Current Practice for New Homes -- Cold Water Kitchen Tap....

[intel2020]

Opinions or facts please. Delivering soft or hard water (city supplied) to cold water kitchen tap. Heard the pros and cons over the years. With many great and knowledgeable people on this board, what is the prevailing practices in recent years on this topic? Is there cities/counties/states (or elsewhere in the world for that matter) that this topic is covered by plumbing code? Understand may be some reasons for a person that is on a highly restrictive salt diet, but that amount of salt added to softened water seems so small compared to many of the foods we consume today (packaged, i.e.). Or, anyone have any links to articles on the topic?

Curious on thoughts to the above.... thanks in advance...

 

[Mikey]

Here's a decent summary: https://www.uswatersystems.com/blog/2014/11/is-softened-water-bad-to-drink/

 

[Sponsor]

 

[ditttohead]

Here is a short article I wrote on the topic, https://view.publitas.com/impact-water-products/2018-catalog-final/page/154-155

I would not bother with bypassing the kitchen sink faucet. This practice has gone away for the most part.

 

[Bannerman]

but that amount of salt added to softened water seems so small compared to many of the foods we consume today

To further clarify, while a softener utilizes salt (sodium chloride) in salt brine form to regenerate softening capacity, chloride, calcium, magnesium and a few additional elements are discharged to drain during regeneration. Only sodium remains adhering to the resin which is then exchanged for calcium and magnesium from the incoming hard water.

 

[Reach4]

For drinking, I would like to have the calcium and magnesium there. I have a tap in the basement after my backwashing filter and before my softener, that I sometimes use to fill a drinking water jug. For making coffee, the soft water does not lime up the maker, so I prefer the soft for the cold at the kitchen.

Since you have RO, that gives you a mineral free choice when you want it. That would be nice as a final rinse spritz after cleaning your eyeglasses or fancy glassware.

When you replace your sink, or switch to a main faucet that uses fewer holes, maybe you could run all 3 cold choices to your sink....

 

[GTOwagon]

It is going to depend on your water. I have rather alkaline water i soften to 8 grains. It has no iron. It is occasionally turbid and a slight bit sulphur sometimes. I inject chlorine and have a 120gal contact tank. After I chlorinate, I sentiment filter and GAC filter it, I divert with a bypass to my ice maker and kitchen C (unsoftened) simply for mouthfeel and taste. It makes excellent drinking and ice and coffee. Once in a while I need to descale my coffee maker but not nearly like my old house where the city water hardness was probably thirty grains. Everything else gets softened. It is better for water heater, laundry and shower, etc.

I have no need myself for RO. You might benefit from it, I don't know. That depends on your water issues.

(Also as an aside to those who believe that softened water will harm your water heater, bypassing it one day per year or so will allow a slight mineral coating to form inside it, just enough to add protection. Dittohead posted this from some study he did and i figure it cannot hurt.)