



"In some parts of the country the calcium and magnesium inwater precipitate out and stick to the plumbing pipes, water heaters and eventea kettles as "scale." This can eventually clog pipes and interferewith heat conduction. The minerals that make water "hard" alsointerfere with the ability of soap to dissolve and lather, so you can end upwith soap film on your skin and hair, clothes and dishes".
"The solution is to install a water softener that gets ridof the calcium and magnesium via the exchange of ions with sodium or potassiumions in a bed of small plastic beads or through a chemical matrix calledzeolite."
"I recommend using potassium in the water softener, althoughI realize that it costs about three to four times more than sodium. Potassiumis better for your health and better (though still not great) for theenvironment. However, even if you use potassium, I wouldn't drink water thathas been through a water softener." (Dr. William Weil, 2011, Water, Balanced Living,The Essential Nutrient, World Wide Web Publication,http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00581/water-an-essential-part-of-life.html)