The Complete Guide to Water Softener Salt: Types, Benefits, and How to Choose
If you own a water softener, you already know that hard water is a serious problem across the Greater Toronto Area. But choosing the right salt for your water softener can be confusing — there are multiple types available, and not all of them perform the same way. This guide will help you understand the differences and make the best choice for your home.
Why Your Water Softener Needs Salt
Water softeners work through a process called ion exchange. Hard water — which contains high levels of calcium and magnesium — passes through a tank filled with resin beads. These beads are coated with sodium ions from the salt you add to the brine tank. As hard water flows through, the calcium and magnesium ions swap places with the sodium ions, effectively softening the water.
Over time, the resin beads become saturated with calcium and magnesium and need to be regenerated. This is where the salt comes in — during the regeneration cycle, a concentrated brine solution washes over the resin beads, flushing away the hard minerals and reloading the beads with fresh sodium ions. Without salt, your water softener cannot regenerate, and your water stays hard.
Types of Water Softener Salt
There are three main types of water softener salt available in the Canadian market, and each has distinct characteristics.
Solar Salt
Solar salt is produced by evaporating sea water or brine in large outdoor ponds using sunlight and wind. The result is a high-purity salt crystal that dissolves cleanly in your brine tank. Solar salt typically has a purity level of 99.5% or higher, making it an excellent choice for most residential water softeners.
Solar salt produces very little residue in the brine tank, which means less maintenance and fewer tank cleanings. It is also less likely to cause salt bridges — a hard crust that forms across the top of the salt in the brine tank, preventing proper brine formation.
Rock Salt
Rock salt is mined directly from underground salt deposits. It is the least expensive option but also the least pure, typically ranging from 95% to 99% sodium chloride. The remaining percentage consists of insoluble minerals and sediment that settle at the bottom of your brine tank as a muddy residue.
If you choose rock salt, you will need to clean your brine tank more frequently — potentially two to three times per year — to remove the accumulated sediment. Over time, this sediment can also clog the injector and valve of your water softener, leading to costly repairs.
Evaporated Salt Pellets
Evaporated salt is produced by mining underground brine and evaporating the water using energy-intensive methods. The result is the purest form of water softener salt, typically 99.9% sodium chloride. It is pressed into uniform pellets that dissolve consistently and produce virtually no residue.
Evaporated salt pellets are the premium option and carry the highest price point. They are ideal for high-efficiency water softeners and situations where minimal maintenance is a priority.
Which Salt Is Best for GTA Homes?
For most homeowners in the Greater Toronto Area, solar salt offers the best balance of performance, purity, and value. The GTA has moderately hard to very hard water — typically ranging from 7 to 25 grains per gallon depending on your municipality. Solar salt’s high purity handles this hardness level effectively without the maintenance headaches of rock salt or the premium price of evaporated pellets.
Puretap carries 20 KG bags of premium solar salt starting at just $11.75 per bag with bulk discounts available. Pickup from our Mississauga location or delivery across the GTA.
How Much Salt Does Your Softener Need?
The average household water softener uses approximately one 20 KG bag of salt per month, though this varies based on your water hardness level, household water consumption, softener size and efficiency, and regeneration frequency settings. A family of four with moderately hard water typically goes through 40 to 60 KG of salt per month. Keep your brine tank at least one-quarter full at all times, and check it monthly to prevent running out.
Common Water Softener Salt Problems
Salt bridges form when a hard crust develops across the top of the salt in the brine tank. The salt below the bridge dissolves, creating an empty space, and the softener cannot make brine properly. To fix a salt bridge, carefully push a broom handle through the crust to break it up. Solar salt and evaporated pellets are less prone to bridging than rock salt.
Salt mushing occurs when dissolved salt recrystallizes into a thick sludge at the bottom of the brine tank. This can block the brine well and prevent regeneration. If you experience frequent mushing, switch to a higher-purity salt like solar salt or evaporated pellets.
Ready to stock up on water softener salt? Order Puretap solar salt for pickup in Mississauga or GTA delivery. Bulk pricing available for orders of 10+ bags.
