the water hardness in your premise exceeds 400mg/liter of calcium carbonate, the water softener will push the sodium levels in the water over the threshold. This in turn makes a separate drinking tap with unsoftened water a must. In those areas that have hard water, this is usually the case.
Ideally, it is wrong to drink water that is above 400 ppm calcium carbonate. If your water’s hardness exceeds this threshold, it is important that you consider installing a reverse osmosis drinking water filter.
How do you filter the exchanged ions?
If you want to filter these ions, you can consider using reverse osmosis. Here, you will be able to push the softened water through a membrane at high pressure. Those ions that will not penetrate the membrane are usually removed. Reverse osmosis is capable of removing impurities from your already-softened drinking water. These include 98% of all the sodium left in the water after you have softened it.
On average, a normal human being consumes typically 3240 mg of sodium daily. This is equivalent to a pinch of salt or 8.1 grams of salt. All these sodium content comes from foods, waters, beverages, and so on. If your water contains more than 400 mg of calcium carbonate per liter is usually considered to be very hard. If you choose to use a water softener, the sodium levels will escalate. In fact, it will go beyond the recommended daily amount.
Too much sodium in the body can elevate your blood pressure. It is because of this that softened water is not ideal for drinking, especially if you have pre-existing health conditions such as high blood pressure. If you exceed the required amounts, you might suffer from high blood pressure, and the aftermath of this is that your kidneys and eyes might be affected. Also, your heart might be at risk as it will have to pump blood at a higher pressure than the normal rate. To solve this problem, you should consider filtering the already softened water in order to have sodium-free,chemical-free, great-tasting water.
What are the benefits of filtering softened water for drinking?
1. Makes the water to taste better
If you are able to eliminate all the chemicals and debris in your drinking water, you can trust that it will taste better. The reverse osmosis water is usually found to be better than that water from the tap. Therefore, you will enjoy the refreshing and satisfying effects of this water.
2. No more contamination
One of the primary roles of the reverse osmosis process is that it helps remove all the particles and other impurities in the water. Therefore, all the bad chemicals that can harm your body will be removed from the water. Some of these chemicals include lead, arsenic, and so on. Besides this, some parasites are also filtered from the water. This in turn protects you from any contamination.
3. It uses low energy
The other advantage of filtering softened water is that you will not need a lot of energy to get the work done. This means that you will be able to get sodium-free water at a relatively lower cost since your energy bills will not escalate.
4.Helps you to save money
You might have bought bottled water in the past. This water is known to be safe for drinking. However, this comes at a cost. The more water you need, the more the cost involved. This makes it essential for you to filter the already softened water. If you filter this water, you will be able to save tons of money. All you need to buy a reusable water bottle so that you can carry the reverse osmosis water with you anywhere you, please. This has worked well for many people in the past.
Conclusion
You should not drink water if you have not filtered it. Even if you have a water softener, some sodium ions might be left in your water. If you allow these ions to accumulate in your body in large quantities, you might be putting your life at risk. Ideally, you should filter the already softened water so that you can have sodium-free water. Also, this water will taste better and will be healthy for your body. Consider filtering softened water for drinking today, and you will not regret it.