Soft Cold Water in the Kitchen?

15 years ago

The hot water supply in my kitchen is softened. But my *cold* water is not; the cold water is very hard. I have the option now to have the cold water hooked up to the water softener too. I am curious about what to do. Does anyone out there have soft *cold* (as well as hot) water in the kitchen?

Here are some benefits and drawbacks I can think of:

Main benefit: No hard water spots on faucet, sinks, counters, and hand-washed dishes.

Main drawbacks: All water for cooking will be salty (from the salt in the softener), and extra expense/wear and tear on the softener itself.

[I should note that we have a Reverse Osmosis Filter (with soft water running to it), so we wouldn't be drinking the softened cold tap water. This RO filter also supplies the ice maker.]

I would appreciate any feedback on this question.

Featured Answer

chiefneil

15 years ago

Our house was built the same way and we hated it, so we switched it over to all soft water after a month or two.

The only real drawback is the one you pointed out of having sodium in the water for cooking or possibly drinking, which is really only an issue for people on a low-sodium diet. We use RO water for cooking and drinking so it's not an issue for us.

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Comments (12)

weissman
15 years ago
I have no idea what the right answer is - but I'm curious, can't you cook with the unsoftened water from the Reverse Osmosis Filter that you drink?
Orlando1
Original Author
15 years ago
Good point! I can cook with the RO water, so that would deal with the cooking-in-salty-water problem.

Re: RO water for cooking: I am wondering whether this is a good idea? When we got the RO, I had to replace the copper tubing running to the ice maker with something plastic because, I was told, the RO water was so pure that it basically attracts any metal it comes into contact with, and so eventually the water would actually eat through the copper in the tube. Yikes! I've never thought about this before, but I wonder whether there's a similar concern with stainless steel pots, which is what I have. (I have no idea!) When we bought our RO faucet, we had to get something specially made for RO filters because a normal cold water faucet wouldn't work.

Hmmm...you've got me thinking. Can you, or someone else, help to set me straight on this?
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weissman
15 years ago
Sorry, I can't help at all - I know nothing about this whole issue. I'll bet you could do a google search and see what turns up.
zartemis
15 years ago
For the sodium issue it depends on how hard your original water is as to how much sodium is in it. Our water starts at 15 grains and so has around 120mg of sodium per liter. That's about the amount in a slice of bread. The harder the water, the more sodium you will have in the softened water.

We can't taste the sodium. And we have a family member who is on a low sodium diet and dialysis. Her doctor said that amount of sodium was not a problem for the level of sodium in our water and her particular medical history. So it's worth checking with your doctor if that is the only issue.
Sidney4
15 years ago
Try sharing this question with some of the experts that frequent the builder's forum. I had a soft water hook up question recently and they were a great help.
Orlando1
Original Author
15 years ago
This is helpful feedback, and I will try the builder's forum. I hadn't even known about that one.

If anyone else has additional thoughts, I would appreciate it!
Thank you!
cotehele
15 years ago
I hate the taste of soft water, and I don't want the sodium intake. My solution was to have both. The whole house goes through the softener and two water lines bypass the softener. One is the fridge. The other is the potfiller, which I use many times a day for all drinking and cooking. The soft water goes to all the sinks and DW.
James Fulton
10 years ago
if you're house is built with soft water loop, it is supposed to be that way, your cold water in your sink and also your ice line cant be softened even after you installed the softener. it is built that way for safety issues. Now if your house doesnt come with water softener loop, then if you decide to install a water softener, then all your water from the tap is soft.
User
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
The amount of salt in the softened water is going to be so much lower than the level of sodium in food itself that you don't need to worry.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/water-softeners-sodium/faq-20058469

But if you are worried, use the RO water to cook with :)

FYI many softeners can be used with potassium chloride, and most of us don't get enough potassium in our diets anyway so switching your salt is health and also better for the environment.
smm5525
10 years ago
We have water softener on both hot and cold and will be getting RO for kitchen. Everyone does it over here. You'll be fine
User
10 years ago
We use potassium chloride pellets, but they do cost 50-75% more than sodium chloride. Water is softened right after it enters house before line splits for the water heater.