Potassium Chloride or Sodium Chloride?

[CrystalPistol]

Water softener pellets, PC is $33-$35 a 40 lb bag, SC is but $7-$8 a 40 lb bag here locally. Put in a new softener yesterday, I like the PC but a few years ago ended up with SC … gonna buy 8-10 bags, will last us a year+ easily, PC is healthier I know, for us & plants. My outside spigots are not on the softener.

Thoughts?

Preferences?

[Halfnormal]

I live in Arizona where the water is hard as a rock! I tried the PC and went back to SC. What I did not know is that swapping the two can cause a chemical reaction in the hot water heater. I was having brown water come out of the hot water heater and the plumber asked if I had swapped the two at some time. I said yes and he said that was the reason the hot water heater was failing. If you stick with one and do not swap you are safe.

Bottom line, if you can afford the PC then you are ok.

[tfdeputydawg]

I live in Arizona where the water is hard as a rock! I tried the PC and went back to SC. What I did not know is that swapping the two can cause a chemical reaction in the hot water heater. I was having brown water come out of the hot water heater and the plumber asked if I had swapped the two at some time. I said yes and he said that was the reason the hot water heater was failing. If you stick with one and do not swap you are safe.

Bottom line, if you can afford the PC then you are ok.

Or shut your water off, drain the lines and drain and flush your water heater, if you decide to switch

[Halfnormal]

Or shut your water off, drain the lines and drain and flush your water heater, if you decide to switch

Yes, I am sure this would have saved my hot water heater.

BTW It takes more potassium to remove the same amount of hardness from the resin bed as salt.

[rhino 2]

OK potassium chloride or sodium chloride which one is better to feed the deer when putting it on an old stump??

[Sidecarbill]

OK potassium chloride or sodium chloride which one is better to feed the deer when putting it on an old stump??

Potassium nitrate is the one you want. Mixed properly with other ingredients it can make a deers head disappear.

[CrystalPistol]

Yes, I am sure this would have saved my hot water heater.

BTW It takes more potassium to remove the same amount of hardness from the resin bed as salt.

I've read 20% more, so to set hardness at 20% higher, like if it's 30, set to 36 (35) … I have also been doing a lot of research, can't find anything on switching being hard on a water heater yet. Years ago I switched to SC from PC as I couldn't get the PC locally. Water heater did fail, just leaking, anode was long gone, "my bad" I know. Now I keep spare anodes on hand, soon be time to put a new one in, not a hard job, just shut off water to heater, unplug, let it cool a bit, hook hose up, open valve, wait on heater to bleed off pressure.

[nucseal]

Maybe I am the lucky one. Didn't know about any chemical reaction, when I did my research. But I switched from PC to SC, and just as happy with the results. No water heater failure. Also could because I have a on demand water heater.

[Rmitchell55]

Potassium chloride is better health wise for you. I use potassium chloride in my softener. legally cannot dump sodium chloride treated water in to the sewer system. I would also say dumping sodium water into a septic system would not be good. Would put a lot of sodium into the soil after a while. Will kill the plants.

[CrystalPistol]

Potassium chloride is better health wise for you. I use potassium chloride in my softener. legally cannot dump sodium chloride treated water in to the sewer system. I would also say dumping sodium water into a septic system would not be good. Would put a lot of sodium into the soil after a while. Will kill the plants.

Mine just sends flush water out via 3/8" ID tube to far end of house next to basement wall only when it regenerates at 2am (that's not every night), does not go in my septic or any sewer system. There are no plants there, but just some grass and a small ditch where rain waters goes when rain is heavy. I "frenched" the ditches that rain runoff made years ago, but this one just comes back, might put some #56 stone along the ditch.