# Do you use the softened water for drinking and cooking?



## Quilter (Apr 4, 2012)

We're at SurfWatch and I noticed the water is softened.   We bring a Brita pitcher on the trip for drinking water.   Looking up "is it safe to drink softened water" comes up with opposing answers.   

At home we don't need to soften our water so I'm new to dealing with this.   My MIL says her softened water doesn't go to the kitchen tap.   

Opinions?

Thanks,
Suzzanne


----------



## horsecreek (Apr 4, 2012)

*just a little extra salt for the week; wouldn't worry.*

I just installed a water softner in my house.  All the hot water and the wash machine cold water.  My research says that a few table spoons of salt is added to your diet and I don't need that.  My frig. water remains salt free, but limestone rich.  Not sure what extra lime does for the body?


----------



## SueDonJ (Apr 4, 2012)

We've never brought a filter with us and we use the water at SurfWatch during every visit for drinking, cooking, bathing, etc...  It's just never occurred to me to not use it.


----------



## Ron98GT (Apr 4, 2012)

horsecreek said:


> I just installed a water softner in my house.  All the hot water and the wash machine cold water.  My research says that a few table spoons of salt is added to your diet and I don't need that.  My frig. water remains salt free, but limestone rich.  Not sure what extra lime does for the body?



  All of the cold water should be softened, with the exception of the outside faucets and the sprinklers.  The hot water tank input should bypass the water softner; hot water in the house is not softened.  Not sure how your house is plumbed.


----------



## FlyerBobcat (Apr 4, 2012)

horsecreek said:


> I just installed a water softner in my house.  All the hot water and the wash machine cold water.  My research says that a few table spoons of salt is added to your diet and I don't need that.  My frig. water remains salt free, but limestone rich.  Not sure what extra lime does for the body?







Ron98GT said:


> All of the cold water should be softened, with the exception of the outside faucets and the sprinklers.  The hot water tank input should bypass the water softner; hot water in the house is not softened.  Not sure how your house is plumbed.



Interesting differences of opinion...


http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-P...on/how-to-plumb-a-water-softener/Step-By-Step


----------



## sparty (Apr 4, 2012)

Quilter said:


> We're at SurfWatch and I noticed the water is softened.   We bring a Brita pitcher on the trip for drinking water.   Looking up "is it safe to drink softened water" comes up with opposing answers.
> 
> At home we don't need to soften our water so I'm new to dealing with this.   My MIL says her softened water doesn't go to the kitchen tap.
> 
> ...



When we stay at Surf Watch or Barony we always use drinking water from Publix in the 2 gallon plastic containers. We never drink or cook with the tap water.

That said, I would talk to the engineering manager there.  They may do Ion exchange water softening which uses no salt. 

Or they may use potassium chloride in the brine tank instead of salt for people who should have no salt in their diet.


----------



## bogey21 (Apr 4, 2012)

My drink of choice for the last 77 years has been cold tap water where ever I am within the US. In additon I have never spent any of my hard earned money on bottled water.  Knock on wood but so far I don't think I have suffered any ill effects because of these choices.

George


----------



## dioxide45 (Apr 4, 2012)

Ron98GT said:


> All of the cold water should be softened, with the exception of the outside faucets and the sprinklers.  The hot water tank input should bypass the water softner; hot water in the house is not softened.  Not sure how your house is plumbed.



This doesn't make any sense. Adding a softener makes water heaters work better because the hardness has been removed and the mineral deposits are not as bad in the water heater. You water heater should have soft water going to it. How is your house plumbed?


----------



## Passepartout (Apr 4, 2012)

All our interior water is softened. Water to the sprinklers and hose bibs is not. The softener recharges on demand and uses very little salt compared to the old Culligan one that was here when we moved in- about 80 lb (2 bags) per year. Any sodium in the water is undetectable either by our taste buds or our many house plants. We keep a Brita pitcher in the fridge for drinking and do notice that it cleans up the chlorine taste of the city water.

