Amount of Sodium Added to Water by a Water Softener

The amount of sodium in a home water supply as a result of a water softener will be in proportion to the amount of water hardness removed by the softener. According to a report by the Water Quality Association, the table below shows how a water softener may have very little sodium contribution as part of the total daily sodium intake.

* mg= milligrams.

Initial Water Hardness(GPG)	mg sodium per 3 Qt of softened water	mg sodium from food	Total sodium mg consumed	% of total from softened water
1	23	5000	5023	0.4%
5	112	5000	5112	2.2%
10	223	5000	5223	4.3%
15	335	5000	5335	6.5%
20	447	5000	5447	8.2%
30	670	5000	5670	12.5%
40	893	5000	5893	15.2%

*If there is a concern about sodium intake, contact your physician.

How to interpret the chart?

The water hardness is 10 grains per gallon. The amount of sodium that is already in 3 quarts of softened water measured in milligrams is 223. The average sodium intake from food consumed is 5000 milligrams. If you add the two numbers together, it totals 5223 milligrams. The last column shows the percentage of sodium added by the soft water: 4.3%. So, before using the water softener the sodium intake was 5000 mg. After using the water softener, it is 5223 mg. As you can see, there is an increase of only 4.3%, which is a small increase.

NOTE: Potassium Chloride (KCI) is the only alternative to regular salt used for softening water and is recommended for people with low salt diets. Although it is still considered a salt, it puts out less salt in the water than regular softening salt.