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You never know how much you love iron-free soft water until you don’t have it. Iron turns your toilet bowls yellow and your clothes never look clean.
An Iron removing water softener does two things at the same time. It combines the functions of an iron water filter and that of a water softener.
After hours of research and digging through hundreds of customer reviews on water softeners, I think the following are the best water softener for Iron and hard water.
Best Water Softener for Well Water with Iron
Here are the best water softener for well water with iron in 2021
Springwell Salt-Free Combo– Best Overall
- Iron filter, Water softener, and air injection combo.
- Removes Iron & Manganese up to 7ppm range.
- Removes Sulfer up to 8 ppm range
- Removes Sediments and other chemicals.
- Great Customer Care from Great People
- Lifetime warranty and 6 months money-back guarantee.
- Free shipping.
Springwell Whole House Well & Salt-Free Softener Combo may be the system you’re looking for If you want to soften hard water and filter iron, manganese, and sulfur. This three-in-one system combines three systems: Water Softener, Powerful Iron filter, and Air injection Oxidizing Filter system.
Not only is this system great for softening well water, but it also works great for removing up to 8 ppm iron and 8ppm Sulfur from well water. The whole house filter uses the Springwell AIO system which is a very powerful filter; meaning no matter how terrible your water is, this system will give clean softened water.
This system s installed with Springwell proprietary filtration media which does not use ion exchange but uses a process known as Templated Assisted Crystallization (TAC). This process does remove calcium and magnesium (hardness-causing minerals) but instead neutralizes them. It comes with an automatic electronic control valve that is programmed to backwash daily.
What you get From Springwell Whole house salt-free water softener…
- No more brown stains on your sinks and toilets. This system was designed specifically to filter iron, manganese, and sulfur.
- Better tasting food and Water. Using this well water filtration system gives you better-tasting water. It has also been shown that cooking with contaminant-free water gives great tasting food.
- Removes Rotten Egg Smell. Sulfur in well water results in a horrible smell. This powerful system removes up to 8 ppm sulfur.
- Prevents Buildup of limescale: Calcium and manganese results in limescale accumulating on taps and Household appliances.
- Healthier Skin and hair: Showering with pure softened water is healthier skin and hair because contaminants tend to accumulate on the skin and block skin pores. This powerful filtration system will remove even the most stubborn contaminants.
It comes with Activflo technology to ensure that it doesn’t reduce water pressure in the house. It allows the system to give a high flow rate even in a low flow situation. The Futuresoft water system comes with pre-filtration to capture sediments. Without doubt this is the best water softener for well.
Fleck Iron Pro 2 Combination – Best Water Softener for Iron Removal
- An whole-house Iron filter and a water softener combo.
- Removes hardness up to 75 gpg from well water.
- Removes Iron & Manganese up to 6 ppm range.
- Removes sand and other sediments.
- Great customer care.
You may be wondering, why we picked Iron pro 2 water softener as the one of our to picks ?
Well, it’s simple. Iron Pro 2 water softener was specifically designed with removing from water in mind. This water softener does not disappoint because it’s the best water softener system for iron removal. The makers made it with a Fleck 5600SXT control head plus an Iron filter: thus, making it very effective in filtering iron and softening water.
Iron Pro 2 water softener has been proven to reduce iron from a high of 75gpg to a low as 6gpg. This will help get rid of the “Sickening Yellowish Stains” in the sink, in the toilet, and in the shower.
Unlike other water softeners that are very pricey, you will not have to part with an “Arm and Leg” to buy Iron Pro 2 water softener. Some systems that don’t perform as well are going for much more in the market.
What You Get With Iron Pro 2 Combination…
- A way to reduce iron from “Unbearable Highs” to as low as 6gpg.
- Economizing the use of salt by only regenerating when a “Specific Amount” of H2O it has processed -unlike other systems that are set to regenerate weekly or fortnightly regardless of the amount of water they have processed.
- A way to bypass the water softeners while it’s in the maintenance mode while still having water throughout the house- avoid the inconveniences of not having water because softener is regenerating.
- A guarantee from the seller of this water softener to repair or replace the control head for the first 5 years.
- Guarantee to repair or replace the mineral tank and brine tank for 10 years.
