Homeowners will ultimately have to deal with treating the water at some point during ownership. Water filters from vendors like Pur or Brita are useful for providing clean drinking water from a single tap but that’s not going to help the rest of the pipes in the house.
Scale, calcium, and minerals occur naturally in most municipal water systems. If left unattended, this material can reduce water pressure and potentially require the costly replacement of plumbing systems and appliances. To reduce deposits or eliminate them entirely, homeowners have two choices.
Water softeners are large appliances that may require professional installation and the addition of sodium to your system. Water conditioners are smaller units that are salt-free and can be added to the water supply fairly simply by handy people who know how to turn a wrench.
Water conditioners will not get rid of minerals entirely but will go a long way to reduce the amount of scale and material that tend to clog up sink faucets and leave hard water stains. Let’s face it: most of us aren’t plumbers, so the idea of a simple appliance that can be installed by the average person is attractive.
And while water conditioners won’t completely remove all of the natural material in your system, they don’t require the addition of salt and other chemicals that may influence the taste and feel of your water. Read on to find out the water conditioners we think you should consider for your home.
There are a lot of three-stage filtration conditioning systems out there but WGB32B-PB from iSpring provides a better construction build. It also includes two flexible push-fit 3/4-inch fittings to assist in connecting to your existing system. The one-inch NPT inlet and outlet have been reinforced so you’ll have less of a failure possibility at the source.
The third-stage filter (FCRC25B) included in the package specifically addresses the removal of lead, with a high capacity of 15,000 PPM bringing the quantity to below EPA standards (15 PPB). The system also removes sediment, chlorine, rust, pesticides, herbicides, industrial solvents, and other contaminants.
iSpring provides well-produced and easy to follow installation videos on their own YouTube channel, making a DIY installation a lot easier. Their Big Blue filter cartridges measure 20-inches by 4-1/2-inches and have a minimum impact on water flow up to 15 GPM. and requires minimum maintenance. Filters are good up to 100,000 gallons of water treatment or, in other words, enough to supply a family of four for a year.
First off, calm down. That price you see for the Aquasana Whole House 10-Year Water Conditioning System is all that you’ll pay for equipment, filter media, or installation hardware…for ten years. That’s right: no changing out media and nothing to replace…for ten years (you may have to spring for pipe and fittings for your existing system).
Now, do you understand? Good, because this water conditioner is awesome and there’s more to tell you.
The Aquasana filtration system pumps out healthy, clean water from everywhere in your house. 97% of the chlorine from regular tap water is removed along with all sorts of other toxic substances such as pesticides, rust, silt, metals (!), solvents, and more. Plus, the system doesn’t use any chemicals or salt to make it all work.
The system is designed to hook right into your existing water supply system in one go. Say goodbye to scale, sediment, and more coming out of your taps and spigots. This water conditioner features a sediment pre-filter, a salt-free water conditioner, activated carbon filter, and a post filter to make sure all the water in your house looks clear and tastes great.
What I like very much about the Apec Water Systems Water Conditioner is the way they shop their various models to the public. They do it with a number of bathrooms in the home. This model, the Futura-10, is ideal for one to three bathrooms with a ten-gallon per minute flow rate.
Like other water conditioners, it doesn’t require electricity, backwash, or drainage. The Futura-10 utilizes its ceramic filter media to convert minerals to a crystalline-form that prevents them from forming scale within pipes. The package comes with a pre-filter to scrub out sediment.
I had a little challenge discovering which filters the unit requires and how often they need to be changed. The pre-filter is recommended to be replaced every six months or so but the ceramic media in the main filtration housing will go for up to six years depending on use. Apec Water Systems provides a ten-year limited warranty as well as lifetime expert support for any issues that may arise.
The 3-stage system is said to scrub 65 different contaminants from your water including chlorine, rust, and algae while protecting your home from the formation of scale and corrosion. Installation takes standard one-inch connections. Each of the chambers use filter replacement cartridges designed for quick and easy replacement to keep your system up and running.
The standing stainless steel frame comes in useful to keep the food-grade chambers protected and undamaged. I would recommend that you install a pre-filter unit in conjunction with this water conditioner to help with sediment and particulates. Also: keep in mind that each of the filters is recommended to be replaced every six months so make sure to stock up when you can.
This 3-stage whole house water filtration system by Aquaboon features three 20-inch filters as well as a pre-filter to remove solid particulates. The filter housings of the Big Blue are made from FDA grade polypropylene that are tested and verified to meet NSF requirements. The 20-inch housings and large filters will provide more capacity and fewer flow restrictions. They’ll also require fewer cartridge replacements as well.
The Aquaboon folks claim that with their included instructions that just about anyone can install the unit themselves. Well…Aquaboon packs in enough equipment and material to get it done and if you’re good with your hands and common sense, that may be true. But if you hate plumbing work, you might want to hire a professional.
A housing bracket is included to allow for mounted or unmounted installation. There are pressure gauges on top of the system to help monitor everything and indicate which filter you need to change and when. Simple pressure release buttons allow for filter removal when needed.
