If your O'Fallon home runs water through a softener, the water at your tap carries more sodium than the water coming into the house. A softener removes the calcium and magnesium that make water hard by swapping them for sodium on its resin beads. Local public water reports describe the tap water in O'Fallon as hard, so a softener is a common reason homes here ask about sodium. This guide walks through how to find out what your own water carries and what options you have if you want to change it.
Find Out Which Taps Get Softened Water
Not every tap in the house is always softened. Some homes send softened water to every fixture, while others keep a bypass or a separate cold line for outdoor spigots or the kitchen. Start by finding the bypass valve near the softener and checking its position. Then trace the cold lines at the kitchen sink and any outdoor hose bib. If the layout is unclear, a licensed plumber can trace it in a single visit. Tell them you plan to test for sodium so they can point out the right sample locations.
Test for Sodium Before You Change Anything
Sodium is commonly included in a drinking water chemistry panel from a certified lab, but it is not always on a basic home test. Check the lab's list before you order, and ask for sodium by name. The state lab's low-cost tests cover bacteria such as coliform and E. coli, which answer a different question, so they will not give you a sodium result.
When you collect the sample, keep these habits in mind:
- Pick two sample points if you can, one softened tap and one unsoftened line, so the results can be compared.
- Follow the lab's collection instructions exactly, including the container type, any flushing rule, and the time limit for returning the sample.
- Label each container with the tap name, the date, and the time.
- Write down whether the softener had regenerated recently. Water drawn right after a regeneration cycle can carry a different load than water drawn later in the cycle.
Options if Sodium Is a Concern
The right choice depends on who in your home drinks the water and how much you want to change. These are the common routes, from least work to most.
- Check the softener's hardness setting. Setting the target to leave a little more hardness in the water means less ion exchange and less sodium added.
- Ask your service provider whether potassium chloride salt is an option for your softener. It puts a different ion into the water during regeneration, so ask how that changes your results before you switch.
- Use the softener bypass for a cold drinking and cooking tap if your plumbing already has one.
- Add a separate unsoftened cold line to the kitchen sink. This takes plumbing work by a licensed plumber.
- Some homeowners add a point-of-use reverse osmosis unit for drinking water. It reduces dissolved minerals, sodium included, so retest the treated tap afterward.
Read Your Results With the Right Questions
A sodium result tells you the amount in the sample, not whether that amount is a problem for your household. Compare the softened tap with the unsoftened line, and if your softener settings change, watch for shifts across several tests. Keep the lab report with your notes, and bring it to any plumber or water professional you talk with.
When Health Questions Come Up
If anyone in your home is watching how much sodium they take in from food or water, a doctor can tell them what level fits their situation. This guide does not judge what sodium level is right for anyone.
Keep a Simple Record
Write down the test date, the sample points, the softener setting at the time, and the regeneration timing. A short record makes it easier to see whether a setting change moved the results, and it gives a plumber or lab the facts they need.
Many O'Fallon homes keep softened water for laundry and showers and handle drinking water separately. Test first, then decide which tap, if any, needs a change.