Water softener questions. If I use rock salt instead of iron out salt?

Question

Can I just add some cheap iron remover? I ran out of the good and spendy culligan powder.

Answer 1

Refer to your softeners owners guide in what to use. Different softeners in different regions of the country use differing sources for the softening of water. Do not deviate from what the owners manual calls out for in your softener or warranty issues will be voided and it could complicate your situation even further.

Answer 2

I never use rock salt in my watersoftner. That stuff contains a high degree of non salt silt and other residue. That rock salt is "as mined" from the bottom of a salt mine.

You want a purfied form of salt, preferably pellets of any form in which the salt is purifed so as to avoid contamination of your salt tank and your Zeolite crystals inside the pressurized drum.

If you you rock salt for a few months, then dismantle that tank and in the bottom of the brine tank you will find a great deal of muck like reside from the rock salt.

Bad idea to use rock salt on such an expensive piece of equipment as a water softner.

Furthermore, if you drink softned water, it contains a percentage of salt as that process of softening is a replacemnt process in which calcium is replaced by sodium, or salt. So I dont think putting some kind of unrefined salt into your system is such a good idea even on that account.

As far as the need to use iron out salt, That is another matter. If you have no iron in your water, there is no need to use that type of "ironout salt" Its a waste of money to do that.

Sure Culigan charges a fortune for salt, but salt pellets of equal quality can be purchased at 1/2 price of that at your local grocery store.

Answer 3

I wouldn't add the iron remover, just try the rock salt, and see how you like it.