Water is one of the most basic necessities for every person so as a homeowner, you would also want to have a cleaner and safer water system that’s running on their homes. This is where water filtration systems come.
Installing a water filter in your home gives you the benefit of getting purified water that’s free from any possible harmful contaminant which can compromise your health. Though for someone who’s still new to the water filter system, you might mistakenly get a water softener over a water filter or vice versa.
Both of these products offer the same service, which is to remove any possible contaminants from your local water system. Though both of them have different degrees on the amount of contaminants that they’re able to filter out. In this article, we’re going to discuss the difference between water filters and water softeners and which one do you actually need.
Healthier and Tastier Water for Your Home
The current problem with today’s water system is that it isn’t able to filter out most of the dangerous contaminants such as toxic chemicals and deadly pathogens. Some of these contaminants can also enter your local pipelines through possible leaks or breaks.
According to The Spruce, with the help of a water filtration system, it’s possible to avoid all of these contaminants by blocking all of these possible dangers from entering your home.
Once a water filter or a water softener is installed, it’ll help you avoid getting any inconvenience or fear of ingesting any harmful substance to your body.
Experiencing Hard Water
From USGS.Gov, Hard water is water that has high amounts of mineral content such as calcium and magnesium in it. This is commonly found in areas where there are high concentrations of minerals in their water supply.
The problem with hard water is that it can cause a scaling effect where mineral calcium deposits start to clump up in your appliances. This causes white spots or a “scaling” effect which can be frustrating to remove.
Another problem with hard water is that, if left untreated, the mineral deposits can start to clump up around your water pipes, leading it to get clogged up.
The Way Water Softeners Work
Water softeners were invented in order to solve the problem with hard water. It uses salt and brine filters to filter out the sediments and minerals found in hard water which converts it into soft water once it gets inside your plumbing system.
As the sediments and minerals found in hard water are greatly reduced, scaling and white spots are now almost impossible to occur. This lack of mineral buildup prevents clogging and helps your water-using appliances to run efficiently.
With the help of a water softener, you’ll also experience a healthier bath soft water helps your skin and hair stay soft and hydrated.
How a Water Filter Works
Although water filters offer a huge help in preventing your dishes and appliances from white spots and scaling, sometimes it’s still not enough to give you cleaner water.
As said before, there’s a possibility of harmful contaminants to enter your local water supply which can be dangerous if left untreated. As said in Americanhomewater, by installing a water filter in your home, not only can it convert your hard water into soft water, but it can also stop various harmful contaminants from entering your home.
There are several kinds of water filters currently available in the market, each of them having their own kind of advantages. Purchasing the right water filter will require you to ask a professional as there are several factors to consider in order to get a water filter that’s able to support your home.
Specialized Water Filter Media
Another advantage of getting a water filter for your home is that it contains a water filter media. This is a replaceable part of your water filter and is responsible for filtering out various contaminants found in your local water supply.
What’s great about this product is that there are different kinds of water filter media, each of them being able to filter out specific kinds of contaminants.
If you want to make sure that your home’s water supply is free from those specific contaminants in your local water supply, you can replace your filter with another one that’s able to neutralize them out.
What Type of Filtration do You Need?
Although the obvious winner between these two products is the water filter, that still isn’t the case for this. A water filter system also has a lot of disadvantages that can cause a lot of burden to the homeowner.
There are also cases where using a water filter is overkill due to your local water system being so clean that there’s actually no contaminants in it that can cause any harm.
Though you can still say that installing a water filter can add assurance on preventing your home water supply to be contaminated. This may sound logical, but it’s best for you to know more about the disadvantages of installing it in your home.
Cons of Using a Water Filter
The main disadvantage of installing a water filter is that the costs of installation can be very expensive. It also needs regular maintenance and most water filter consumes a lot of electricity which can be a big problem when you’re tight on your budget.
Another problem that you might encounter is the slight decrease in water pressure on your home. This may sound like a minor inconvenience but this can affect how fast water is able to fill up or if it’s not strong enough to reach the upper part of your plumbing system.
This issue may force you to buy a water pressure pump which is also expensive and can increase your electricity costs.
Conclusion
Both the water filter and water softener has their own purpose, advantages, and disadvantages that you should take into account when purchasing one for your home.
It’s also a good idea to ask a professional to check your home and local water system in order to tell you which water filtration system works best for you.
