Did you know that 85 percent of the United States has hard water? It’s just part of our geological make-up, or at least that’s what the U.S. Geological Survey says. This is one reason why we install soft water systems in our client’s homes and businesses. Soft water comes with many benefits that we talked about in a previous post, so please check it out. Is soft water safe to drink, however? Let’s talk about this because our goal here at King Water Wells is to always make sure your water is safe to drink and use.
Soft Water and Sodium Content
Soft water does not taste like salt nor does it contain tons of sodium. The water softening process that produces the soft water in your home or business creates sodium bicarbonate, not sodium chloride. Table salt is sodium chloride. Sodium bicarbonate is baking soda, and how much sodium bicarbonate is in your soft water depends on the hardness of your well water.
If your well water is very hard, it measures 10 grains or more of hardness in each gallon, the sodium bicarbonate content in 8 ounces of soft water is about 20 to 30 mg. When you compare this to other things that you drink, you find that your glass of water has less sodium than diet soda, which contains 40 mg of sodium; low-fat milk, which contains 120 mg of sodium; or even OJ, which contains 25 mg.
Sodium and Your Diet
You don’t get a majority of your daily sodium from sodium bicarbonate. You get it from sodium chloride – table salt – and it is found in high amounts in processed foods and the salt you sprinkle on your meals. The FDA recommends no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day for adults and children. In fact, it recommends less sodium per day than that. You probably exceed that if you don’t watch your intake.
If you were to drink 2 quarts of soft water per day, you’d consume 160 to 240 mg of sodium bicarbonate. It doesn’t harm you to drink this water, but it might not be healthy if your physician wants you or a family member to limit his or her sodium intake. This is why many water softening systems also come with a water treatment system to filter out the sodium produced in the softening process. Check with your doctor to see what’s best for you and your family.
King Water Wells would be happy to maintain your water softening system to ensure it does not produce too much sodium. We can also install a water treatment system if you want the sodium removed from your drinking water. Call our Rockford, MI, office today.