What I like About Iron Pro I Combination
As you may know, installing a water softener is not that simple, but Iron pro 2 softener comes with a DIY installation manual which gives you step-by-step instructions and is super easy to follow and is better than most. Even if you are not very technically capable, you can follow the step. In addition, there is also an installation demonstration video for the unit.
Most importantly, the customer service you’ll receive when you place an order includes a free phone consultation and email tech support is always available. I like the fact that each regeneration gives you 800 Gallons.
Not surprisingly, Iron pro 2 combination has lots of positive reviews of customers who have used it.
What I don’t like
I know how frustrating it is when you have a lot of iron and the softener cannot keep up. Because of the bypass valve, during the regenerating cycle, the hard water you use will not be treated. So you can find yourself washing your white shirt with red water. Also, it’s kind of a pain getting the resin to its chamber.
Aquasana 600,000 GALLON RHINO– Salt Free Whole House Filtration System
- High-efficiency carbon and KDF filters
- Cost-effective
- Long lasting filters
- Easy maintenance
- Uses micro-filtration
The next water softener to look at is “Aquasana Rhino Premium salt-free water softener” As you probably know, the Aquasana Inc Corporation has been one of the top water softening systems makers for decades. They’ve built a reputation for providing the best water filtration products.
Aquasana Rhino premium is a whole house water filter with a saltless water softener. It uses a “Sequenced Stage Filtration” which includes Sediment filter, starlight UV light, activated carbon, and salt-free softener.
The sequenced filtration process is capable of removing many of the contaminants found in water. When you buy Aquasana Rhino premium salt-free water softeners, you will have noticeably the best soft water in your house. More importantly, you will have the convince of having a clean drinking water supply in the whole house. In addition, if you have chloramine or chlorine in the water. This system eliminates all these chemicals from tap water.
Aquasana Salt-Free Carbon & KDF Give You Filtration System …
- A way to soften water without using salt -therefore, saving a lot of water supply which is wasted by “Salt Using” once.
- A more effective way of killing viruses, bacteria, and other micro-organisms that are found in water supply using ultraviolet light. This is better than other methods that use chemicals, and it’s cheaper.
- A way to reduce solid particles such as dust from the well water before softening, which is unlike other units that don’t have a sediment water filter installed.
- A way to filter water supply in the whole house using a variety of methods such as mineral stones which helps in aeration.
- Uses micro-filtration to get rid of organic and sediment particles that are very small for other filtration methods. This ability is not available to units that don’t use the Sub-micron post filter.
- Guarantee from Aquasana Inc corporation to repair or replace the units for 10 years.
- Bypass loop for easier water filter change
- Pro Grade install kit which has the following things
What I Like About Aquasana Salt-Free Carbon & KDF Give You Filtration System.
If the city you live in uses chloramine to treat its water, this system is one of the few purification systems that eliminate chloramine. This system really gives clean fresh taste water.
What I don’t like
You will need to have a professional install this softener if you don’t have the plumbing experience. In addition, it kind of drops the water pressure, and it is a bit bigger.
- Great for commercial users because the cartridges last up to one million gallons of water.
- Eliminates a wide range of contaminants.
- salt-free
- prevents mineral build-up
- Pro-grade install kit
- Money-back guarantee
- Bypass loop to make it easier to change of water filter.
- “Salt-Free” are not as effective as “Salt-based” units in softening water.
- You might have to hire a plumber to install
- It is a bulky piece of equipment
- Not cheap
DURAWATER Fleck 5600 SXT Iron Pro– Affordable
- Water softener and iron filter combo.
- 48,000 Grain Capacity .
- Removes Iron & Manganese up to 6-8 ppm range.
- Uses Fleck 5600SXT digital metered Control Head.
If you’re looking for a softener for iron water softener removal, DURAWATER Fleck Iron Pro 48, 000 grain is sure to meet your expectation. It has the ability to remove 48,000 grain of hardness from water using a “Fine Mesh Resin filter” which is specifically made for removing a high amount of iron from water.
In a nutshell, This water softener is both a water softener and iron filter. As you know, there are lots of softeners on the market today, but few of them use “Fine Resin Mesh” which gives it a Superior ability to remove iron, calcium, and magnesium from water.
This water softener for well water is both a whole house iron filter as well as a softener. Abcwaters Inc is one of the well-known brands that specialize in making H2O equipment, Abcwaters pride themselves on using the highest quality materials and having great customers care.
