Hello,
I was wanting to get viewpoints on these salt-free softening systems like the Pelican Filtersorb from those who have had experience or know someone who has had experience with them.
Are convetional salt systems better in the long run? Do these salt-free systems work as good as they say they do?? What about reliability and maintenance??
Thanks.
COMMUNITY FORUM
To "soften" water is to remove calcium (among other things like iron) from the water and that is commonly done by one of two methods.
One method is ion exchange as done by a water softener. A water softener exchanges either sodium ions (if using NaCl) or potassium ions (if using KCl as a SALT SUBSTITUTE) for calcium (and other) ions in the hard water. That's it, no ifs, no ands, no buts, and no sales double talk. Simple chemistry and physics. Softening water is not black magic. It is physics and chemistry with a side of mechanics. No matter how hard sales people try (and want) to they can not violate the laws of physics or change the nature of chemical actions and reactions.
The other is by a filter, but no simple filter will remove calcium. You would need a reverse osmosis unit large enough to service your entire house. You would not want to pay for that big an RO nor pay for the service and routine maintenance it would require and RO water would be very agressive in your plumbing and it would waste a lot of water.
NO magnet(ic) gizmo or electronic gizmo or "conditioner" will soften water but people waste their money on them EVERYDAY.
Check out this URL for one story http://www.nmsr.org/magnetic.htm and there are many more on the net if you Google.
Pick the right softener (not a box store brand), size it properly for your water conditions and usage and the SFR of your plumbing, and get a competent install and you should go 15-20 years.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing is that water treatment begins with a complete water test so you know what needs to be treated or filtered out to get the quality water you want.
One method is ion exchange as done by a water softener. A water softener exchanges either sodium ions (if using NaCl) or potassium ions (if using KCl as a SALT SUBSTITUTE) for calcium (and other) ions in the hard water. That's it, no ifs, no ands, no buts, and no sales double talk. Simple chemistry and physics. Softening water is not black magic. It is physics and chemistry with a side of mechanics. No matter how hard sales people try (and want) to they can not violate the laws of physics or change the nature of chemical actions and reactions.
The other is by a filter, but no simple filter will remove calcium. You would need a reverse osmosis unit large enough to service your entire house. You would not want to pay for that big an RO nor pay for the service and routine maintenance it would require and RO water would be very agressive in your plumbing and it would waste a lot of water.
NO magnet(ic) gizmo or electronic gizmo or "conditioner" will soften water but people waste their money on them EVERYDAY.
Check out this URL for one story http://www.nmsr.org/magnetic.htm and there are many more on the net if you Google.
Pick the right softener (not a box store brand), size it properly for your water conditions and usage and the SFR of your plumbing, and get a competent install and you should go 15-20 years.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing is that water treatment begins with a complete water test so you know what needs to be treated or filtered out to get the quality water you want.
If the thing doesn't remove hardness, it is not a "softener".
The Pelican is a conditioner, it is not a softener and to my knowledge it does not soften the water.
A conditioner may remove hardness with ion exchange resin and condition water with something else in the resin tank OR in another tank on top of or under the tank containing the softening resin.
Gary
Quality Water Associates
The Pelican is a conditioner, it is not a softener and to my knowledge it does not soften the water.
A conditioner may remove hardness with ion exchange resin and condition water with something else in the resin tank OR in another tank on top of or under the tank containing the softening resin.
Gary
Quality Water Associates
justalurker is somewhat correct but I won't get into all of that now except to say there are other whole house membrane technologies than RO to remove calcium and magnesium hardness from water.
There is another thing I will mention... the use of potassium chloride instead of softener salt (sodium chloride).
In many cases you will have to increase the salt dose by 30%. That is dictated by the salt dose and how efficient it is.
Possibly justalurker can expand on that and the other types of "softening" other than RO and ion exchange.
BTW, POE(point of entry - whole house) RO is very doable and a viable choice or type of treatment when the water quality requires it.
The Pelican is not a magnetic or electronic anti-scale/descaling device as that link probably mentioned.
If you decide on a water softener, check out the Clack WS-1 control valve.
Gary
Quality Water Associates
There is another thing I will mention... the use of potassium chloride instead of softener salt (sodium chloride).
In many cases you will have to increase the salt dose by 30%. That is dictated by the salt dose and how efficient it is.
Possibly justalurker can expand on that and the other types of "softening" other than RO and ion exchange.
BTW, POE(point of entry - whole house) RO is very doable and a viable choice or type of treatment when the water quality requires it.
The Pelican is not a magnetic or electronic anti-scale/descaling device as that link probably mentioned.
If you decide on a water softener, check out the Clack WS-1 control valve.
Gary
Quality Water Associates
