Hard water is a fact of life in the Valley. Scottsdale's water, for example, runs about 13 to 17 grains per gallon, depending on the area. It leaves white crust on faucets and showerheads, spots on glass, and scale inside water heaters and pipes. There are two main ways to deal with it, and they are not the same thing.
A water softener removes the hardness
A salt (ion exchange) softener takes the calcium and magnesium out of the water. That's what gives soft water its slippery feel and stops spots and scale.
The trade-off: it uses salt, you refill the salt, and every time it regenerates it flushes brine down the drain. Some cities, like Scottsdale, reuse their wastewater and have asked residents to cut the salt they send it. See our Scottsdale softener page for what the city says.
A salt-free conditioner reduces scale
A salt-free conditioner doesn't remove the hardness. It changes the minerals so they're less likely to stick as scale. No salt bags, no brine down the drain, no sodium added to your water.
But because the minerals stay in, the water still tests hard, it won't feel slippery, and spots can still show up when water dries on glass.
Do salt-free systems work?
It depends on the type. Arizona State University tested salt-free devices for the WateReuse Research Foundation, in a study funded in part by the Cities of Scottsdale and Phoenix:
- Template-assisted crystallization (TAC) cut scale by more than 88% compared with untreated water, including on Scottsdale groundwater.
- Electromagnetic and electrically induced units cut it by about 50%.
- Clamp-on magnets are a different story: a University of Nebraska water specialist calls magnetic treatment unproven.
If you shop for one, look for a unit tested to IAPMO/ANSI Z601, the national standard for scale reduction devices. To pass, a device has to cut scale by at least 70%.
Which one is right for you?
- You want truly soft water (the slippery feel, fewer spots): a water softener.
- You mainly want less scale, without salt: a salt-free conditioner.
- You want better drinking water: that's a separate job for a reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink. It pairs with either one.
- You have a tankless water heater: check the heater maker's water requirements before you choose.
Not sure what's in your water? Start with a free water report for your address, then call us for a price on your home.