What You Get With DURAWATER Fleck 5600 SXT Iron Pro …
- A way to remove up to “6-8 ppm of Iron” from water. This significantly improves the quality of water supply and gets rid of the nasty metallic smell of iron?
- Capacity to remove 6.8 pounds of dissolved calcium and magnesium before it is in need of regeneration (48,000 grains of hardness capacity)
- Step by step instructions for installing the softener that you can do without requiring the help of a professional plumber.
- An ability to bypass the softener using a valve that is on top of the tank. This comes in handy when you don’t what to use the softener or when it is regenerating.
- Can serve a house with up to five people, or up to three bathrooms –It is higher than most units in the market today.
On buying the water softener, it comes with an installation kit in the package together with DIY installation guide and water hardness test strips. Finally, when I was researching about this softener, I looked at the customer reviews about this softener. The overwhelming conclusion from most customers is that ABC water produces extremely soft water. It is hard to come up with a negative review. This is truly the best water softener for well for those people who are on a budget.
- Good for iron removal
- Bypass valve
- High capacity
- DIY installation
- A bit pricey
Fleck 5600sxt Digital Metered– Whole House Water softener
- Uses Fleck 5600sxt digital meter.
- It comes with the Fleck bypass valve.
- Flow rate of upto 28 Gallons per meter.
- 5 years warranty for the control head.
- 48,000 Grain
The second water softener for well water in our list is “Fleck 5600SXT Digital Metered softener review” The reason for including this water softener is because it’s a solid model which uses Fleck 5600SXT digital head.
One thing with this softener is, it’s not pricey, so you will not have to break the bank to buy it. When analyzing reviews for this product, I come across many positive reviews praising the customer service they received. Which is not surprising because the customer service is great.
You will not only have prompt delivery, but you will also get someone to contact you to ensure you received the product on time and give you instructions on installation over the phone.
In addition, like other units that use a digital meter, this softener is high-efficiency because it uses a digital meter for regeneration. You will not be refilling salt every other time. It also comes with a pre-charged resin. Which makes it a great water softening systems for domestic and commercial users.
Features and Benefits of Fleck 5600sxt Digital Metered
- Ability to remove “48,000 Grains of Hardness from water” before it requires regeneration -which is equal to 6.8 pounds of dissolved calcium and magnesium in water. This is a lot of hardness compared to other models.
- It allows you to turn off the water supply going to the water softener while it’s on maintenance mode but still have water supply throughout the house. So If you ever want to use water while the softener is regenerating, it won’t be a big hassle.
- A way to measure the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium that have been removed from the water, so as to regenerate when it needs to -which helps to maintain the effectiveness of the water descaler.
- Guarantee from the maker to repair or replace the control head for the first five years upon purchase. And ten years for the mineral tank.
- A way to keep running for 48 hours when the supply of electrical power is interrupted or is unstable. So if your electrical power is cut-off, you will still have a soft water supply for 48 hours without requiring Gas or diesel-powered generators.
What I like
Customer care is great, and it is super easy to install. The Pre-charged resin saves you the hassle of refilling the resin tank when you first buy the Fleck 56,000 water softeners.
What I don t like
It does not come with a water drainage tubing and You must buy one.
Pros an Cons
- Easy to install
- Prefilled Resin
- Great customer care
- Great price
- 48,000 grain
- You must buy drain tubing
- Electrical outlet not readily available
- Installing the resin is a hassle
Watts RV PRO-1000 Portable- Is it the Best for the Outdoors?
No review of water softener systems can be complete without the inclusion of portable water softener which can be used in the outdoors.
For those who need a small and portable water softener, Watts RV PRO is a convenient, compact, and portable RV type system.
The performance of watt RV is great. In fact, it works better than some of the expensive whole-house water softener system on the market. More importantly, you can use table salt or palates.
Watts RV water softener pro Gives you…
- A more “Effective Regeneration” expands its capacity by 50% compared to other outdoor units.
- A way to regenerate without having to disconnect the system ensuring that you never run out of water supply because the system is regenerating.
- Unlike other portable systems, it has a firm and secure base for standing.
- A way to soften up to 4 Gallons per minute even if the inflow pressure is low.
- The convenience of using common table salt which is readily available.
- One tank that acts as a resin tank and brine tank.
