Salt Water Softener

The basic operation of water softening systems begins with water coming into the house, running through the bypass valve and then undergoing an electrical process that involves the influx of positively-charged particles. Learn about the function of the salt bring tank in a water softener with help from a master plumber in this free video on water softening systems.

Expert: Chris Spannagel
Bio: Chris Spannagel has been a master plumber for 17 years and is licensed in Arizona.
Filmmaker: Chuck Tyler

It’s true that there would’ve been a time where getting home water filtration systems would be considered an indulgence. After all, you would be drinking water that is different from what everyone else was drinking. These days though, having a water filter is more of a necessity, what with drinking water becoming more and more unreliable as the time passes. Water is important for your health and so you’re going to want to have the best water filtrationsystem at home.

Home Water Filtration Systems

What to consider

Homes are supplied with water from different sources so it would be best to have your drinking water tested first to see what sort of contaminants are present. Knowing which contaminants are present will help you in choosing home water filtration systems because you already know what a filtration system should be able to remove. Some of the contaminants that home water filters will have to deal with include lead, rust or sediment, bacteria and parasites, and odor- and taste-causing contaminants. Here are some things to take note of:

• If you’re living in a house that was built 1985 and earlier, then you may be using pipes that use lead solders. You can’t normally detect lead in the water you’re drinking because it is odorless and tasteless but it is bad for you so it must be removed from your drinking water as much as possible. If you do live in an old house or you suspect that you are part of a municipality that used lead solders in its pipe system, then do get water filters that are fitted to remove lead from your drinking water.

• If you’re dealing with particles you can clearly see in water, then go for a home water filter that has a physical filter. Since particulates will eventually collect everywhere, you might want to consider getting a filtration system with a whole-house particulate filter to protect your drinking water along with your home appliances like your ice maker and dishwasher.

• Bacteria and parasites naturally occur in water and are acceptable under certain levels. When the water you are drinking gets contaminated by waste and sewage though, these levels balloon and become harmful to your health. Some bacteria and parasites cause water to smell and taste funny. Some don’t. Some even survive the chlorine added to water systems for disinfection. To protect your family from illnesses, get home water filtration systems that are particularly suited for removing bacteria and parasites.

• If you’re having problems with water that smells and tastes funny, look for a home water filtration system that features granular activated carbon as carbon is excellent for removing odor- and taste-causing contaminants.

Your options

There are a lot of water filters out there so there should be enough home water filtration systems around to let you pick out what you need for your home. When choosing home water filtration systems, take note as well of what you can conveniently use in your home. Do some research. Manufacturer’s manuals should give you the details as to how a particular water filter works to help you understand how to filter water  using your chosen unit. Apart from the exact filters within home water filtration systems, you can also choose based on type. Some of the options available to you include whole-house filters, undersink filters, faucet-mounted filters, and canister or countertop filters. Weigh out the pros and cons of each to help you sift through all the home water filtration systems available and pick out the best home water filtration systems for you to use. Don’t forget to factor in maintenance costs in your decision.

Water is the source of life, but if your water is contaminated, it might as well be the source of death. Water purification is a practice employed in most households. Filtering the water of sediments, impurities, and bacteria is vital for a healthy household, especially if you intend to use your water for drinking. There are a variety of water filters available in todays technological age, but by far the most popular are whole house water filters. A majority of todays whole house water purification systemscan remove chlorine and a variety of other chemicals. Biological contaminants, however, require additional filters attached to the faucet or an extra treatment or filtering device.

Whole House Water Filters

Whole House Water Filtration: How to Choose Your Filtration Systems

Whole house water filters ingeniously attach to your main water supply to filter the water supply that comes into your house. However, not all filtration systems are created equal, and selecting the appropriate one for your house depends on the type of you water you have.

