While discussing the opportunity of adding water softeners to our product mix our plumbers brought up a concern.  They believe homes with softened water erode the anode rod in the water heater at an accelerated rate which therefore must mean softened water is bad for the home and appliances.  Does this occur?

Answer:  The purpose of the sacrificial anode in your water heater is to promote corrosion of the anode (through galvanic action) rather than corrosion to the water heater tank lining.  Softened water can lead to accelerated corrosion of the anode (under some circumstances, and only when very/zero soft) – but a water softener removes calcium, magnesium, and iron – materials that can lead to water heater failure.  Residential softened water is generally not “zero soft”, and contains a low level of hardness, enough hardness to prevent problems from occurring.  The benefit of using softened water to extend appliance life and prevent build-up of scale deposits on piping and fixtures far outweigh this concern.

By the way, it is important to inspect the condition of the anode every two years whether a water softener is used or not (this is normally mentioned in a water heater manual as part of a regular maintenance schedule).  If the anode appears to be significantly deteriorated, then replacing it is recommended.

Thanks for the information.  Is there a scientific explaination as to why soft water would accelerate the deterioration?  My plumbers would by in better if I can tell them the why and how.

I have the above softener but noticed the water becoming hard and the brine tank has been overflowing for some time – we didn’t realise this shouldn’t happen, we bought it second-hand recently! On investigation, the ball in the air check valve floats in brine but sinks in mains water. So when the system is resting, the check valve is full of mains water after refilling, the ball falls and the brine is not drawn out – but the tank is refilled. If you can get the air check valve full of brine then it works fine (it drew up the whole tankful!) but when it refils and leaves the check valve with mains water again, the valve is blocked, even when full.

Do I need a new ball? If so, how can it go like that???

Edward

Answer:
Sounds like you have an air leak. This is a very common problem found when installing a new water softener. You are not getting a supply of soft water, as the resin in your softener is exhausted, and needs to be regenerated with brine (salt) solution before the unit can again provide you with softened water. A volume of water fills your brine tank during the brine refill regeneration stage, and is drawn back out completely during the next regeneration (during brine draw/fast rinse). However, the salt solution in your brine tank is not being pulled back into your softener during regeneration – this is why you see air in the ball check. The ball in the clear plastic housing is stopping brine draw when it senses the there is no water entering the unit. This “shut-off” process prevents air from entering your system during regeneration. A leak in a compression fitting on the brine line will cause air to be drawn into the unit, rather than the brine solution in the tank. The unit will always refill with water, but as the solution is never removed during regeneration, it is an additive function – in other words, each regeneration adds another volume of water in addition to the water already in the brine tank – and this will eventually lead to overflow.

It is a simple fix however – you can visit one of our sites and download a copy of the Resolving An Air leak document that will walk you through how to fix this problem.

Do copper pipes deteriorate quicker without a water softener?

Answer:
Not really, but a water softener helps maintain good pipe condition in another way. A water softener removes calcium and magnesium (as well as some levels of iron and manganese). These materials are the “hard water” deposits that build up over time on the inside of your piping and appliances like a hot water heater. Substantial build-up of these deposits will lead to a restriction in flow, and loss of water pressure. Build-up of hard water deposits can also cause premature failure of hot water heater tanks, so it is generally a good idea to install a water softener into a residential application that has a water hardness over about 5 grains per gallon (~85 mg/l).

One other thing that can cause pipe failure is water with a low pH. This sometimes occurs in water supplied from an on-site well, but generally not a problem with water from a municipal water source. The corrosive nature of low pH will act on your piping and fixtures, and can sometimes be seen as green staining around your sink and bathtub drains. Please let us know if this answers your questions!