The bad news: this is not a big water softener system that can serve as a whole-house unit. However, it works just as well. More importantly, it’s not very pricey compared to the others.
Pros and Cons
- portable water softener
- Not expensive
- can flow with both table salt or palate.
- Manual recharging
- Limited size
WaterBoss 9000 Water Softener Review
Why does WaterBoss softener have a lot of positive reviews?
Well, here’s the deal. WaterBoss softener uses less salt than almost all the other models. You can enjoy the soft water for a long time without having to touch the water Boss softener.
More important is that when you install a water boss system the hardness in the water supply is undetectable. It regenerates in 20 minutes. In addition, because it has an inbuilt filter, it removes iron and other contaminants from water.
Features
- 36,400 Grain
- A water flow rate of 15 GPM
- Meter Based self-cleaning
- 20 microns
- size 15.8 X 19.8 X 32 inches
- Color Beige
- Inbuilt conterminant and sediment filter
What I like WaterBoss 9000 Water Softener
The waterBoss is suitable for a middle-sized house of three to seven people. The flow rate of 15 Gallons per minute is not bad. It uses less salt than any other product available on the market. You don’t need to be taking it apart to fix anything.
What I don’t like
Because the valve and other parts are not sealed, It is prone to leaking.
- Easy to install
- self-cleaning
- meter based
- inbuilt filter
- Inbuilt brine tank
- 15 Gallon per minute
- Valves and other parts not sealed
- Short warrant of three years
Hard water Bullet Poly Triple Action – Topwater softener for the outdoors
Although this water softener doesn’t remove iron, I decided to include it in this because the makers have done an excellent job of creating a superb product for filtering water at the outdoors. If you ever find yourself needing a water conditioning system that can be installed outdoor, then bullet poly triple action is a good pick.
The hard built design makes it possible for this unit to withstand the elements. In addition, it is waterproof, and it will not be affected by rainwater. Therefore, if you leave it in a place where there is no risk of freezing this is an ideal system to be installed in the outdoors.
Unlike other water softeners, you will not need to use salt because it uses an inbuilt conditioner. To increase the effectiveness, it is advisable to have the water pass through a sediment water filter before entering the conditioner.
In addition, it’s eco-friendly because it’s made with BPA free plastic. It comes with a mounting bracket for easy installation. It has steel water inlets which don’t get damaged easily. On buying poly triple water softener you get a guarantee from the seller to replace or repair the unit for six months.
When it comes to removing hardness from water, it uses poly-phosphate media and screen filters. It is able to remove calcium carbonate, but it’s not able to remove iron and chloramines. Therefore, if you have lots of iron or chloramines in your water, bullet poly triple-action softener is not a good solution.
You should also consider that you can buy a proper water softener such as Iron Pro or Fleck systems by adding just a few hundred bucks to your budget.
Pros and Cons
- Eco-friendly
- Hard built body
- Can be installed outdoors
- Made with BPA free plastic
- Comes with mounting bracket
- Not bulky because it doesn’t have a brine tank
- Does not remove iron
- Does not remove chloramines
Eddy Water Descaler
If you are looking for an alternative way of escalling water without having to buy a conventional water softener, Edddy descaler is a great option. While a softener uses salt to remove minerals from the water. A descaler uses electromagnetic waves to reduce the presence of magnesium and calcium ions in water.
Eddy water scaler is an electronic device that comes with wires that you coil around water pipes. The wire induces a powerful electromagnetic field that separates ions using an electromagnetic force. The electromagnetic field also prevents the buildup of minerals inside the pipe.
One good thing about eddy descaler is that it’s super efficient because it uses electricity and does not require adding salt. In addition, installation is simple, and you will not need a plumber to help you in the installation. You don’t need to have previous experience to install this system. A strong selling point of this system is the guarantee by the seller to repair or replace the unit in case of damage. In addition, you get money back guarantee for 12-months
The negatives of using a water descaler are that it doesn’t remove hardness in an efficient way. Its water softening ability is questionable. The benefits you can expect from using this system is marginal compared to normal softeners
Pros and Cons
- Uses Electricity to generate an electromagnetic field
- You don’t have to add salt
- You don’t lose the essential minerals in water like calcium from H2O
- Prevents the build-up of minerals inside the pipe
- Super easy to install, and you need the plumber services
- Lifetime warranty from the manufacturers
- The ability to soften water is questionable
- It’s not waterproof and therefore you can’t install outside.