Each of the black filter housing caps features one-inch female threaded input and output connections as well as a double O-ring for a tight seal. Just make sure you use some vegetable oil to lube up the O-rings and plenty of Teflon tape on the threads. One last thing: the kit comes with three filters but consider picking up this set of six to make it easy on yourself for when you need to replace them.
Of all the whole home water filter systems produced by Home Master, this two-stage unit provides the largest connection ports for the strongest pressure available, up to 20 gallons per minute. The unit is simple enough to install but just make sure to hang this water conditioner off studs because it’s heavy enough when it’s dry.
Measuring roughly 28 inches high by 18 inches wide by 9 inches deep, the Home Master Whole Home Water Filter will scrub particulates from your water supply for around 95,000 gallons before the filter media needs to be changed, approximately once per year but your family size and water usage may change that.
The system will remove up to 95 percent of sediment, chlorine, and other gross stuff to ensure clean, clear drinking water. If you’re drawing water off of a well or your water is particularly funky, consider this three-stage unit instead.
The 3M Aqua-Pure Whole House Water Filter System is one of the simplest water conditioners available both to install and to operate. It effectively reduces sediment as well as the taste and odor of chlorine. Changing the filter media doesn’t require a filter wrench and is sanitary since there’s no need to touch used cartridges.
Each filter cartridge features an activated carbon filter with a heavy-duty particulate reduction down to 5 microns. Cartridges can handle up to 100,000 gallons or 12 months of operation before having to swap them out and can accommodate high flow rates of 10 GPM and 20 GPM for lesser flow rates.
The 3M Aqua-Pure requires standard one-inch inlet and outlet connections for easy installation. If you’re not familiar with plumbing systems, hire a professional. The 304 stainless steel head can be installed on existing copper pipes and is corrosion-resistant which should result in a long service life.
This water conditioner from Hardless NG is no larger than a football, making it a nice solution for tight spaces and easy installation. The design of the unit provides five stages for the water to flow through as well as a maintenance valve to periodically flush the system. The NG3 starts filtering with a 25-micron stainless steel mesh and ends up with a 2-micron sleeve.
Flow rate isn’t affected with the NG3 after installation, a real plus. Standard one-inch in and out female ports make installation fairly straight forward. An optional drain valve for the bottom of the conditioner comes with the unit; a monthly 30-second flush is recommended.
What’s also recommended is the replacement of the filter media every six months. That’s something to consider when looking at this water conditioner as the filter bundle, that comes with the replacement cartridge and post-filter, costs $69. The good news is that this unit is compact, simple, and effective.
This water descaler unit from AO Smith is meant to be used as part of your house’s entire water filtration system. Each unit is sealed to work independently from the other. AO Smith also makes a central water filter to go with the descaler. Both the descaler and the water filter may function in tandem with a sediment pre-filter.
“But wait a minute,” you might tell me. “That seems like a lot for just one unit that only does half of what some of the other water conditioners on your list do.”
You would be correct but here’s what AO Smith provides for that cost: a six-year operating life with no filter cartridge replacements. At the end of six years, simply replace the entire unit. Filter media can get expensive and the costs can really add up. Plus, there’s a good chance anyone would forget to do change out the cartridges.
Here’s one more reason why the AO Smith Water Conditioning system might be good for you and your home: they provide a six-year warranty on each unit. If it fails for any reason at any time during its lifetime, AO Smith will replace it for free. That’s six years or 600,000 gallons of filtering for the cost of the unit. Do the math and you might be surprised at what you might save doing it this way.
This 3-Stage Whole House Water Filtration System is a less expensive way to get material and chemicals out of your water. Connection threads are 3/4-inch plastic valves. The system, like the name implies, employs three separate filter chambers to remove various particulates.
The first stage is a quick-connect 5-micron sediment filter to remove silt and sand as well as material that will cause scale in your pipes. The second cartridge is a granular activated carbon filter that removes chemicals like chlorine, radon, volatile organic compounds, and other common chemicals. Finally, the third stage is a carbon block filter that further helps to remove any remaining chemicals that may be present in the water.
The package comes with two additional sets of filters. As it’s recommended to change out the filters every four to six months, you’ll need them. This is a water conditioner that will work and, as stated above, is inexpensive but keep in mind that you’ll need to change out the filters often. That could get really old (and expensive) after a few years.
I almost didn’t review the Hansing Whole House Water Conditioner because it just seemed way too simplistic and, in my mind, not as useful as some of the other units on our list. I’m glad I took a second look, however. For a lot of people, simplicity is the way to go.
The city I live in has fairly great tasting water because it comes from an aquifer (underground river) and really the only problem is the minerality. This water conditioner functions as a solid descaler with media fashioned out of food-based materials including coconut shells. The cylindrical filter features a radial flow design with a 0.2-micron pleated structure to screen out most particulates and chemicals.
Installation takes 3/4-inch fittings and put into place into the supply line before your hot water tank. The housing is made of stainless steel so it’s naturally corrosion, acid, and alkali-resistant. A mounting bracket and hardware are included in the package.
One more reason why I like this water conditioner: the documentation recommends changing out the filter media “depending on your respective water hardness, usage, and location”. That’s a nice change from “every six months” whether or not you really need it. Most folks who reviewed this unit online specified they changed out the filter about once a year at approximately $60 for a cartridge.
