A whole-house filtration system removes pollutants and contaminants from water. If you have a water softener but no filtration system, you'll have removed the minerals from your water, but you still may be drinking, cooking and bathing in contaminants and chemicals like: Bacteria. Heavy metals.
Water softeners do not filter water, they only remove calcium and magnesium minerals to address hard water. In order to remove contaminants so water is safer for drinking, cooking, and showering — you'll need to use a water filter even if you already have a water softener installed.
A water filter is a device that removes impurities from the water, such as bacteria, sediment, and chemicals. A water softener, on the other hand, is a device that removes hard water minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, which can cause scaling and buildup in plumbing and appliances.
Cons of Soft Water
Regularly drinking soft water increases a person's sodium levels, which can lead to multiple health problems including blood pressure. The process used to make the water soft also makes it more volatile, which means it picks up more unwanted elements from your pipes.
A Whole House Water Filter can make a huge difference in the water quality you are using to cook, shower, and drink. Coffee and tea tastes noticeably better with filtered water! If you are using chlorinated water, you will always notice the difference in taste after switching to filtered water.
Drawbacks of Filtration
The most well-known disadvantage of filtration is that it removes useful minerals that are present in the liquid. On the contrary, it doesn't remove all the harmful particles present in the liquid. The filters can't be reused again and have to be discarded after the filtration process.
Tip: it's important to track when you change your whole house water filter, as you don't want to let too much time pass before doing so. Generally speaking, a whole house water filter is meant to last no longer than 12 months.
Can corrode your pipes. The corroded metal from the pipes can end up in your water. This can contribute to elevated lead and copper levels in drinking water. Potential health effects from additional sodium.
There are two specific situations where the use and drinking of softened water is inadvisable. These are: In the reconstitution of infant formula powders, as softened water could affect its fine nutritional balance, or; For anyone on a medically prescribed low sodium diet.
Since soft water contains very few dissolved minerals, it tends to leach minerals off other surfaces, including your metal plumbing pipes. This can result in pitting and pinhole leaks in metal plumbing pipes.
While most softened water is perfectly safe to drink, the amount of sodium in the treated water will depend on the hardness of the original water. If the water hardness is below 400 ppm calcium before you soften it, then you can drink it with little concern.
If your home doesn't have hard water, you don't need a water softener—but a shower head water filter helps ensure you bathe in the freshest, cleanest water possible. If your home has hard water, using a water softener and a water filter can help protect your skin health while bathing.
Combine Whole-House Filtration and Water Softening
For the best quality water, a combination of water softening and whole-house filtration is the ideal solution. The minerals from hard water can decrease the effectiveness of whole-house filtration and decrease the quality of the water — and your lifestyle and pipes.
We think that water descalers are by far the best choice. First of all, they provide the same benefits as a water softener without the downsides. Instead of replacing calcium and magnesium with sodium, a water descaler simply reshapes the crystals to make them less adherent.
Cleaner laundry and dishes
It's all thanks to soft water's ability to mix effectively with soap and detergents to provide a greater clean. Also, as a result of using softened water, you will find the durability of your clothes and kitchen wares will also be greatly extended.
Reverse osmosis filters are top of the line for removing a large percentage of contaminants out of the water, potentially including dangerous waterborne bacteria. The filters work by pushing water through the reverse osmosis membrane using pressure.
If your plants get plenty of rainwater, then occasional soft water won't hurt. But watering plants exclusively with soft water isn't recommended. Most water softeners use sodium chloride, which can cause a gradual build up of sodium in garden soil. This can cause plant growth problems.
It is unlikely that a physician would discourage anyone from drinking softened water. Because water softeners are designed to address the problem of hard water and do not remove other water contaminants such as organic matter, many of our water softener customers also use a drinking water system.
The harder your water is, the more salt (sodium) gets added by the softener. If you use a water softener in an area where water hardness is more than 400 ppm, you might want to avoid drinking it entirely. A high intake of sodium leads to elevated blood pressure that can damage your eyes, kidneys, and heart.
Ongoing Maintenance
Traditional salt-based water softening systems need frequent salt top-ups to operate. If the brine tank gets too empty, the system won't be able to produce softened water.
What Causes “Slippery” Water After Softening? Slippery water is caused by the ion exchange process. In a water softener, calcium and magnesium minerals — which are responsible for hard water — are exchanged for equal amounts of sodium, or salt ions. As a result, soft water contains a small amount of sodium.
Benefits of Hair Washing with Soft Water
Most notably, soft water lacks the heavy minerals that can damage hair and make it less resilient to other changes (like stress or diet). Because soft water can penetrate the hair follicle more fully, it generally helps hair look shinier, softer, and less damaged.
If you have specific water contaminant issues such as iron, fluoride, sediment, or bacteria, you will you need a whole house system catered to removing that particular contaminant.
Whole house filters usually require more frequent home water filter replacement because they are designed to remove sediment from all the water used in your home. To maintain the best quality and reliability of your whole house water filter, it is recommended that you change it every three to six months.
Installing a whole house filter system could take an experienced plumber two to four hours. If you are installing it yourself, then it may take a little longer depending on your level of experience.