Nuvo H2O Complete Water Softening System
When it comes to salt-free water softener systems, NuvoH2O is one of the popular brands in the market today. Unlike salt -based units, salt-free systems save you the hustle of regular regeneration. In addition, you will not be running to your local supply shop every fortnight to buy salt.
You should keep in mind this in mind when shopping for a system to reduce water hardness. Salt-free systems are not really softener in a proper sense, and they remove calcium or magnesium from the water like regular softeners.
But these water softener systems work by preventing the formation of lime-scale suspension in water by changing the structure of minerals in the water.
Units like NuvoH2O water softening are mainly used for water Descaling. What causes a big headache when it comes to hard water is that minerals from deposits which become suspended in water? These scale deposits cause soap not lather properly. How salt-free units work is by preventing minerals from forming suspensions by changing the structure of these minerals from cubic to circular. This reduces surface tension in waters; thus, avoiding limescale formation.
These descalers use a magnetic field to change the structures of the calcium and magnesium. In so doing a magnetic field is generated using electricity.
The advantage of this method is waters retain its mineral composition because no minerals are removed from the water unlike what happens with other softeners. Because the units don’t use salt, the system does not need to regularly regenerate.
Pros and Cons
- They are not bulky.
- Easy installation
- You don’t need to use salt and therefore you will not keep on adding salt.
- They generally have a high capacity
- The beneficial minerals remain in waters
- Don’t spoil easily
- High flow rate
- Lifetime warranty
- Not suitable for water that has high levels of hardness.
Water Softeners Buying Guide
The Best Water softeners work by having water flowing over resin. The softeners contain several feet of porous resin. Normally, a resin is covered with negative ions that attract positive ions that are usually in hard water.
Therefore, the +ve calcium and magnesium ions stick on the resin while sodium ions are released into the water.
Once the resin gets saturated with calcium and magnesium ions the unit must be regenerated by rinsing it with concentrated sodium chloride (salt) solution.
Therefore, people who use water softeners much add a bag of salt to the unit to prepare the rinsing solution.
How do Water Softeners work?
All water softening devices have two basic components. These are the resin tank and brine tank. Basically, hard water comes into the water softener. The resin tank is filled with resin beads. Hard water goes through the resin bead.
The resin bead pulls out all the sediments in the hard water. The hard water is converted into soft water. Water comes out with a little salt but not a lot. Resin takes out all the hard water sediments, ions, and iron.
All the contaminants found in the aquifer underground are taken out before water gets to your tap. A water softener always needs to be kept full of salt because salt is used for the process of regenerating the resin media.
The brine tank is a container full of salt. When the water softener wants to regenerate, it pumps water into the brine tank which is full of salt, and it dissolves the salt in the brine tank. Then pumps the salty water from the brine tank into the resin tank through the resin bead and cleans it. Depending on the kind of water softener you have, you can set it when you want it to go through the regeneration cycle eg after 800 gallons, 900 gallons, and 1000 gallons.
Top Control Valves for good water softener
A frequent question that comes up when people are looking to buy a water softening unit is which is the best control valve for water softeners in the market today? Three of the most popular valves in the market are Fleck, Autotrol, and Clack.
While Fleck and Autotrol have been around for a long time Clack is a relatively new valve that has gained in market share.
From the onset let me state that all these three valves are trusted brands and will work very well. Let me dive in and look at each valve in detail to find out which between Fleck, Clack or Autotrol is the best.
Fleck Valve
If you have done your research, you have come across some water softening unit that use the name fleck, but you should know that fleck is not a water softening unit but a control valves installed in different brands of water softeners
These valves are the most popular control valve in the market today. It utilizes a simple technology with only a single piston moving part. Because it uses unique parts the cost replacing parts is more expensive than other systems. Fleck makes electronic valves that are easy to use.
Many people falsely believe that Fleck is a water softener brand, but the correct position is that Fleck is the control valves that are installed on many water softeners brands. The company that makes fleck valves is known as Fleck Control Inc which is formerly known as Fleckenstein, Inc. Fleck Control Inc is a subsidiary of Pentair Plc, incorporated Ireland and deals in “Water Treatment” and “Filtration Technologies.” Fleck Controls Inc builds many control valves with the most popular being Fleck 56000 SXT, Fleck 2510, and Fleck 1500.
