Whole House Water Systems

Ive been reading this fourm and searching the many home water systems for some time now. Im looking to get a whole house water filter system to provide healthy drinking water no matter where I am in the house. I also want a whole house system to provide healthy water in the showers/tubs. I have a 3.5 bath home, but there is only 2 of us living there.

I have city water that has normal levels of contaminants with a slightly higher level of lead.

I do want to soften my water however I dont think I want to use a salt based system which will cause me to use a reverse Osmosis system due to the loss of nutrients and water waste involved.

Ive seen the saltless softeners, but I read here that they dont really soften the water, they "condition" it? What is the difference there?

So my question is, what water filter system should I use, and what direction should I go to soften my water when I dont want to use a salt based system.

I would only recommend shower head filters to those that can not install a POE GAC filter.

The price of the unit is low, but the cost of replacement filters adds up quickly over time.

Homeowners are better served by point of entry whole house systems.

H2O_MAN wrote:

I would only recommend shower head filters to those that can not install a POE GAC filter.

The price of the unit is low, but the cost of replacement filters adds up quickly over time.

Homeowners are better served by point of entry whole house systems.

Would that be a disposable cartridge filter or upflow or backwashed type filter?

HOW MUCH SHOULD A WHOLE HOUSE SYSTEM COST

Is water that is softened via potassium chloride drinkable without using RO?

Calcium in water is dissolved rock. Humans are not set up to assimilate rock.
Dissolved rock becomes kidney and gal stones in the human body.
Drinking mineral rich H2O is not a wise thing to do.

Consider natural dietary food sources for your wifes calcium needs.

Hard water is not a health hazard. In fact, the National Research Council (National Academy of Sciences) states that hard drinking water generally contributes a small amount toward total calcium and magnesium human dietary needs. They further state that in some instances, where dissolved calcium and magnesium are very high, water could be a major contributor of calcium and magnesium to the diet.


Much research has been done on the relationship between water hardness and cardiovascular disease mortality. Numerous studies suggest a correlation between hard water and lower cardiovascular disease mortality. The National Research Council has recommended further studies on this relationship.

Hard water treated with an ion exchange water softener has sodium added. According to the Water Quality Association (WQA) the ion exchange softening process adds sodium at the rate of about 8 mg/liter for each grain of hardness removed per gallon of water. For example, if water has a hardness of 10 grains per gallon, it will contain about 80 mg/liter of sodium after being softened with an ion exchange softener if all hardness minerals are removed.

Because of the sodium content of softened water and potential benefits of drinking hard water, some individuals may be advised by their physician not to install water softeners, to soften only hot water, or to bypass the water softener with a cold water line (usually to a separate faucet at the kitchen sink) to provide unsoftened water for drinking and cooking.

Until municipal water systems we were all drinking water with some level of mineral content.
And indeed we are set up to assimilate rock, which is why we need minerals in our diet.

sigh..
ok..
I just thought I was missing something.

sigh..
ok..
I just thought I was missing something.

I think you are missing the fact that when using surface water for the source of your drinking water, that's prior to water wells, man ingested usually softer waters than we do today when most of our water is ground water coming from wells AND...

The info in your quote is anti water softeners. As most water companies and universities and guv'mint agencies are because they don't want people clamoring for softening of all the water the water companies produce, distribute and sell residences, commercial establishments and industries that can not have hard water damaging their water using appliances, fixtures and/or plumbing and manufacturing processes and products. Not to mention their hair, skin, clothes and all fabrics etc. washed in hard water.

The AWWA (American Water Works Assoc.) and its water company membership say that water is soft until it has more than 150-180 mg/l of hardness in it. That is from 8.77 to 10.5 gpg! No one other than the guv'mint agrees though, because they see the outcome of using water that hard.

BTW, when you soften the cold water to the water heater only, and then mix any hard cold water with softened hot water, you are using hard water, and that is a very dumb idea IMO. And all you have done is to prevent scale build up in the heater, you still have all the problems of hard water everywhere else in the building.

You should also look up how much water a person has to drink to get any measurable benefit from the minerals it. I can tell you that the amount is substantial.

Also, that 80 mg/l of added sodium if 10 gpg hardness is removed by an ion exchange softener... check the label of a loaf of white bread for sodium and you normally see 120-160 mg PER SLICE. A glass of skim milk has much more than a liter (roughly a quart) of that softened water; 40+% more.

I question why the universities etc. don't mention any of that in there dissertation on hard water and ion exchange water softeners.... To me it makes them sound as if they are agenda driven; and I've been reading their stuff for over 20 years, it is always the same stuff, with a new revision date and different author.