Hello Daniel,
Installing a water softener helps reduce scaling of domestic appliances and equipment. The salt particle water softener exchanges the magnesium and calcium ions present in the water for sodium ions, which reduces the amount of magnesium and calcium, the main causes of limescale formation. But, is there a health risk?
No, if you keep a certain hardness of the water
Water softeners are not dangerous to health if several conditions are met. “You always have to make sure that you mix this water that comes out of the softener with water that has not gone through the softener. All you have to do is install a “bypass” and the idea is to maintain a hardness of 15 French degrees in the treated water. If it is lower, it can have impacts on the pipes of the parts which are mechanical. Water becomes corrosive to metals, so can incorporate metals”. explains Cédric Prevedello, scientific advisor at Aquawal, the professional union of public water cycle operators in Wallonia.
What is water hardness?
The hardness of the water is precisely the quantity of calcium and magnesium, the main responsible for the formation of limestone. The more calcium and magnesium present in the composition of the soil, the harder the water. To find out the hardness of your water, you can consult your water bill or contact your supplier. In most Walloon municipalities, the water is hard, even very hard, that is to say it is between 20 and 45 French degrees.
If such a level of limestone in the water can affect the comfort of users and affect household appliances, there is no need to fear for your health. “Despite some rumors, hard water is not bad for your health. A number of epidemiological studies carried out in Canada, England, Australia and the United States indicate that there is an inverse statistical correlation between the hardness of drinking water and certain types of cardiovascular disease.”, indicates the site of the Environment portal of the Public Service Wallonia. “Limestone is calcium and magnesium, and, for example, milk contains ten times more calcium and magnesium equivalents than what there is in the hardest waters of Wallonia.”, adds Cédric Prevedello.
Another risk with the softener is that the sodium content is too high since sodium is introduced to reduce the magnesium and calcium present in the water. “It is always necessary to take care to keep 15 French degrees minimum after the softeninginsists Cédric Prevedello. “Another possibility is to only soften hot water, since it is when the water is heated that limescale deposits. We only do this to protect the boiler, because it is often for this appliance that the formation of limescale poses the most problem. ”
If it is exclusively your boiler that you wish to protectit is possible to do this without installing a softener, according to Cédric Prevedello: “The boiler can be protected otherwise. It costs much less. First, you just need to set the water between 50 and 60 degrees, no more, and second, you have to maintain your boiler every year to remove the limestone. ”
No, if you properly maintain your softener
If you still want to install a softener, the scientific adviser insists on its maintenance once a year to disinfect it: “Because it is a substrate on which bacteria grow and it can degrade water quality”, he explains. The price of the maintenance of a softener is equivalent to the price of the maintenance of the boiler.
Once again, if you install a softener to protect your boiler, Cédric Prevedello advises to maintain the boiler directly because installing a softener has a certain cost. Count 1500 euros for the purchase and installation, as well as an annual maintenance of 150 euros. This is without counting the price of salt which can be between 15 and 25 euros for 25 kilos. “We also forget that there is an overconsumption of energy because electricity is needed to run the softener. There is also an overconsumption of water of the order of 100 liters per water regeneration, therefore 100 liters per week in addition. These are costs that are not negligible”.
There is a more economical alternative to the softener
An alternative to the softener is a CO2 injector. It is a bottle that is placed at the entrance of the housing which injects a little CO2 into the water, which lowers the ph, slightly acidifies the water and thus prevents limestone from depositing . Cédric Prevedello recommends this type of installation: “Calcium and magnesium are still present in the water but the devices are protected and the inconvenience of limestone disappears as much as with a water softener. The installation also costs around 1500 euros, but then you are easy. There is no electricity, water or salt to pay and there is no maintenance to do. ”
CO2 softener: for lime-free water that will please you – L’Avenir (lavenir.net)