• Know More About Your Water

The best whole house water filter works best with the type of water you have at home. In order to select the purification system that’s right for you, you need to know about what’s in your water. List down what minerals, sediments, or chemicals are present in your water supply. Does your water contain chloride, iron, sand or calcium? If sand is in your water, it might jam into the water screen in the washer. If your toilet or bathtub has orange stains, your water may have an excessive amount of iron. White deposits on your sink and faucet are tell-tale sites of calcium, and if your water smells like a couple of spoiled eggs, theres a huge chance it contains hydrogen sulfide.

• Have Your Water Tested

One good way to know what whole house water filters are right for you is to have your water tested. If your source of water is public or municipal, request your local water plant to conduct an analysis. If your source of water is private well water, collect a sample and have it tested by a nearby laboratory. You can also try hiring a water tester to do this job for you, or you can do it yourself by purchasing a water testing kit that you can find in a home supply store.

• Locate Your Main Water Line

Whole house water filters come in different sizes, so you need to see how much space you have available around your line. A variety of whole house water filters are encased in bodies that have large diameters. It is highly essential that you measure the space that you have available around your main water line in order to determine the size of the filter system you’re going to choose.

• Determine the Flow Rate

Different whole house purification systems have different flow rates. A systems flow rate is measured via GPM or gallons per minute. GPM is the unit used to determine the speed of which the water flows into the household after it has been treated or filtered. The flow rate of your system should depend on the size of your house. Your GPM will also be determined by the amount of water flow that your dishwasher, toilets, or shower heads need.

• Choose the Model that Best Suits Your Household

Visit a local home improvement store and select from the array of whole house water filters using the information that you have collected. You can also try reading whole house water filter reviews to guide you in your purchasing decision. Remember, an expensive water filter system does not necessarily mean its better than more affordable ones, so be wise on your selection.

Water filtration systems for home  are important, especially in areas that don’t have clean water. This article talks about the benefits you can get by installing a home filtration system at home, as well as the kinds of water filtration systems you can choose from.

Water Filtration Systems For Home

Benefits of water filtration systems for home

There are several benefits you can get if you install a water filtration system at home. These include:

• Protecting your family from diseases and contaminants. What you may not know is that there are all sorts of contaminants that can be found in unfiltered water, including heavy metals (such as lead and mercury), disease-causing bacteria and viruses, and other substances that can endanger your health, as well as that of your family. By installing one of the water filtration systems for home, you will be able to protect your health, as well as that of your loved ones.
• No odor in the water. Who wants to use water that has a foul smell? Unfortunately, too many people have realized that unfiltered water can give off a bad odor. Installing one of the water filtration systems for home can eliminate this problem once and for all.
• Making more savings. Having hard water can actually cause you to spend more than you have to, as the minerals in it can make your soap, detergent, and shampoo less effective, forcing you to use more than you need. Water filtration systems that soften the water can eliminate this problem for you.

Kinds of home water filtration systems

There are actually several kinds of water filtration systems for home that you can choose from. These include:

• Particle filters. This type of filtration system allows the water to pass through a membrane to remove any particles. There are different filters based on the pore size of the membrane. The smaller the pore size is, the more effective it will be in filtering out the contaminants. The problem with this type of filtration system is that it is limited by the membrane; as such, dissolved particles and contaminants may be able to pass through it.
• Activated carbon filters. In this type of system, carbon is used to remove the contaminants by attracting these substances to it. Activated carbon filters are primarily used in order to remove pathogens and other organic contaminants from the water, as well as removing the foul taste and odor that some water sources have.
• Resin filters. Resins are used to filter out contaminants, including heavy metals, sediments, and other substances, by sending electrical charges to draw these out. Resin filters may be used with activated carbon filters for a more effective filtration system.
• Water softening systems. These types of water filtration systems for home are used in areas known to have hard water. It works by charging ions in order to draw out the metals in the water, thereby softening it.
• Reverse osmosis systems. These systems give off pressure, forcing the water to pass through membranes in order to filter out the contaminants in the water.

