This is one of the most common questions we receive, and it deserves a thorough, honest answer. The short answer is yes, soft water is generally safe to drink for most people. But there are some nuances worth understanding.
How Water Softening Works
To understand the safety question, it helps to understand the process. A water softener removes calcium and magnesium (hardness minerals) and replaces them with a small amount of sodium through ion exchange. The amount of sodium added depends on how hard your water is. In San Antonio, with 21 GPG water, a water softener adds approximately 150 mg of sodium per liter of water.
Sodium in Soft Water: Putting It in Perspective
The 150 mg/L of sodium in San Antonio's softened water sounds like a lot, but let us put it in perspective. A single slice of bread contains about 200 mg of sodium. A tablespoon of ketchup has about 160 mg. An 8-ounce glass of milk has about 120 mg. So drinking 8 glasses of softened water adds roughly the sodium equivalent of eating two slices of bread. For the vast majority of people, this is insignificant.
Who Should Be Cautious
While soft water is safe for most people, there are situations where the added sodium may be a concern. People on strict low-sodium diets prescribed by their doctor, individuals with severe hypertension or kidney disease, and parents preparing formula for infants (though the sodium levels in softened water are typically within safe limits). If any of these apply to you, we recommend installing a reverse osmosis system at your kitchen sink for drinking and cooking water.
- ●People on medically prescribed low-sodium diets (under 500 mg/day)
- ●Individuals with advanced kidney disease
- ●When preparing infant formula (as a precaution)
The Best of Both Worlds: RO + Softener
For the ultimate in water quality, we recommend combining a whole-house water softener with a point-of-use reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink. The softener protects your entire home's plumbing and appliances from hard water damage. The RO system removes 95-99% of all dissolved contaminants — including the sodium added by the softener — providing pure, great-tasting drinking and cooking water. This combination gives you the benefits of soft water throughout your home with sodium-free drinking water at the tap.