Untreated, our water will clog shower heads and faucet screens with calcium, and makes soap cling to clothes and bodies. 

Jim


----------



## TravlinDuo (Apr 4, 2012)

*bottled water*

I couldn't agree more with bogey21.  If one would research the profit made from selling bottled water, some of which is only purified water and not spring water, one would be amazed.  Working in the water/wastewater industry, I can attest that drinking water and wastewater facilities treat water to an extremely pure state.  A portion of our tax dollars as well as, our water/ sewer bills (and incorporated some way into maintenance fees) pay for water treatment.  Well water should be regularly tested for quality and content of minerals, etc.  We take the small Brita pitcher & filter and always use timeshare tap water.


----------



## sparty (Apr 4, 2012)

TravlinDuo said:


> I couldn't agree more with bogey21.  If one would research the profit made from selling bottled water, some of which is only purified water and not spring water, one would be amazed.  Working in the water/wastewater industry, I can attest that drinking water and wastewater facilities treat water to an extremely pure state.  A portion of our tax dollars as well as, our water/ sewer bills (and incorporated some way into maintenance fees) pay for water treatment.  Well water should be regularly tested for quality and content of minerals, etc.  We take the small Brita pitcher & filter and always use timeshare tap water.



I'm not so convinced... I am always concerned with  Cryptosporidium .  At least in the midwest a lot of the bottled water came from Lake Michigan which I consider to be a relatively good source but not immune from all impurities that could get into bottled water.



Cut and paste: 
The cover story of the June edition of the Nutrition Action Health Letter is “Water, Water, Everywhere...but is it safe to drink?” The article describes the different categories of elements that can be found in water, and what the hazards are for each one.

The categories include disinfection by-products (like chlorine), turbidity (caused by items like soil run-off), lead, arsenic, asbestos, and parasites (like cryptosporidium, which can actually be deadly). The likelihood of any of these items being present in your water depends on where you live; contact your local public water utility for more information.

The Brita pitcher filter reduces levels of lead, copper, mercury, chlorine, and zinc, but it does not protect you from asbestos or cryptosporidium. Note that the Brita faucet filter, however, reduces levels of other harmful elements, including cryptosporidium, giardia, and asbestos


----------



## sparty (Apr 4, 2012)

TravlinDuo said:


> I couldn't agree more with bogey21.  If one would research the profit made from selling bottled water, some of which is only purified water and not spring water, one would be amazed.  Working in the water/wastewater industry, I can attest that drinking water and wastewater facilities treat water to an extremely pure state.  A portion of our tax dollars as well as, our water/ sewer bills (and incorporated some way into maintenance fees) pay for water treatment.  Well water should be regularly tested for quality and content of minerals, etc.  We take the small Brita pitcher & filter and always use timeshare tap water.



BTW - the other concern is cross-connects and backflow contamination.  Hilton Head Ordinance 97-01 requires the installation, maintenance, and inspection of a state-approved backflow prevention
device for each existing residential irrigation system.  The state of South Carolina only requires annual inspection for newly installed irrigation systems.  I think Hilton Head's ordinance is good, but it only mitigates the risk, some do not comply with the inspection, some may have cross-connects not registered, so it's not full-proof but it is a good ordinance to have.


----------



## sparty (Apr 4, 2012)

bogey21 said:


> My drink of choice for the last 77 years has been cold tap water where ever I am within the US. In additon I have never spent any of my hard earned money on bottled water.  Knock on wood but so far I don't think I have suffered any ill effects because of these choices.
> 
> George



The 1993 Milwaukee Cryptosporidium outbreak was a significant distribution of the Cryptosporidium protozoan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the largest waterborne disease outbreak in documented United States history. The Howard Avenue Water Purification Plant (see Town of Lake water tower) was contaminated, and treated water showed turbidity levels well above normal. It was one of two water treatment plants for Milwaukee. The root cause of epidemic was never officially identified; initially it was suspected to be caused by the cattle genotype due to runoff from pastures.[1] MacKenzie et al. and the CDC showed that this outbreak was caused by cryptosporidium oocysts that passed through the filtration system of one of the city's water-treatment plants, arising from a sewage treatment plant's outlet 2 miles upstream in Lake Michigan.

