Help with whole house water filtration questions please (sinks, smell, bathrooms)

[Radiorara]

I know that this post is old but just in case anyone like myself has stumbled across it, then Id like to add my two cent recommendation. About a year ago I did research on water filtration systems and even before that as there are soo many companies and so much confusing technology out there. I like another poster on here got pitched rainsoft's product when they were at a home depot and I said yes to the free water evaluation and whatnot. I already had my system installed and he tested the water and everything was fine except for a higher level of particulates but I am sure this was based on the level his system would bring them down to. I knew I would not get this system from the inception and not suprisingly to me the price was 6k. Yeah ok sure, ill take 2! lol. I am no saying that Rainsoft does not make a good product but it is overpriced. There are others that are not quite as expensive initially but always look into the "consumables" cost, ie.filters, uv bulbs, amount of water to backflush, etc. and factor that in to the total cost.

I ultimately chose the PureMaster V750 Whole House Water Filter system. It is rated for 750,000 gallons or 7-10 years for the average household. It comes with a sub 1 micron prefilter and that is the only thing you have to peroidically replace and I havent replaced it yet! They are cheap and the more you buy the more you save. Less than 200.00 bucks buys you enough pre filters for years of use. They have systems for every use, well water, flouride, tannins, heavy metals, heavy particulates, etc. and you can always combine different tanks for a more robust system. I am very pleased with the system and know it works because it was tested. It uses no electricity, does not require back flushing, and is very affordable and full featured.

For the price of that Rainsoft system they sell Whole house reverse osmosis systems for less. I do not work nor am I a paid endorser of this company but when I have good experiences with products and services then I do like to promote them and this company is definately one to promote. Whatever you choose in a water treatment system, please do your due dilligence and remember the more it costs does not mean it will perform better or last longer. Good Luck.

[Radiorara]

I agree with ColdJensens and think Kinetico is a very good manufacturer and I love the fact it does not use any electricity and they seem to very miserly at every phase of treatment including regeneration. I said in another post that I was pitched for one of those 6k systems from Rainsoft. Save your money, get a second opinion, look into cheaper options but never anything that isnt certified, NSF preferrably. I think that every home owner can afford and should have a water filtration system in thier homes either POE or POU, I have mine at the entry because it was very affordable to do so and remember when you bathe and take a shower it will filter that water too. The skin is the largest organ in the body and when one takes a bath with overly clornated water it can have a draining effect on the body. Also of note it seems that flouride has been making a comeback into bottled water and the mainstream water supply, ahh more reasons to filter that crap out. Buy a filter or be a filter, your choice.

[Gary Slusser]

Kinetico is basically good equipment but... it is also highly hyped and overpriced for what you get.

They make the control valve and by pass valve but the rest of it, the tanks, minerals and resins are the same as everyone else uses. There are only so many control valve, tank and mineral or resin manufacturers.

Softeners are made up of numerous component parts; a control valve, by pass valve, mineral tank, resin, salt tank, etc..

All components are NSF Standard 61 for potable water use but, IMO the Certification of softeners etc. is a marketing tool used to get the uninformed to buy that equipment because they get that warm'n fuzzy feeling from the salesperson "It's Certified and most others aren't!".

The fact is the vast majority of softeners etc. are not Certified because it can cost $50,000 +/- for the Certification. And if any part, no matter how simple, like a brine injector, is changed, the Certification is voided and that unit must be resubmitted for Certification again at full price.

So... when promoting one brand over another, or all others like here, unless you know how how to correctly size one, and what components are used, you are simply repeating what the salesman told you when you bought yours. And sad to say but it's true, in many cases you weren't told the truth.

Example, salt use. All softeners have an adjustable K of capacity. It is dictated by the resin used in cubic foot volume and then the type of resin; regular mesh, fine mesh or SST (Shallow Shell Technology) AND then, the salt dose in lbs. used per regeneration.

Now a true comparison requires that salt dose lbs. TIMES the number of regenerations over say a week to equal the two different softeners being compared.

