In order to work properly your home appliances require regular maintenance and on-demand repairs. Appliances have a tendency to not only degrade over time, but also to wear out quickly when exposed to hard water or water containing sediments that have not been removed before entering the home. Both hard water and sediment-laden water cause inevitable damage to your domestic appliances.
With that in mind, there are home improvements that can help you out. They guarantee to prolong the lifespan of your home appliances and save you money as a result. Of course, I am talking about: Whole house water filters and water softeners…
Whole House Water Filters Can Change Your Life for the Better
In accordance with the CDC, no water filter is 100 percent effective at eliminating all dangerous pollutants from water. However, some have proven to being close to 100% effective, and whole water filters are one of them.
How Do Whole House Filters Work?
Whole house water filtration systems are manifold and provide comprehensive solutions to any problem that you might experience with the quality of your water. They can lower water hardness, eliminate sediment, or combat the unpleasant taste of your drinking water. It is important to note that once you use a whole house filtration system, clean and healthy water is provided not only to your kitchen faucet but throughout your entire home.
To prevent water from damaging your home appliances, you should consider purchasing a carbon filter system. Its primary function is to block large sediments but also to provide you with healthy drinking water, in essence, killing two birds with one stone.
The process of carbon filtration is straightforward. It requires 3 stages:
- Step 1 – The Pre-Filter Process
Already at the pre-filter stage, large particulates and harmful pollutants, which can potentially cause clogging or somehow negatively impact the appliances in your home, are removed.
- Step 2 -Activated Carbon Filtration
During this stage, the number of detrimental contaminants is significantly reduced or completely removed, for improved taste and odor of your drinking water. Moreover, chlorine as well as chloramines, which can be detriment to your health, is captured likewise.
- Step 3 – Post-Filter Process
Post-filters are responsible for catching tiny impurities remained in the water, not allowing them to degrade any household devices.
What Are the Best Whole House Water Filters?
Based on customer reviews, top-rated whole water filters are:
- The Springwell CF1
- The Aquasana EQ-1000
- The Home Master HMF3SDGFEC
There are many more systems on the market that might be better suited for your water, though, depending on its condition as well as your water usage patterns.
Why Water Softeners Are Worth It
Even though calcium and magnesium are beneficial to people’s health, they are the enemy of any domestic appliance using water. High concentrations of these minerals contained in tap or well water causes hardness. If the hardness doesn’t get removed, it will cause scaling in the entire plumbing system of your home, damaging everything including pipes and fixtures. As a result, the plumbing system becomes less efficient over time. Sooner or later, the different components will require replacement.
The Science Behind Water Softeners
Water softener systems are specifically designed to combat hard minerals. This means that the treated water will not cause any trouble and the life of your home appliances will increase considerably.
For example:
Research conducted by the Water Quality Association has shown that the lifespan of the heating elements in electric storage water heaters could be extended supplying the units with softened water. Furthermore, showerheads and faucets using hard water clogged in a short period of time. But once the units were feed with softened water, they continued to operate without problems.
To sum up, there is enough evidence proving that investing your money in water softener will result in extended life of home water equipment of all kinds.
How Does a Water Softener Work?
Salt-based home water softeners, also known as ion exchange systems, are able to effectively remove calcium and magnesium along with other minerals from water. The minerals are captured by resin beads and exchanged for other ions (usually sodium and sometimes potassium).
When the resin beads reach their capacity and cannot exchange ions anymore, they need to regenerate. During this process they are exposed to brine water, a highly concentrated salt solution which washes all minerals off the beads. The waste then flushes down the drain and the whole softening system is ready to soften hard water once again.
Which Water Softeners Are the Best?
Harsh scale buildup in pipes and fixtures is not the only issue homeowners have encountered. When it comes to well water, owners have reported that quite often they also struggle with iron contained in the water. To overcome both water hardness and iron contamination, water softeners seem to be the best solution.
There is no doubt that due to the popularity of water softeners, there are plenty of choices available. Amongst the most popular are:
- The Aquasana Salt-Free Water Conditioner
- The Fleck 5600SXT
- The Pelican Water Softener
To help you make the right decision and invest your money, we recommend taking a look at this comprehensive guide on Water Softeners for Well Water. Because truth is, there is more to choosing a suitable water softener for your home than making sure it removes hard minerals effectively. For one, properly sizing a water softener is equally important.
To Conclude
It is imperative to know that each appliance in your home, whether it is the washing machine or water heater, requires proper maintenance according to the manuals and instructions that come with them. We strongly advice you paying attention to the guidelines of your devices and follow them.
But we have also provided you with a few effective tips for prolonging the life of your home appliances such as installing a house water filtration system and a water softener. Both can ultimately save a lot of time, effort, and money. After all, your home devices will keep working properly as long as you take good care of them.