This abnormal condition at the water purification plant lasted from March 23 through April 8, after which, the plant was shut down. Over the span of approximately two weeks, 403,000[2] of an estimated 1.61 million residents in the Milwaukee area (of which 880,000 were served by the malfunctioning treatment plant) became ill with the stomach cramps, fever, diarrhea and dehydration caused by the pathogen. At least 104[2] deaths have been attributed to this outbreak, mostly among the elderly and immunocompromised people, such as AIDS patients.


----------



## ronparise (Apr 4, 2012)

I dont now, but I have lived in two homes with my own well ...In both cases the water was extremely hard. It wasnt possible to lather up in the shower, or make suds in the washing machine without a water softener. Also without a softener the build up of scale in the water heater, washing machine and in the pipes was severe. Its either use a water softener or replace your water using appliances frequently.

A water softener does not add salt to to your water, rather it swaps the sodium in the salt with the calcium and magnesium ions in the raw water...the amount of sodium added is small, but if that concerns you add a reverse osmosis unit for drinking water, Or buy bottled water (or beer) for drinking...

By the way...dont be afraid of drinking tap water in the US. If you drink bottled water, that's probably what you are drinking anyway...Bottled water companies are some of the biggest customers of municipal water departments. They just take the city water you are afraid of and put it into plastic bottles to sell


----------



## Ron98GT (Apr 5, 2012)

dioxide45 said:


> This doesn't make any sense. Adding a softener makes water heaters work better because the hardness has been removed and the mineral deposits are not as bad in the water heater. You water heater should have soft water going to it. How is your house plumbed?



That's the way the houses (1995) in my subdivision in Las Vegas are plumbed.  I'd have to cut the copper pipes & reroute them if I want something different.  Don't know what code called for, but they were all inpected by the city/county.


----------



## dioxide45 (Apr 5, 2012)

Ron98GT said:


> That's the way the houses (1995) in my subdivision in Las Vegas are plumbed.  I'd have to cut the copper pipes & reroute them if I want something different.  Don't know what code called for, but they were all inpected by the city/county.



Then you aren't really getting the benefits of soft water. So much of the benefits of soft water come from washing (laundry, body, dishes). Since your hot water is still hard, those benefits are lost. Not much benefit to just softening cold water that I know of.


----------



## malonem68 (Apr 5, 2012)

I've grown up with soft water.  When married and bought a house...purchased a water softener after noticing the deposits on faucets, etc.

I have never had an issue and would never worry about the salt deposits....it is so small the body probably couldn't even tell the difference.

Soft water ROCKS!!


----------



## Sunbum (Apr 5, 2012)

Wow! Talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill! Just drink up. It is not a 3rd world country.


----------



## Quilter (Apr 6, 2012)

Sunbum said:


> Wow! Talk about making a mountain out of a mole hill! Just drink up. It is not a 3rd world country.



About 9 Tuggers felt the question worth the time to discuss.  

Wondering whether softened water is safe to drink has been deemed a question worth answering on respected websites like these:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/AN00317

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00581/water-an-essential-part-of-life.html

This may not be the first resort I've stayed at that softened the water but it was the first I noticed it.    My only experience with softened water has been at my MIL's home where she said it wasn't run to the kitchen tap.   

The question wasn't about tap water vs. bottled.   It was about what's in the softened water.  A point brought out by Passepartout is how softening systems have changed over the years and they don't use as much salt as the old systems did.   A-ha.   My MIL told me about her softener years ago.  

I found all the posts to be interesting.   

TUG is about being informed.   Asking questions is the first way to get informed.


----------