Autotrol Control valve
Autotrol valves are made in Brookfield USA. An Autotrol valve uses valve disc technology.
Unlike the Fleck valve which has only one moving part, an Autotrol valve has 6 moving parts. These discs are opened and closed by a camshaft.
Autotrol valves are cheaper and the cost of replacing parts is not as higher which is unlike fleck whose parts are more expensive.
Clack Control Valve
Like the Fleck control valve, clack uses a single-piston technology. According to many experts, the Clack valve is a superbly designed valve that is reliable and is easy to use. In addition, it’s not expensive and the replacement parts are not pricey. One thing you should know Clack valves not readily available like the valves because they are not sold over the internet. On the market, you will find other valves from other companies such as genesis, whirlpool, and Pelican.
Which is the Best resin?
Resin refers to a sticky organic substance that is obtained from plants, and it is insoluble in water. It’s mostly used in the manufacturing of glues. It’s used as a medium where ion exchange takes place inside water softeners.
If you are looking for the very best resin for your device, you should know that basically, the difference between different brands of resin is not that significant. What you should know is that basically there are two types of resins. This is Standard resin and Fine mesh resin.
The standard ion exchange resin is the one that is commonly used to soften water and removes iron up to 4 P.P.M This resin works great when you have water with less than 3-4 P.P.M of dissolved iron. One advantage of this resin is that it lasts long and it can go for up to 10 to 15 years.
Fine mesh is a resin that is physically smaller and it is tightly packed together. The fine mesh can effectively remove dissolved ion of up to 8 P.P.M from water. When used in combination with activated carbon fine resin can remove a majority of the most common contaminants such as hydrogen sulfide from water, and it improves smell and test.
Resin Cleaners
Resin cleaner is a liquid that is used to clean the resin bed of water softeners. If softener works for a long time without the resin being clean, the efficiency of the system reduces because of the accumulation of calcium and magnesium ions. The resin cleaner is typically soaked overnight, rinsed, and regenerated with brine solution Some of the common brands of resin cleaners are Recep, Super Iron Out, and Industrial Cleaner 3105.
Grain capacity
Hardness is measured by grains per gallon (GPG). As the softener works on hard water, the resin becomes more saturated with negative ions. Regeneration is the process of refreshing the resin by getting rid of the calcium and magnesium ions using a salty solution.
The grain capacity of water softeners is the number of grains a water softener can handle before it is regenerated. One grain of hardness is equal to 1/7000 pounds of rock.
How often should salt be added to a Water softener?
Knowing when to add salt to a softener and factors to consider can make the difference between having soft water when you need it most and struggling with hard water for a long time in the house. The question that follows then is how often to add salt to softeners?
As you will soon find out, generally, experts recommend that, generally, you should add to the brine tank once or twice per month depending on some factors such as the hardness of the water.
What to consider when selecting water softeners for iron removal?
A limited amount of iron sticks on the surface resin. To enhance the amount of iron that sticks on the resin. A special fine mesh resin softener contains a smaller bead which gives iron more surface to dissolve in the water.
In addition to a fine mesh, resin cleaning the resin with a resin cleaner will ensure almost 100% iron removal.
The capacity of the softeners
Because water softening devices work by trading hard mineral in water for the soft mineral in water through ion exchange, the capacity is the amount of water softeners will purify before it needs to be recharged.
Water Timer Regenerators- these types of water softeners regenerator based on a timer, for example, once every 5 days. Meter Regenerator. These types of softeners keep track of the amount of water you’ve used. After you’ve reached a certain amount, it will automatically regenerate itself.
Iron Removal Methods
Although iron is a good material for construction, it has very many other uses like iron is found in the blood for transporting blood. Iron has an atomic number 26 and weighs 55.85. The melting point of iron is 1.536 C. Although iron can be toxic, you cannot intake such a big amount through water such that it becomes toxic. The acceptable level of iron in water is 0.3 milligrams per liter.
There exist several methods of removing iron from water other than using water softeners. The use of iron water filters to remove iron has been used for a very long time. It is based on iron reacting with air. Some of the filtration materials used include manganese greensand, Birm, MTM, and sand.
