- A water softener removes magnesium, calcium, and silica ions, leaving the water with only small quantities of temporary hardness. In contrast, a water conditioner can only manipulate how the hardness minerals of a liquid solution behave.
- Choose water conditioner for cheaper, less maintenance, longer lifespan, reducing scaling in pipes, reducing white/ yellow-ish spots around drains and faucets, minimum water waste, and less slippery water.
- Choose a water softener to reduce white/ yellow-ish spots around drains, faucets, and scaling in pipes, save detergent, soap, and dish soap, make easy soap lathering, reduce soap scum, and eliminate water spots from dishes.
Water is an essential part of our daily lives. It goes through many stages of treatment before reaching your tanks/taps. Even then, hard water is a significant issue for homeowners. It can damage your pipes and fixtures and is not the best option for your health.
Another significant issue is contaminated water. It has an awful taste and smells equally bad. With time, it can cause sensitivity. Worst case scenario, it can be a cause of cancer.
There are various systems developed to purify or soften water. Choosing a perfect fix can be confusing with various solutions available in the market. We have focused on two types of water treatment systems, Water Conditioner vs. Water Softener, to help you understand which one best fits your needs.
Table of Contents
Definition and Purpose
Water Conditioner
A salt-free water conditioner turns the minerals on the water loose. This takes away their ability to stick to your pipes. Some saltless conditioners work better than others. However, they are not made to soften water.
Water Softener
A water softener eliminates minerals such as magnesium and calcium in the water. This elimination can be performed by a process called ion exchange. Any salt-based water softener consists of a resin bed that filters the water and exchanges the minerals for hardness against sodium particles. This soft water does not create limescale or cause corrosion problems in your home appliances.
Water Conditioner vs. Water Softener
Similarity
Before moving on to the differences, let’s see how these two treatment systems are similar. Both of these methods address some common problems of hard water. Water hardness occurs when the water is rich in minerals such as silica, calcium, and magnesium. Often we care less about silica. The fact that silica is harmful to health and the way to remove them is yet unseen.
These minerals cause severe problems in heat-exchange surfaces, water fixtures, and pipes throughout your home or business. Due to this, pipes are clogged by scale build-up over time. Limescale build-up on any heating element insulates it and keeps it from working efficiently. Both water conditioners and softeners are used to combat everyday hard water problems.
Differences
Suppose both of these treatment systems solve hard water problems. How do they differ from each other?
A water softener removes magnesium, calcium, and silica ions, leaving the water with only small quantities of temporary hardness. The use of a softener allows the ion exchange process to take place. This process replaces these ions with salt.
However, a water conditioner can only manipulate how the hardness minerals of a liquid solution behave. All the ions are still in the water but do not build up on surfaces. As long as these healthy minerals are not damaging your plumbing system, keeping them in the water is advantageous.
A water conditioner tackles other water issues aside from hard water problems. But, a water conditioner is used broadly to refer to any water treatment or purification system.
How do Water Conditioners Work?
Types of Water Conditioners
1. Carbon Filtration
It contains activated carbon that works by absorbing a series of chemicals dissolved in the water. These water filters help remove organic compounds like chlorine and sulfur from well or city water.
It also makes tap water pleasant for drinking and cooking by removing foul odors and tastes. Carbon filtration is widely used to improve the quality of water.
2. Electromagnetic or Magnetic Water Conditioners
It creates molecular agitation in the water using wires wrapped or magnets placed around the pipes. The molecular agitation makes the carbonate salt blend as small particles within the water. Thus, reducing the concentration of magnesium and calcium ions forms soap scum by reacting with soaps.
3. Catalytic Media
It does not use the ion exchange method. This treatment is done by processing the water through some catalytic media using a physical process known as Template Assisted Crystallization (TAC). The minerals are turned into a hard crystal that does not stick to the surface.
How Do Water Softeners Work?
The resin beads in the mineral tank act as anions (having a negative charge). Magnesium and calcium are cations (having a positive charge). The resin beads attract them and get attached. The resin beads remove mineral ions from the water, which makes it soft.
Nowadays, water softener systems are advanced. They contain additional features like activated carbon, vitamin C balls, mesh lines, and many others. They make your water soft and free from sediments and microbes.
Water Conditioner vs. Water Softener – Which One Do You Need?
When to Go for a Water Conditioner
A water conditioner does not use salt. If you are an individual with a salt-restricted diet, this treatment process can save you from sodium issues.
- Less expensive to maintain
- Longer lifespan
- Reduces scaling in pipes
- Reduces white/ yellow-ish spots around drains and faucets
- Does not require much maintenance (no salt refilling required)
- Does not wastewater
- Less slippery water
When to Go for a Water Softener
A water softener eliminates most of the minerals from the water and provides you with soft water.
- Reduces white/ yellow-ish spots around drains and faucets
- Reduces scaling in pipes
- Allows you to use less detergent, soap, and dish soap
- Allows soap to lather with ease
- Reduces soap scum
- Eliminates water spots from dishes
Comparison Table
| Does? | Water Conditioner | Water Softener |
| Require salt? | NO | YES |
| Scale prevention efficiency? | 41% to 98.9% effective (depending on the method) | 99+% efficient |
| Slick, slippery feel of water? | NO | YES |
| Impact on the skin? | Calcium and magnesium remain in the water. | Eliminates calcium and magnesium (bad for dry skin) |
| Have an Environmental impact? | Doesn’t create wastewater | Creates wastewater |
Water Refiner: A combo of Both
You can use a water refiner to get the benefits of water conditioners and water softeners at once. This system uses a four-step process to remove unwanted odors, tastes, and hardness from your water supply.
Step 1 | Ion Exchange Media: Removes iron and hardness-causing minerals.
Step 2 | High Microporosity Granular Activated Carbon Filter: Reduces unpleasant taste, chlorine, and color.
Step 3 | Bacteriostat 55: Reduces heavy metals and inhibits bacteria growth.
Step 4 | Garnet Filtration Media: It provides sediment filtration and proper water flow distribution. If the hardness level of water in your area is very high, you can consider switching to a home water refiner.
The method of treatment that is best suitable for you depends on the hardness level of the water supplied to your home. A salt-based softener might work best if the water hardness exceeds 25 GPG ( grains-per-gallon). But if the water hardness is below 25 GPG, a salt-free water conditioner may eliminate your water problems.
