What Is Potassium Chloride in Water Softeners?

Hard Water

Fresh rainwater is soft with no dissolved minerals present. Magnesium and calcium are the most frequently found minerals found in hard water. Once rainwater falls and moves through the earth in streams, rivers and groundwater, it dissolves the minerals and becomes harder. The use of hard water in your house and pipes has a damaging effect in the water tank, plumbing, dishes, appliances, your skin and your clothing because the salt precipitate to form undesirable layers which can slow water flow in your pipes. You can see white spots on your faucets or flatware. Another indicator is rough and scaly skin on your hands. Water softeners contain sodium salts or potassium chloride will solve the problem.

Water softeners reduce the dissolved magnesium and calcium concentration in the water, and may also reduce the other lesser known hardness mineral concentrations containing manganese and iron ions. Sodium carbonate is most commonly used but it has some drawbacks. The sodium salts in the water can increase the sodium levels in the human body. This can be unhealthy for people on a low sodium diet. Potassium chloride can be used to substitute for sodium salts. The potassium chloride water softeners are safer for humans and are also environmentally friendly but they are a bit more expensive that sodium-contains water softeners.

Potassium is an electrolyte which is essential in passing electrical signals through the nervous system and the muscles. It also helps the body sustain a regular heartbeat. A condition resulting from a depletion of potassium is called hypokalemia We get most of the potassium required for the healthy functioning of our bodies from dietary sources, such as bananas, yogurt, milk, peanut butter, beans, citrus fruits and peaches, and from meats such as chicken, beef and fish. It also exchanges with sodium in your body, so that potassium substitutes for sodium which is then flushed out by the kidneys. But adverse health effects from over-exposure to water softened by potassium are possible. People with heart or kidney diseases, hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes or patients taking medications containing lithium or any other substance that might interrupt the body’s normal functions involving potassium should check with their physician.

The water softening appliance is connected to a faucet where it removes the hardness minerals from the water. The softening process removes magnesium and calcium ions from the water and replaces them with potassium ions. When you turn the water on, it flows through a bed of small beads covered with potassium ions. As the water flows through, the potassium ions bind the magnesium or calcium ions to the beads while the potassium ions move into the water.

After a time, the beads fill up with calcium and magnesium ions. You'll know because your water once more demonstrates the attributes of hard water. Recharging is a process which may also be called regeneration. A potassium chloride solution is washed over the beads to knock off all the hardness molecules and replace them with potassium chloride. When water softeners are efficient, they are very cost effective. They don't use as much water to recharge, thus conserving water and the hardness water is washed down the drain, heading for the treatment plant and eventually the ocean.