Comparison Between TAC Water Conditioner vs. Water Softener

Have you noticed the water stains on your dishes that keep appearing whether you hand wash or use a dishwasher? Those stains are an effect of hard water, which can be treated with a water softener or a template-assisted crystallization (TAC) water conditioner. But what’s the difference between a TAC water conditioner vs. water softener, and which one is a good fit for your home?

Since 2007, we’ve installed thousands of water softeners and TAC water conditioners all over Los Angeles and the surrounding communities. At Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating, & Air, we’re certified and licensed in water softener and water conditioner installations. Our experience out in the field has helped us understand the key differences between TAC water conditioners and water softeners.

We’ll explain how each system is different and similar in the following categories.

• Hard Water Treatment Effectiveness
• Hard Water Treatment Process
• Water Drinkability
• Warranty
• Cost
• Maintenance

After exploring the key differences and similarities between a TAC water conditioner and a water softener, you’ll be able to tell them apart and decide whether any of these systems are a suitable choice for you and your home.

Let’s get started!

What’s the Difference Between a TAC Water Conditioner and a Water Softener?

The main difference is how each system accomplishes hard water treatment. Water softeners require sodium (salt), whereas water conditioners use resin beads that target hard water minerals.

Hard water is common throughout Los Angeles and contains free-flowing minerals such as calcium and magnesium, which stick to surfaces like showerheads, faucets, and appliances like coffee makers. The leftover residue is a white, chalky substance known as limescale. Limescale can also build up inside pipes which may restrict water flow.

Both water softeners and TAC water conditioners exist to combat hard water scale buildup, but how effective are they?

Hard Water Treatment Effectiveness

Water softeners can remove hard water from a home altogether, preventing scale from ever building up again. TAC water conditioners, instead, alter the hard water minerals and are 90% to 99% effective against scale buildup.

A water softener and TAC water conditioner treat scale buildup from hard water, but only the softener can produce soft water, which has various benefits. Water hardness is measured using grains per gallon (gpg), and most water softeners can remove 20,000 to 80,000 gpg.

TAC water conditioners only neutralize hard water minerals, so the gpg measurement doesn’t apply. To show that TAC water conditioners work, technicians will use a snake with a camera before this system is installed to show all the scale buildup. A few months after the installation, the technician will place the camera in the same section, and the scale should be mostly gone.

Both systems will help against the effects of hard water, but they’re both very different in how they achieve it.

Hard Water Treatment Process

Water softeners use ion exchange to treat hard water, whereas TAC water conditioners use template-assisted crystallization. Both processes occur instantly without affecting the flow rate of water.

Here’s a deeper look at what happens when hard water enters one of these systems.

• Ion Exchange: Sodium (salt) is added to the water as it mixes inside a water softener’s resin tank. The salt molecules are attracted to the calcium and magnesium in hard water, and the minerals exchange. The soft water flows enter the home, and the wastewater with hardness minerals is eventually flushed out.
• Template-Assisted Crystallization: The hard water is mixed with special resin beads inside the water conditioner. The surface of the beads initiates template-assisted crystallization, which forces the hard water minerals to stick together and crystallize. The crystallized minerals are attached to each other and will no longer stick to the surfaces of appliances and fixtures.

TAC water conditioners don’t soften water because the crystallized minerals remain in the water but don’t produce any detrimental effects. These systems also don’t produce wastewater or require regeneration like water softeners.

Water softeners go through a process called regeneration. The system regenerates when the water softener resin tank is low on salt and contains too many hard water minerals. The water softener will ingest some salt water from the brine tank and refill the resin tank while flushing out any wastewater.

Both systems use unique methods to treat hard water, but do these processes affect the taste of the water in a home?

Water Drinkability

Crystallized hard water minerals formed from a water conditioner do not alter the taste of water. The sodium used in hard water treatment for water softeners doesn’t make a home’s drinking water salty. The water available from both systems can also be used for cooking.

Warranty

Water softeners and TAC water conditioners have similar warranties of around 10 years each. The special beads inside a water softener and water conditioners are warranted for five years, depending on the manufacturer.

The manufacturer does not cover the salt required for water softeners, so the homeowner is responsible for purchasing salt for refills. Cost is another factor to consider when comparing these two systems.

Cost

The price range for both of these systems overlaps, but water conditioners tend to cost less than water softener systems. Price factors can affect the final cost of these units, such as installation fees and labor.

Without installation, a TAC water conditioner can cost between $1,500 to $2,000, and a water softener will cost $1,000 to $3,000. TAC water conditioners can cost $6,000 to $8,000 when installation and other price factors are included.

Water softeners’ final cost may range between $7,000 to $9,000. The price doesn’t include maintaining a water softener, which requires monthly salt refills.

Maintenance

Water softeners require much more maintenance than TAC water conditioners. A TAC water conditioning system requires little to zero maintenance once installed.

Water softeners require salt refills, or else the system won’t be able to treat hard water. If you have a water softener, you must also check the brine tank for the following things.

• Salt Bridging: A salt bridge is when the salt inside a brine tank forms a layer of crust that blocks the salt above it from going to the bottom.
• Salt Mush: As salt gathers up in the bottom of the tank, it can clump together and form a salt mush. The salt mush can prevent the brine solution from leaving the brine tank.

Having both systems checked annually is recommended to ensure they’re still working correctly.

Which Water Treatment System Is Right For Me?

Hard water is unavoidable in Los Angeles, yet TAC water conditioners and water softeners can help treat and prevent it from flowing in your home. It can be hard to tell these two systems apart for homeowners, but now that you’re aware of their differences, you can select one that’s better suited for your home.

At Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating & Air, we have nearly two decades of experience installing TAC water conditioners and water softening systems. We’re happy to share our knowledge with homeowners so they can find water treatment systems for their houses.

If you have any questions regarding water treatment options, contact us with one of the buttons below or schedule an appointment using our water filtration scheduler.

TAC water conditioners and water softeners aren’t the only treatment systems. Check out this article for a closer look at all water treatment systems and their pricing options.