How do water softener systems work? Are they magic? Adding salt gets rid of other minerals. . . HOW? I’ve never understood this. I’m 54, male.

Question

How do water softener systems work? Are they magic? Adding salt gets rid of other minerals. . . HOW? I’ve never understood this. I’m 54, male.

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

There is another sort of water softening system. This uses polyphosphate salts and was common in laundry and dishwashing products. The polyphosphates bind to the magnesium and calcium ions in hard water, preventing them from reacting with soap to form scum, or precipitating out to form scale. The polyphosphates are in the product, and dont need extra equipment such as columns or filters.