Water Softeners and the environmentally conscience consumer..

Salt. Today, some view it as the industry’s dirty, four-letter word. Used for decades in water treatment, the Water Quality Association (WQA), in its Glossary of Terms, defines salt in the following ways: (chemistry) A chemical compound formed by the neutralization of an acid with a base; (water treatment) sodium chloride (NaCl) or potassium chloride (KCl), both of which are used in solution form to regenerate cation exchange water softeners and some dealkalizers.

While salt in water treatment equipment, especially in softening equipment, has been widely used successfully over the decades, policy makers and environmentalists have been taking a closer examination of its need in certain areas of the country, including California and, more recently, Arizona. Professional water treatment dealers as well as customers have experienced issues related to salt in equipment, such as salt bridging in dry storage brine tanks, which are mostly based on performance and maintenance.

Source: Water Technology Magazine