When choosing which of the water filtration systems for home to get for your property, make sure that you take the time to examine each make and model carefully in order to make sure that you get the right unit for your home. Some of the factors you will want to take into consideration include the water quality in your area, your budget, and where you want the filtration system to be installed. Make sure that you identify what your needs are in order to pick the right filtration system for your home.

Ok folks, some of you have asked me the question: “Is there any truth to the Easy Water scam?” – I want to clarify things on this water softening system, beacuse: This is probably the first question you will ask yourself while shopping for the best water softener.As an innovative water treatment technology by FREIJE, it immediately caught the attention of those who are looking for a great way to purify household water. To find out if EasyWater is worth your hard-earned money, you have to consider the following factors.

Easy Water Softener System

Benefits of using Easy Water

If you are currently using a traditional water softener or you are not used to treating hard water at all, you will certainly find endless benefits in using Easy Water to get rid of harmful chemicals in the water you use for preparing food, washing clothes, and bathing. Unlike other water softeners, Easy Water makes use of electronic frequencies to alter the shape of minerals found in water. This prevents scale build-up in heating water pipes so it can help you save on the cost of energy as well.

Contrary to what the Easy Water scam says, this device can actually remove existing scale from appliances and water pipes. It can increase the efficiency of your water heaters, hence allowing you to save money while protecting the environment at the same time. It is also considered as a healthier alternative to other methods used for water purification because it does not use chemicals or salt when processing water. Finally, Easy Water does not require maintenance so you can use it continuously after installing it to your home.

How does Easy Water work?

Easy Water comes with a signal wire that is wrapped around a PEX, copper, or PVC pipe. It uses electronic frequencies and allows them to pass through the pipe. This causes intense molecular agitation in the water. In hard water, minerals usually fall out of the solution and keep floating around the water. They have an electrostatic charge so they tend to stick to other objects like heating pipes and faucets. Easy Water can cause these minerals to completely fall out of the solution and combine together.

Easy Water produces soft water through the aforementioned steps. After altering the composition of minerals, they turn into microscopic substances that look like small disks. They also lose their electrostatic charge so they will stop sticking to your faucets and heating pipes. In soft water, minerals simply float with water that goes down the drain. This means that they will never stick to your water heaters, piping, and other appliances that make use of water.

Through Easy Water treatment, water becomes under saturated and stable and gets the ability to dissolve existing scale and lime build-up. Since 80% of water exists as cluster of molecules that are held together by strong hydrogen bonds, Easy Water can break them up and re-dissolve existing scale deposits. Easy Water reviews also commend this revolutionary technology because it can dissolve scale deposits without removing the beneficial minerals found in conditioned water.

Now that you already know more about Easy Water, it will be easier for you to judge if this water softener is really best for your home. If you really want to remove the harmful minerals from water and generate more energy savings, you have to ignore what the Easy Water scam says and base your decision on these straightforward facts.

For all of you who are still unsure, I like to show you a video of the “EasyWater Installation Process” – Perhaps after this video you can get yourself a picture about the easy water scam hype…

Water softener salt  contains either potassium chloride or sodium chloride. It is used for conditioning water and removing minerals that may build up and clog heating or plumbing systems. It flushes out the minerals in hard water by letting it pass through a tank of negatively charged plastic beads that are bonded by a special kind of salt. As hard water runs through the tank, calcium, mineral, and other minerals that cause water hardness are gradually removed. Here are some of the things you need to remember when shopping for the best water conditioning salt.

Water Softener Salt

Types of water softener salt

When people buy water softeners that are salt-based, they are not sure which type of salt is best for their new filtration system. Your decision will actually depend on the kind of unit you are keeping because some units operate best with a particular type of salt. Oftentimes, shopping for water softener salt is actually a matter of personal preference. Evaporated salt, solar salt, and rock salt are only some of the three types of salt that you can use for your water softener. Extracted from underground salt deposits, rock salt is used in its raw form so it usually contains traces of minerals that cannot dissolve in water.

