Water softeners in St. Peters trade the minerals that make water hard for sodium. That swap is why your shower feels slick and your dishes dry without spots, and it is also why many homeowners stop and ask which kitchen tap they should use for drinking and cooking. The answer depends on your water supply, your household, and what your local records show, so this guide walks through the decision step by step.
Why the Question Comes Up
Public water reports for the St. Peters area describe the tap water as hard. Those same reports discuss sodium and chloride as topics homeowners should understand, and softening adds sodium to water that passes through the unit. The added amount depends on how hard your supply is and how your softener is set, so it differs from house to house. Your own taps are the only place that shows exactly what comes out.
Start With What You Already Have
Before you change anything, gather the paperwork and data you already own.
- Read the most recent annual water quality report from your supplier, and look for the sections on hardness, sodium, and chloride.
- Check your softener's settings for how hard the treated water is set to be. Many units let you adjust this.
- Note whether your home runs on a public supply or a private well. The advice splits at this point.
Option One: Keep a Separate Cold Line
Some kitchens have a cold tap plumbed ahead of the softener, which means it carries untreated water. If your sink is set up this way, that tap may be the simplest choice for drinking and cooking. Have a licensed plumber confirm the layout before you rely on it, since remodels sometimes reroute lines. Hot water usually comes from the softened side, so do not assume a hot tap is untreated. Label the cold tap clearly so guests and children know which one to use.
Option Two: Test Rather Than Guess
If you want to know the sodium and chloride levels at a specific tap, test that water directly. A certified laboratory reports exact results, while home kits give quicker but less detailed readings. Collect samples exactly as the lab or kit instructions describe, from the tap you actually plan to use. Compare the results with your supplier's report. Hardness test strips can show whether softening is working, but they do not measure sodium, so they cannot answer the drinking question alone.
If You Have a Private Well in St. Peters
Well water follows different rules. Shallow wells and areas with dense septic systems can carry coliform bacteria, and a softener does not remove bacteria. Deeper aquifers can contain naturally occurring radium and uranium. Groundwater in alluvial deposits near the former Weldon Spring chemical and ordnance site has a documented uranium hotspot. Testing comes before any decision about which tap to trust. Ask the lab to test for bacteria, metals, and radionuclides, not only hardness.
Settle the Questions Within Your Household
Some people in your home may follow a diet that limits sodium. If that applies to anyone, ask their healthcare provider which water they should drink. Then decide together which tap serves drinking, cooking, coffee, and filling pitchers, and make sure everyone knows the answer.
Simple Next Steps
- Pull your latest supplier report, or confirm the date of your well's last test.
- Find out which kitchen tap, if any, sits ahead of the softener.
- Order a sodium and chloride test on the tap you plan to use.
- Label the chosen tap and tell everyone in the home.
- Retest after any change to softener settings or plumbing.