Best Water Softeners

Bob asked:


I need to add a water softener in my house because of hard water but I have a septic tank and leach field. Most of the leach field is under the lawn but I am sure tree roots are very close to it. I am afraid that if I use a salt based water softener then over time the salt may affect the septic tank and even more importantly the salt discharged from the softener will go into the leach field and eventually will kill the trees and maybe even the grass. Does anyone have experience of trees growing near a leach field after using a salt based water softener for 20+ years? The other option is to go with a salt free water softener but they don’t seem to be offered by guys like Sears, Home Depot and Lowes. I have been told the non salt based water softeners don’t work ( or work very poorly ). My soil is almost totally clay. Thoughts / comments? Thanks.