If you want to reduce the hardness level of your water, you probably already know that installing a water softener is beneficial. But, do you need to soften both hot water and cold water? You have probably heard that calcium and magnesium in your water supply are not harmful to your health, so why would you need to soften your cold water?
Should you only use your water softener to soften just the hot water? While there are a few benefits you might consider, the overall answer is no, you should use your water softener to soften both your hot water and cold water. You still need to minimize mineral buildup in your cold water lines, and loose out on a lot of the benefits of a water softener by only softening hot water.
Take a look at a few important points below, and make sure you choose the right water softener for your home.
The Benefits of Softening Only the Hot Water
Given that some people believe that they only need to soften their hot water, what are some of the reasons why? If you only use your water softener to soften your hard water, there are a few benefits you might experience. They include:
1. You Can Save Salt
If you only use your water softener to soften hot water, it means that you will not go through as much salt. Your water softener depends on a steady supply of salt to eliminate calcium and magnesium ions from your water supply. Eventually, the salt will run out, and you will need to replace it.
If you only use your water softener for hot water, you won’t have to go through your salt supply as often, which could help you save some money on your salt expenses.
2. Less Water Waste
Next, if you only soften your hot water, it means you will not have as much wastewater coming from your home. Eventually, your resin beads are going to get filled up with a bunch of calcium and magnesium ions, and your water softener will have to regenerate itself. This will require a few dozen gallons of water, which is water you won’t have to use if you only soften your hot water.
If you only soften hot water, you won’t have to regenerate your water softener as often, which means you won’t use nearly as much water. This will reduce your environmental impact, and it may make a slight dent in your water bill.
3. The Water Might Be Healthier
By only softening your hot water, you probably are not going to soften your drinking water. The calcium and magnesium in your water supply might be good for your health, and there are some benefits to leaving them in there.
In addition, if your doctor has advised you to reduce your salt intake, then you might not want to have excess sodium ions in your drinking water. While you might be able to go with a potassium salt instead, this could be more expensive.
Therefore, by only softening your hot water, your drinking water might taste a bit better and be healthier for you.
Why You Need To Soften Your Hot and Cold Water
Now that we have covered some of the benefits of only softening your hot water, why do you actually need to soften both your hot water and cold water? You need to soften both sides of your plumbing system, and there are several important reasons why:
1. Protect Your Appliances, Including Your Water Heater
The biggest reason why you need to soften your hot water and cold water is that you need to protect your appliances from mineral buildup. While it is true that many of your appliances use hot water, there are plenty of appliances that use cold water as well.
For example, your hot water heater always has cold water flowing into it before it warms up. If you do not soften your cold water before it reaches your water heater, you will have excessive mineral deposits building up in your water heater, which can contribute to some significant issues. If you want to protect all of your appliances from harm, you need to soften your cold water.
2. You Use Your Water Softener As Intended
Your water softener has been specifically designed to be installed at the point of entry into your home. If you only use your water softener to soften your hot water, instead of both, you are not using your water softener as intended, and it could put undue stress on your water softener.
For example, you might be using a system that is too large for your home because your water pressure and flow rate are going to be lower if you only expose your water softener to your hot water. This might mean that your water softener’s lifespan could be shortened because you are putting too much stress on it.
3. You Use Cold Water for Other Purposes as Well
Even though you probably associate cold water with drinking, keep in mind that what comes out of the faucet initially is almost always cold water. For example, when you turn on your shower in the morning, cold water comes out. When you turn on the faucet to wash your hands, you might use some cold water.
This means that you will still have excess calcium and magnesium coming from a variety of spigots throughout your home, including your toilet bowl. If you do not want to deal with annoying calcium and magnesium buildup on the outside of these fixtures, you need to soften your water accordingly.
These are just a few of the biggest reasons why it is important for you to soften both your hot water and your cold water.
You Should Always Soften Your Water at the Point of Entry
Even though there might be some small benefits you will enjoy if you only soften the hot water in your home, it is always better to soften your water at the point of entry. This means that you need to soften both your hot and cold water.
If you do not soften your cold water, you will not eliminate all of the hardness minerals from your plumbing system, which means that your appliances (and water heaters) are still going to be exposed to excess calcium and magnesium. When excess scale builds up on the inside of your plumbing appliances, you shorten the lifespan of your appliances and you might have to deal with a repair bill. Softened water is better for your appliances.
In addition, there are some benefits that come from softening your cold water as well. Remember that your toilet probably uses cold water, and you might use cold water to wash your hands.
For all of these reasons, it is important for you to soften both your hot water and cold water. If your doctor has told you that you need to stick with a low-sodium diet, which means salt free drinking water, you may want to go with a potassium salt instead.
Rely on DROP To Help You Find the Best Water Softener for Your Home
You need to find the right water softener for your home if you want to get rid of excess calcium and magnesium ions, and we can help you do exactly that. At DROP, we have a wide selection of water softeners and water filters available.
If you are looking for a water softener, take a look at our selection today! You deserve soft water in both your hot and cold water pipes.
