Rain water is relatively pure when it falls from the sky. However, after rushing across landscapes and draining through soil, it dissolves minerals that mix in with the water, primarily those containing Calcium and Magnesium. We call this water that has solids suspended within it "Hard Water". Watch this video for more information.

The minerals within hard water can cause a number of problems for homeowners. It leads to spotting and staining of dishes and clothes. It builds up deposits within the water pipes of your home, reducing water pressure and eventually causing failure. It's also more expensive to heat hard water and it's rougher on your home appliances, reducing their useful life. Hard water requires more soap in order to thoroughly clean household items. Because it leaves its solids behind on surfaces that it runs across, hard water actually gets things less clean -- including you and your family. A homeowner is compensated well beyond the cost of running a water softening system. Soft water results in fewer ruined household items, longer lasting pipes and appliances, lower gas bills, and reduced cost for household supplies such as dish soap and laundry detergent. Plus you'll be cleaner. Watch this video for more information.

The two tanks comprising a water softening system work together to transform the water in your home from hard to soft. The resin tank actually softens the water by using a process called "Ion Exchange" where hard Calcium, Magnesium, and other hard water ions are swapped out for softer Sodium ions. Once the resin tank is full of hard water ions, it needs to be regenerated, or flushed out, and resupplied with fresh sodium ions. The salt added to your brine tank forms a solution that provides these ions for continued operation and softening. Without consistent supplies of salt, your system will fill with hard water ions and cease to function properly. Watch this video for more information.

Salt can be acquired in a number of ways, including mining. However, most water softener salt is produced by evaporating naturally salty water in shallow ponds, such as those on the shores of the Great Salt Lake in Timpie, Utah. Producing "solar salt" in this way is both effective and friendly towards our environment. Watch this video for more information.