Evaporated salt is considered purer than rock salt because it is extracted from salt deposits that are already in the process of dissolving. Afterwards, it is converted into a form of nearly 100% pure salt by using heat to evaporate moisture and leaving only the salt deposits behind. Finally, solar salt is extracted from evaporated seawater. Aside from being less insoluble, it also has less sodium content than other salts. This water softener salt is also available as pellets or crystals. The best way to find out what kind of salt is best for your water softener is to check the recommendations of your units manufacturer.

It is also important to consider how often you intend to use your water softener. If it seems that you will need to soften high volumes of water, evaporated salt might be your safest bet. Since it is nearly 100% pure salt, it can leave behind fewer non-soluble residues than other salts could. Using rock salt for a unit that constantly deals with high volumes of water may require you to clean the unit frequently in order to remove the dissolved salt that it will leave behind.

Choosing the best water softener salt

Now that you already familiar with the different types of salt used for water softeners, it will be easier for you to choose which one is best for you. The first thing you need to consider is the hardness level of your water. The harder your water is, the stronger the salt you will need to convert water into soft water. While rock salt may require a lot of salt, evaporated salt for water softeners will not require as much because it will need to break down the magnesium and calcium in water.

If you are planning to switch from one type of salt to another, you should never attempt to add a new kind of salt if your unit is not yet empty. You should wait until the tank is empty before switching to another type of salt because mixing different types of salt may cause damage to your water softener. If you are the type of person who hates cleaning his water softening system, you should also avoid using rock salt. It may solidify at the bottom of your tank and affect the performance of your softener so it may require you to clean your tank more often than you would want to.

These are only some of the most important things you need to remember when choosing from different types of salt that you can use for your new water conditioning system. Once you have considered your budget, needs, and preferences, it will be easier for you to find the best water softener salt in the market.

Because of the fact that I got huge resonse from my readers (you) when writing in my last article about Saltless Water Softeners – I decided to continue on the topic of No Salt Water Softener and give you some helpful advice before you make a purchase.

No Salt Water Softener

Heavy deposits of magnesium and calcium in the water may cause it to taste awful and bring about a variety of health issues. Excessive minerals in the water are notorious for damaging pipes. There are a plethora of water-softening mechanisms that can reduce large traces of calcium and magnesium in the water, making them better for the health and preventing them from damaging the pipes that they run through. A majority of these water treatment devices use salt in the form of sodium to obliterate the minerals in the water. During the process, these systems also produce salt wastewater that damages the environment. Fortunately, there are varieties of no salt water softener  available in the market. Some saltless water softener claims to use magnetism in order to reduce the mineral content of water making it potable and less destructive to the environment.

Two types of no salt water softener are available. One type uses reverse osmosis that purifies water by allowing it to run through a semi-permeable membrane using pressure. Another type uses the technology of catalytic media systems, a type of purification method that traps or alters water compounds in order to soften the water and remove its scale build-up. With the many models available today, it can be very difficult to find a system that will work perfectly for the type of water you have and the budget you’ve allocated. A saltless water softener system can be very expensive, so you may need to shell out a large amount of money for a model that you prefer. Here are a couple of things you need to take into consideration when choosing which system you can benefit the most.

Know What Contaminants Are in Your Water

Analyze your water to determine what types of contaminants are in it. If you live in a city, your water is routinely tested a certain number of times every year. You can ask for results from your state or county. No matter what contaminants are in your water, you will most likely buy a device that uses either reverse osmosis or catalytic media systems.

Know the Space You Have for Your No Salt Water Softener System Installation

Not all no salt water softener can fit perfectly in the space you have available. If you’re living in a cramped or small space, you might benefit from the installation of magnetic systems. Magnetic systems are a breeze to install and they require no wiring or pipe cutting. Whole-house reverse osmosis systems, on the other hand, are bulky and can be very difficult to install as they require storage spaces and holding tanks. If you’re only looking forward to treating your drinking water, on the other hand, you can opt to install a reverse osmosis system under your sink. Catalytic media systems, just like whole-house reverse osmosis systems, require a holding tank. Calling a plumber to install a catalytic media system for you might be the best choice.

