Water Softener

Yes, you can drink water that’s gone through a salt-free water softener. Salt-free water softeners are especially good to drink from for anyone who has to limit their sodium intake due to health reasons but still wants filtered water. Salt-free water softeners are also great for shower and bath water for people with skin sensitivities. 

Yes, a water softener can remove scale deposits. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, after you add a water softener to your home, “gradually the softer water will dissolve limescale scale deposits and remove the problem entirely.” Installing a water softener—or water descaler—will also help prevent new scale deposits from forming.

If your water softener is on the fritz and it's 10 years old or more, then it probably makes more financial sense to replace the water softener rather than spend money to repair it only to find that you need to replace the whole system a year or two later. Water softeners last for between 10 and 15 years, in most cases, so replacing before yours breaks down could end up saving you money. If you’re experiencing the first issue with your system, a repair probably makes sense. For ongoing issues or an older system, replacement is likely better.

Yes, it’s absolutely safe to regenerate your water softener manually, and you might want to do so after adding salt. However, you should refrain from doing it too often, as you’ll be needlessly wasting salt and reducing your water softener’s lifespan if you regenerate too frequently. For most water softeners, the appliance is already set to regenerate automatically, so you don’t need to do it manually unless you just added salt and don’t want to wait for the automatic cycle.