7 Myths About Water Softeners, Debunked

By Court Lundberg · July 23, 2026

There’s a lot of misinformation floating around about water softeners, and unfortunately, many people believe these myths without checking the facts. If you’ve ever wondered whether soft water is salty, if drinking softened water is bad for your health, or if water softeners waste water, you’re in the right place! At Rare Breed Plumbing, we’ve heard all kinds of common water softener myths, and we’re here to set the record straight. So, let’s dive into the seven biggest myths about water softeners and debunk them once and for all!

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Myth #1: Water Softeners Make Water Salty

One of the most common water softener myths is that they make your water taste salty. The truth? Softened water is not the same as saltwater! Water softeners work through an ion exchange process that swaps hardness minerals like calcium and magnesium for sodium ions. This does not mean salt (sodium chloride) is added to your water, only a very low sodium amount is introduced.

For context, the amount of sodium in softened water is much lower than in many common foods and beverages. In fact, a glass of low-fat milk contains more sodium than a glass of softened water! The sodium levels vary based on how hard your water was to begin with, but in most cases, the sodium added is minimal and poses no health risks, even for those on a low sodium diet. If you’re concerned about the taste or sodium levels, you can always install a reverse osmosis system to remove sodium and other contaminants, leaving you with fresh, great-tasting water.

Myth #2: Water Softeners Remove Essential Minerals From Water

Many people believe that water softeners strip water of essential minerals, leaving it devoid of any nutritional value. However, this is one of the biggest misconceptions. Water softeners don’t remove all minerals; they specifically target hard water minerals such as calcium and magnesium ions.

While calcium and magnesium are important for your health, the minerals found in hard water aren’t the most bioavailable forms for your body to absorb. In other words, you’re not getting your essential minerals from drinking water, you get them from your food! Eating a balanced diet with dairy products, leafy greens, and nuts will provide the necessary minerals your body needs. Plus, removing calcium from water helps reduce scale buildup in water heaters, washing machines, and other water-using appliances, ultimately saving you money on maintenance and energy costs.

Myth #3: I Have a Water Softener, So I Don’t Need a Water Filtration System

While water softeners are highly efficient at removing hard minerals, they don’t eliminate other contaminants like chlorine, lead, or bacteria. Many homeowners think softened water is the same as purified drinking water, but this is not the case. A water softener is designed to soften water by reducing scale buildup, while a water filter targets a broader range of impurities.

If you’re concerned about the quality of your drinking water, consider pairing your water softener with a water filtration system. Reverse osmosis filters, for example, can remove additional contaminants, ensuring that your drinking water is as clean and safe as possible. Investing in both systems gives you the best of both worlds, soft water for your home and pure, great-tasting water for drinking.

Myth #4: Water Softeners Diminish Water Pressure

A common myth is that water softeners reduce water pressure, making showers and taps less effective. While it’s true that any water treatment system could potentially lower pressure if improperly installed or maintained, a correctly sized and maintained water softener will not cause any noticeable drop in water pressure.

In fact, softened water can actually improve water flow in homes that previously had issues with scale buildup in pipes. Hard water minerals create deposits that clog plumbing over time, leading to restricted water flow and reduced efficiency in appliances. By removing these hard minerals, water softeners help keep your pipes clear and your water pressure strong.

Myth #5: A Water Softener Can Have a Negative Impact on My Septic System

Some people worry that using a water softener will harm their septic tank, but the reality is quite the opposite. The myth comes from concerns about salt and the regeneration process. However, studies have shown that salt-based water softeners do not negatively impact septic systems when used properly.

The amount of sodium added to the water is very low, and the volume of water released during regeneration is minimal compared to the overall septic system capacity. This is also the answer to the water-waste question, since it is the same water. A modern demand-initiated softener regenerates on how much water you actually used rather than on a timer, and a typical regeneration uses somewhere in the range of a long shower. An old timer-based unit that regenerates on a fixed schedule whether you needed it or not is where the water-waste reputation came from. If yours is regenerating every night in an empty house, that is a setting problem, not a softener problem. In fact, softened water can actually benefit your septic system by improving the breakdown of waste. Plus, by reducing scale buildup, a water softener helps extend the lifespan of your plumbing and septic system components.

Myth #6: I Don’t Need a Water Softener for City Water

Some people assume that city water is already treated and therefore doesn’t need softening. Treated is not the same as soft. Municipal treatment makes water safe to drink; it does not take the calcium and magnesium out. Rain and snowmelt filter down through the limestone in the Wasatch and pick those minerals up on the way, and the treatment plant leaves them right where they are.

Be careful with any single hardness number you read online, including the ones we used to print here. Most of them come from national aggregators rather than from anybody who has tested water on your street, and hardness in this valley changes by city and by season. Across our service area homes run roughly 8 to 29 grains per gallon. Court's own house in Herriman hits about 40 grains in summer off the wells and drops to about 20 in winter when the source changes. Draper runs about a third of Herriman's summer figure.

Bountiful is the example worth calling out, because Bountiful's issue is not hardness. Bountiful water runs acidic, and acidic water is a different problem with a different fix. It goes to work on copper from the inside and shows up as pinhole leaks and blue-green staining around fixtures rather than as white scale. A softener does not solve that. So do not buy equipment off a number from an aggregator. Get a water quality test at your own tap and treat what you actually have.

Myth #7: Table Salt Can Be Used in Water Softeners

Another common myth is that you can use regular table salt in a water softener instead of specialized salt or potassium chloride. While both contain sodium chloride, table salt is not formulated for use in water softeners and can lead to clogs and damage in the system.

Water softener salt is designed to dissolve properly and facilitate the ion exchange process, ensuring that hard minerals are effectively removed. Using regular table salt or rock salt can result in sediment buildup, requiring more frequent maintenance and potentially shortening the lifespan of your softener. To keep your water softener running efficiently, always use the recommended type of salt.

Call Rare Breed for All Your Soft Water Needs

Now that we’ve debunked these common water softener myths, you can make an informed decision about your home’s water treatment. Whether you need a new water softener, maintenance on the one you have, or whole-home filtration for something a softener does not address, our team can sort it out with you.

We run trucks out of three shops, our main hub in Sandy at 8763 Sandy Pkwy, the Bountiful shop at 270 S Main St. Suite #113 where the company got its start, and the Orem shop at 1197 S 1480 W, covering Salt Lake, Davis, Utah, Weber, Summit, Tooele, and Wasatch counties. The office is open Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm, we run emergency service 24/7, and every appointment comes with a 2-hour arrival window.

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