Potassium rocks (for water softener) prices skyrocket??

[LED-holic]

I was at Home Depot recently, and was shocked to see a bag of Potassium rocks going for ~$18.

Previous to this I had been buying a bag for $5-6 around 2 years ago, and then it went up to around $7-8.

But the spike from $7-8 to $18 was a huge shock. Sodium rock prices have held steady around $5.

I may consider switching from Potassium for Sodium if this holds up...

Anyone know why the prices for Potassium is skyrocketing???

 

[DUQ]

Potassium is largely used for fertilizer and alot of goes into black powder. Large demand in food production could be straining the supply.

 

[NeonLights]

We've used salt/sodium in our softeners for decades, the only times we've used Potassium was when the store was out of salt. I understand some people need to use potassium pellets for health reasons, but if that is not the case, salt is definitely the way to go. IIRC we usually pay $4-6 for a 40 lb bag.

 

[LED-holic]

Thanks. I'm switching to Salt. I used Potassium because it's better for the environment, but I can't afford to pay 4-5 times the cost of salt just to be a tree hugger.