Comparison - Water Softeners vs. ScaleBlaster

Until now, the most dependable way to solve your hard water problems was with either a salt-based water softener or by using some good old-fashioned elbows and chemicals.

Water Softener Facts

All water softeners use the same operating principle: they exchange calcium and magnesium ions with twice as much sodium ions. The process is called ion exchange and can be labeled as “ancient” or outdated technology. They are very expensive to purchase and maintain; require a lot of salt to operate. They also require a lot of extra water to regenerate. Water softeners pollute our precious environment and can be harmful to people on salt restricted diets.

Water resources are sources of water that are useful to humans. We require fresh water, but only 2.5% of the Earth’s water is fresh, and over 2/3 of that is frozen in glaciers and ice caps. The use of water softeners contributes to a decrease in the available fresh water on our planet.

Water Softeners ScaleBlaster
Expensive to purchase Less expensive to purchase
5-10 year lifespan 20-25 year lifespan
Requires maintenance Never requires maintenance
Uses lots of floor space Mounts on a wall
Requires delivery of salt or chemicals Requires no salt or chemicals
Harmful for people on salt restricted diets Safe for people of salt restricted diets
Intrusive to the water Non-intrusive to the water
Increases water and sewer bills Does not require any additional water
Discharges chlorides into waste stream Environmentally green product
Makes skin feel dry Makes skin feel softer
Makes water feel slippery Makes water feel "silkier"
Soap suds difficult to remove Soap suds wash away easily

Information from the united States indicates that water softeners are a costly solution for mid-sized commercial buildings:

  • Water Softeners cost between $10,000 and $20,000 installed.

  • After approximately 5 years they will need major repairs and eventual replacement. A $2,000–$4,000 yearly depreciation is standard for a commercial grade water softener.

  • Water Softeners will require about $3,000 a year in salt deliveries, leaving a greasy feeling that causes people to use an additional 8-18% of water to rinse off.

  • Water Softeners require an additional 240,000 gallons of water a year just to regenerate. This will equate to an increase in your water and sewer bill by $2,000 a year or more.

  • Water Softeners, along with the corrosive bags of salt they require, consume a lot of space that could be better utilized. Has your supplier ever short-changed you on the number of bags you receive?

  • Water softeners will make your water much more “aggressive”, causing leaks and damage to your piping system and other equipment. This cost usually runs tens of thousands of dollars.

United States introduces water softener bans

There are 34 states that have instituted restrictions at state, city or county levels regarding the discharge of regenerative water softeners into the sanitary sewer systems. These restrictions have been put in place to protect either local water quality of municipal water sources or to protect agricultural and aquatic life. This discharge raises the total dissolved solid levels that in many cases find their way back into the local water supplies.

Some of these states include California, Texas, Montana, New Mexico, Michigan, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Cities like Santa Barbara and Fillmore, California have banned water softening discharges totally.