Iron water filter has the limitation that oxidation (adding air) does not take place with speed and the surface area is limited. Water Softener Iron Removal Additive
Kdf-85 media
Kdf media is a mixture of copper and zinc which is an effective absorbent material for many water contaminants such as chlorine, bacteria, and algae. KDF-85 is a good water filter for removing iron from well water.
Water softeners Frequently Asked Questions
What is hard water?
Hard water is water that has high levels of calcium and magnesium. What makes the water hard is that these minerals (calcium and magnesium) don’t like to be in a solution or dissolve. These minerals have a tendency of wanting to come out of a solution state into solid-state and attach to things. When these minerals attach to things they become scale scum. Calcium and magnesium minerals also bond with detergents and soaps to create scum. Therefore, hard water is a big problem for most people who use well water.
Hard water naturally occurs because of the hydrologic cycle of water. Water evaporates from the oceans and lakes, it turns into clouds, it precipitates back to the ground, and water that percolates through the soil and rocks into the water aquifers dissolves the rocks which are rich in calcium and magnesium.
So the water in the underground aquifers is hard water. Although hard water is rich with many types of minerals, calcium and magnesium are the troublesome ones because they want to come out of solution-state into solid-state. Hard water creates scale because these minerals stick with the surfaces of the things hard water comes into contact with.
Hard water problems are not limited to people who use well water. This is because many cities and municipalities get their water supply from underground sources. The city water that comes from underground sources tend to be hard water. Surface water supplies such as lakes and rivers don’t have hard water problems because they are feed by rainwater which is not rich with minerals.
How to test for hard water?
Testing if you have hard water is simple. You only need to get a test strip that you put in the water. You then check the color of the strip. The most accurate test of hard water is a chemical test that gives the level of hardness (grains per gallon) you have in your hard water supply.
Problems Associated With Hard Water
Although minerals such as calcium and magnesium are beneficial to the body, they cause many problems when in high amounts in water. There is a real cost associated with hard water. The most basic cost of hard water is having to clean limescale buildup off your shower doors, dishwashers on your appliances and glassware.
Damaging pipes
When the amount of minerals in water is very high, it results in a build-up of limescale inside the pipes. limescale build up inside the pipes will result in the water pipes becoming clogging. Worse still, the minerals can reduce the life of housing plumbing.
Damaging water appliance
Another hazard caused by excess minerals in well water is damage to water appliances such as heaters and washing machines. The limescale tends to accumulate inside the water appliances and clog the inner parts. Persistent accumulation of these minerals will result in parts of the water appliance getting broken.
Staining of water faucets and Sinks
Using well water with lots of minerals will result in staining of the water faucets and stains sinks, toilets, and showerheads. The staining of faucets and sink is worse when the amount of iron in water is high. In addition, when you use water with a high amount of iron to wash clothes, they become stained and don’t look clean.
Skin Irritation
Bathing with hard water can cause dry skin and irritation for some people. Worse still, hard water can make worsen conditions such as acne and dry hair. softened water is also great for your hair.
Minerals tend to build upon the skin and block the skin pores. When the skin pores are blocked, the skin becomes itchy and dry. Showering with soft water is healthy because soap leathers easily in soft water.
What’s the frequency of adding salt?
How long the water softener stays without needing more salt to be added depends on the hardness of the water being processed by it? When the well water has a hardness level of above 10 grains, the device will consume a lot more salt compared to when the hardness is lower?
In addition, well water with a high level of iron in water has a propensity to consume more salt than water that is iron-free. This is because iron can only be removed through a process of ion exchange which consumes a lot.
How fast salt is used up by a water softener also depends on the amount of well water consumed in the house. Houses with a huge consumption will tend to deplete salt faster.
In addition, Old softeners use more salt than new ones. The number of years a unit has been in operation will determine the efficiency of the water-softeners.
Finally, Some types of salt will dissolve quickly. The type of salt being used will determine how much it’s used. On the other hand, you can modify the softeners to consume less salt.
A good solution for reducing the consumption of salt is to buy a water softener that has a remote monitoring alert. These types of salt-based water softener systems will alert you when salt is about to run out, so as to ensure you keep receiving the high-quality well water.
How much salt should be added to a water softener?
For best results, the level of salt should be around 3 inches above the water level in the brine tank. Experts recommend that you strive to have it fill-up of the brine tank up to around the halfway mark of the brine tank.