The facts are that if you take two softeners using the same volume of the same type of resin, setup for the same K grains of capacity. They will both use the same volume of salt, or, they will both have the same salt efficiency. It doesn't matter what brand name is on the softener.

Take a Kinetico twin tank softener, or any other brand twin tank type that regenerates say 1-3 times per day, and compare it to a regular softener that is sized to regenerate once per week. If you total the twin tank's number of regenerations PER week, times each regeneration's lbs of salt used and gallons of water used, you'll usually find the salt use is the same to a bit higher and the water used is much more than the one regenerating once per week.

But, the Kinetico salesman, or their customer, doesn't bother to do that comparison. They are fixed on the usual comment that goes something like this, "1.5 lbs of salt and only 11 gallons of water per regeneration!!". And then, when asked, most Kinetico customers haven't a clue how frequently their softener actually regenerates; but they KNOW it is very efficient because the salesperson and/or the brochure said it would be...

There are other claims that don't prove to be true also, like nonelectric (water powered) is better than electric and electronic control valves. Or, upflow regeneration is best. Or the best one IMO is their claim that regenerating with softened water is best and uses less salt. Ask them if salt isn't used to create the capacity used to soften the water used to regenerate the other tank. They usually say oh yes BUT, we don't have to program a reserve capacity. Ask them what the difference is, all capacity uses salt.

In residential applications those claims makes little to to difference. If you're manufacturing electronics or computer chips or doing metal plating etc. etc. etc. yes they are important but, they are not needed in residential softening.

If they were needed, most softeners would be twin tank type softeners and most are not. Actually, there are many other twin tank softeners, for much less money BTW, using Fleck control valves than any other brand. And they are all electric/electronic using maybe $2 of electric per year and they last service free as long or longer than Kinetico.

[utahhardwater]

I moved recently to a new neighborhood and the water here tastes terrible and leaves behind white deposits on everything. We all seem to have horrible dandruff and cannot get rid of it! HELP! Any suggestions? Our old home did not have a water filtration system or water softener and it was GREAT! I need a solution, any responses would be greatly appreciated.

[Gary Slusser]

First you need to know how hard the water is. On city water you can find the water company's water quality report on their web site and use the highest hardness they list. If your own well, get a water test done.

Then learn how to correctly size a softener for your family size, the number of bathrooms and the type of fixtures in them, that dictates the constant SFR (Service flow rating) of the softener.

Harness usually doesn't cause bad taste.

[Coldjensens]

Hard water actually tastes better. When you buy bottled water, it has minerals added to it after it is filtered to restore the taste. Chlorine or Chloramine tastes awful. That is extremely easy to filter out.

[Gary Slusser]

We tend to like what we grew up with and are familiar with.

Good water has no taste, taste is due to whatever is in the water that gives it a good or bad taste.

The best water is RO or distilled water.

[RubenLes]

Does anyone here know about whole house water oxygen filtration systems? If I understand correctly, I guess it adds oxygen to the water to reduce hardness without needing salt.

Thanks
Ruben

[Gary Slusser]

I've never heard of it but I can guarantee it won't soften water.

[jimboburnsy]

Originally Posted by Robzherenow

Thanks for your reposnse. I just want to drink water without having to choke! I remember years ago we had a counter top water filter in my house. It was by Amway and everyone who came over my house and drank the water was amazed at how "pure" and "clean" it was. I just want to go back to those good ol' days

Rob,

I haven't read all the responses so I apologize if this is redundant.

Whole house filtration systems are dirt simple and should not cost $6,000. Also, they are really most effective against particulates and will probably have a very minimal impact on chemical composition. If you want ultra clean drinking water then you probably want to have a reverse osmosis system installed under your kitchen sink. That will give you, for all intents and purposes, distilled water for drinking and cooking. To correct hardness in your showers, toilets, washing machine, etc. you will want a whole house softener. Installing all three of the above in your house should still be thousands less than your guy's quote.