Perhaps you own a water softener, but are wondering if a pre-filter should be installed before your softener? Or perhaps you’re considering installing a water softener but want to get it right from the get go?
Depending on the quality of water coming into your home—a pre-filter may indeed be what you need!
My first suggestion would be to get your water tested. Water can be tricky and the best way to figure out what you need to do is to have a water analysis conducted on your water by a local water treatment professional.
Sometimes people shy away from a “water test” because they worry that a salesman is going to put undue pressure on them to purchase. The truth is, if a company offers a “free water test” then it should be exactly that—a free water test with no strings attached. If a water professional puts pressure on and makes you feel uncomfortable, then kindly say “good bye”. Hopefully you’ll find a water treatment professional whom you trust and feel comfortable doing business with, because a WATER TEST is your absolute best way to know what’s in your water—and subsequently, get the best assessment on what equipment is needed to give you the clean, good water you seek!
A prefilter is often highly recommended with the installation a whole-house water softener system. This isn’t because a water softener can’t do a good job, but simply because there may be contaminants in your water that a water softener isn’t made to remove.
If the water entering your home looks milky, hazy or cloudy, you may have dirt, sand, sediment, clay, silt, industrial waste, or other organic substances in your water. A whole-house prefilter can play an important role in preventing dirt, sand and other large particles from entering your home’s water supply and potentially damaging the fine moving parts and the water softening media inside your water softener. A prefilter will also protect the appliances and fixtures in your home.
If you’ve seen red staining in your sink or tub, this may be an indication of high iron content in your water. Colors or staining in water can also come from galvanized iron, steel, or cast iron pipes in a home. Manganese often accompanies iron and results in dark brown or black staining. Since softeners are not designed to address undissolved iron and manganese, a whole-house particle filter is good solution for reducing and/or eliminating insoluble iron and manganese. Again, this particle filter can also serve as a barrier protecting your water softener/conditioner from clogging and thus extending the life of your unit.
These are just a couple of reasons why a prefilter may be recommended. After your water test is complete, discuss all possible options with your water treatment professional.
› Reduce chlorine
› Reduce organic and inorganic substances
› Reduce total dissolved solids (TDS)
› Ultra-fine filtration by reducing extremely fine particles
› Reduce suspended particles
› Remove sand and dirt
› Reduce insoluble iron and manganese
› Protect water-using appliances from damage
› Protect the Reionator or other water conditioner from fouling