Therefore, if you have a large tank, the amount of salt the tank takes will higher. The standard size of tanks is normally around 9 inches in diameter. Tanks that are above this range will consume more salt.
However, if you have extremely hard water, it might require you to add salt more regularly because more salt will be consumed. However, as we had said earlier, old equipment will deplete it more quickly.
Common Problems Associated with softeners
The water softener is not using salt
Salt-based water softening devices need to consume salt for them to function. At some point, you might face a situation where the unit seems to be performing, but it is not depleting the salt while at the same time the quality of well water is deteriorating.
This is caused by a salt bridge. What happens is the molecules on top bind together tightly and forms a thick solid such that water is not mixing with salt. This solid crust is what is referred to as a bridge. When a bridge forms ion exchange between salt and water doesn’t take place. It is mostly caused by putting too much salt in the tank and high humidity.
The solution for dealing with a salt bridge it to look for sticks such as broom or mob and use the handle to break up the crust into small chunks. Before doing this, you should ensure that you have turned off the incoming water.
Blockage of water softeners
Like other appliances, Even the water softeners face the risk of minerals accumulating and creating a blockage. The same way timescale normally accumulates and blocks plumbing systems. Softeners can run into the same problems, and thus, preventing water from flowing into the softeners. Blockage can easily fix by following user manuals.
Dysfunctional Resin Beans
Best salt using water softening devices normally have resin beads installed inside. This is used to ensure that the unit is functioning properly by being the source of positive ions that replace negative ions in water. Although this resin is long-lasting, they sometimes get depleted and therefore need to replace. One sign that indicates that you need to replace your resin beads is when you start seeing them on the surface of the water. Another indication that you have a damaged resin bed is when the unit regenerates and you don’t notice the improved quality of water.
Motor Failure
As you probably know motors can sometimes fail. Although it is not common for motors to spoil, you should be on the lookout in case of sudden failure of the appliances. Motor failure can be caused by improper lubrication, misalignment, wrong installation, and incorrect handling. To prevent motor failure, it is important that you keep regularly maintain your motor. Ways of maintaining motors include regular cleaning and changing of filters
Dirty Filters
Because all water softeners make use of sediment filters at the beginning of the filtration process. Well Water sediments like minerals can accumulate on this water filter thus causing water pressure to reduce, or even cause water blockade. To prevent this from being a challenge from materializing it’s important that you regularly change your sediment filter.
Deciding how often salt should be added to the well water softening systems depends on how hard the well water and the rate of consumption of water. Generally, it is recommended that you refill salt once a month or twice a month. Well water that is very hard will tend to deplete salt quickly. The amount in the brine tank should be around halfway. Therefore, the larger the tank the more salt will be needed.
Thanks for stopping by. If you are looking for more information check out related posts below.
Can water softener cause low Water pressure?
One thing that common issue that comes out with well water softener users is low pressure. Ideally, a water softening unit should not cause low pressure. The issue is mostly a result of a wrongly installed system or wrong sizing.
Read more: Can Water Softener Cause Low Water Pressure?
Can softeners cause acne?
A softener does not cause acne. In fact, it can prevent acne because it removes minerals such as magnesium and calcium. When these minerals interact with chemicals such as soap, they create a white substance that sticks to the skin. This substance blocks the skin from ventilating properly and this can cause or worsen acne.
Because a water softener is very effective in removing these minerals, it helps to prevent acne. If you install a high-quality water softener, you will notice a difference in your skin and hair.
What is a Softener cleaner?
This is a liquid for cleaning softeners. They are used to clean resin beds to make the water softening more efficient and increase the flow rate. While water softening units are able to remove minerals such as calcium and magnesium, they are not able to clean some minerals such as iron, manganese, and other contaminants.
What is Water Softener Discharge
Discharge refers to the salty water that is released by water softeners after regeneration. This discharge should be disposed of carefully because they are harmful to the environment when it flows into rivers. House water softeners are responsible for a lot of salty water that goes into water bodies in the US.
Fleck Water softeners Reviews & comparisons
Fleck water softeners are some of the most popular water softeners in the market which are made by Afwfilters. Read our detailed post that compares three of the best models Fleck 5600 vs Iron Pro 2 vs Iron Pro 3- (Comparisons, Pros & Cons)
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