Water Softener Reviews

This will be a little different version of water softener reviews than you might find elsewhere on the Internet.. Rather than compare specific manufacturer’s models we are going to compare the four different ways of water softening and let you form your own opinion as to which is the best method to use in your circumstances.

Water softener Reviews: 4 Different Processes for Softening

The four different water softening methods to be compared in these water softener reviews are 1) salt-free/nanotechnology, 2) salt-based/ion exchange 3) reverse osmosis, and 4) magnetics. Any one of these four methods will get the job done for you.

Water Softener Reviews: Salt-Free

Salt free/nanotechnology water softeners (catilytic media) are used in both residential and commercial water softening applications and function best when water hardness is at or below 75 grains. Also recommended for people who are on low sodium diets or with high blood pressure or people who like the idea of water softening done without chemicals. The media uses calcium carbonate crystal on the media surface which reacts with the excess hardness and removes the calcium and magnesium by integrating them with carbonate crystal structures. The advantages of this system are that there is no monthly maintenance. The salt free process leaves the proper materials in the drinking water so it is not necessary to use electricity or back flushing. It removes 100% of the scale.

Water softener Reviews: Salt Based

Salt-based ion exchange were softeners are recommended for people who want to remove the hardness (calcium and magnesium) by using salt. This means that salt is added to the water which is why it is not for recommended for people on salt restricted diets. This softener functions by doing an ion exchange. Ion exchange devices replace positively charged hardness ions with non-hardness ions thus neutralizing them Sodium is the exchange ion in this type of softener. The exchange mechanism are either natural zeolites or synthetic resins that look like wet sand The advantage of this type of water softener is the same as all other types, longer lives of appliances, less use of detergents, and cleaner and softer clothes. Disadvantages are that salt is added to the water. Americans already consume more salt in their diet than human body needs even without introduction of salt during a water softening process.

Water Softener Reviews: RO Systems

The third process of water softener is reverse osmosis. In this process water under pressure is pushed through a superfine membrane that screens out particulates that are too large to fit through the screen. Because reverse osmosis’ roots are in seawater desalination this method is particularly recommended where salt needs to be removed from the water. This is ultra fine filtering. It removes out 99% of molecules, heavy metals, salts and almost all solids. The disadvantages are that RO systems remove essential minerals from the water and are not suitable for watering plants, cooking, watering animals and drinking water for humans. RO systems require connection to a wastewater drain and do not retain more than 5 to 15% of the water that enters the system

Water Softener Reviews: Magnetic Systems

The last type of water softener is magnetic water softeners. This type of softener is best used in instances where room is not sufficient for a whole house water softener. Magnetic water softeners use magnets to precipitate out the carbonate salts as small particles rather than allowing them to form scale deposits. Their primary advantage is cost as they are very inexpensive. They reduce scale buildup and the effects of hard water. The disadvantages are that the magnetic field is limited and only affects water in the immediate vicinity of the device. The water that has been treated with the magnets only has the scale reduced for 48 hours and if the water is not used in that 48 hour period It reverts to hard water

Water Softener Reviews: Summary

As you can see, each of these methods has pluses and minuses. Rather than using cost or apparent quality as your initial criteria we recommend that you first decide upon the type of water softener methodology that will work best for you and then only look at the manufacturers that employ that particular type of technology. That’s why this is a different type of water softener reviews, because we are not manufacturer/model recommenders.