Determine Your Budget

Your choice of saltless water softeners will be heavily influenced by the budget you have for them. In general, none of these systems come cheap, but you may find a fairly affordable one if you look very well. Reverse osmosis systems are probably the most expensive in terms of installation, and these systems will require you to frequently replace the filter membranes every year. Reverse osmosis systems are notorious for needing lots of maintenance work in order to ensure that all parts are working at their peak performance. This means checking and maintaining the performance of solenoids, valves, and motors. Catalytic media systems, on the other hand, are significantly easier to install as opposed to magnetic filters and don’t require monthly maintenance fees. The most affordable option are magnetic filters, but their effectiveness is limited to the distance of the filter to the immediate vicinity of where the water is being used. If water from magnetic filters is not used within 48 hours of being purified, it will revert to being hard water.

Determine the Degree of Maintenance

Some saltless water softener systems  need more maintenance work more than others. Reverse osmosis systems, for example, have holding tanks that must be cleared every year, in addition to the monthly maintenance work that you have to do on the filters. Magnetic and Catalytic water softeners usually need no maintenance work, making them a better choice for people who do not have much time in their hands. Read some no salt water softener ratings online to figure out what systems are appropriate for the type of water you have and the budget you’re willing to spend. Read consumer reviews online and make sure you have determined what types of contaminants are in your water before you make a choice!

Edit: We plan to make a rating section with reviews about different models soon. So keep on coming back.

You get hard water when your water supply comes from a source surrounded by limestone rock or chalk. As the rainwater flows down and is filtered through the rocks, it absorbs minerals like magnesium and calcium along the way. Your problems with hard water start to arise when mineral deposits start making their way through your pipes and appliances in the form of lime scale. Shower heads get blocked up. Metal fixtures that always get wet become dull. As the lime scale grows and grows within your pipes and appliances, this leads to inefficiency with necessary replacement or repairs along the way, prompted sooner than what would normally be expected. While living in an area where hard water is supplied will mean that you can’t escape the effects of hard water, you can at least get a saltless water softener to, well, soften the effects of hard water in your home.

Saltless Water Softener System

The water softening process before

In the past, a lot of people used salt for water softener to have the salt replace the magnesium and calcium ions in the water. As the hard water passes through the water softener system, it passes through tiny spheres containing sodium ions where ion replacement happens. When the process is done, the resulting water is magnesium- and calcium-free, soft enough so as to not leave deposits behind. To have these saltwater softener systems working again, brine is flushed out periodically. While removing magnesium and calcium was a great idea, water softeners that used salt had disadvantages too. They were expensive, costing you between $700 and $900 to be installed. And the salt remains in your water, which means you will have to have a separate filter or drinking water source in order to get salt-free water for cooking and drinking. Not to mention that salt too was corrosive to metals in the long run and can damage your pipes and appliances as well. These disadvantages presented by salt water softeners prompted for the saltless water softener to be devised.

The process now (Saltless Softening)

Unlike before where ions in the water get exchanged, the hard water passes through filters instead with calcium carbonate in a saltless water softener system. As the magnesium and calcium components of the hard water passes through the filters, they bond with the crystals and are absorbed. As more minerals are absorbed, the crystals grow bigger and bigger until they break off. Broken off pieces of calcium carbonate crystals are then physically filtered. Since the water that eventually passes through the entire water system in your home is free from minerals, you no longer have to worry about dealing with lime scale deposits. You also get to enjoy the more economical choice for getting clean water with a saltless water softener since you don’t have to install two kinds of filtration systems. Just one system and you’re set to enjoy clean, soft water.

Saltless Water Softener – Where to get one

You can easily get a saltless water softener for your home by going online. Do shop around first to ensure you’ll get the best deals around so you can enjoy saving on costs on top of getting fresh, clean water.

Update: We are happy to introduce our new Shop for Water Softener and Water Filter which you can find here.