We all want to know that the water coming into our homes is healthy, whether we use it on our bodies or ingest it. One way to ensure that your water is better for you is to use a water treatment system.
There are many ways to treat the water in your home, and some of those treatments include water softeners and water filters. While these treatments use different methods and remove different contaminants, they can both help the cleanliness of the water in your home. It depends on your priorities and home, which one will work best for you or if having more than one water treatment system in your home makes sense.
Read more below to understand the pros and cons of water filters versus water softeners and decide if one or both would work in your home.
What Is A Water Softener?
A water softener is a water treatment device that removes hardness-causing minerals from your water. A water softener primarily removes calcium and magnesium:
- Calcium – A significant contributor to water hardness and can cause buildup on pipes and appliances.
- Magnesium – Another major contributor to hard water and can leads to scale buildup.
A water softener provides many benefits for treating water in the home. When calcium and magnesium are removed from the water, it prevents scale buildup on pipes and fixtures, improves the cleaning process, extends appliance lifespan, and improves the softness of skin and hair. These benefits make a difference in the everyday things you use in your home.
What Is A Water Filter?
A water filter is a system designed to remove impurities and contaminants from water, improving its quality, taste, and safety. It can be used for various purposes, such as drinking water, cooking, bathing, and protecting household appliances. Water filters come in different types and use various filtration methods to target specific contaminants.
Critical Differences Between Water Softeners and Water Filters
Purpose and Function:
- Water Filters are designed to remove various contaminants. These filters target specific contaminants such as sediment, chlorine, heavy metals, bacteria, and viruses.
- Water softeners are designed to remove hardness-causing minerals such as calcium and magnesium.
Types and Methods
Water filters come in many shapes and sizes. The different filters include:
- Activated carbon filters – Removes chlorine, VOCs and improves taste.
- Sediment filters – Removed matter like sand, silt, and rust.
- Reverse osmosis systems – Removes dissolved solids and heavy metals.
- Ultraviolet filters – Kills bacteria and viruses.
- Ceramic filters – Removes bacteria and sediment.
- Ion exchange filters – Can remove specific ions, such as heavy metals.
Water softeners also have different types that might work better in certain homes. The different types include:
- Salt-based ion exchange softeners – Use sodium or potassium chloride to replace hardness minerals.
- Salt-free water conditioners – Uses technologies to prevent scale formation without removing hardness minerals.
- Dual-tank systems – Provide continuous soft water by using two resin tanks.
Applications
Water filters can be used throughout the house for the different sources that your water comes from, such as the shower or faucet. The applications include:
- Point-of-use systems – Installed in a specific location, such as under the sink or on the countertop, to provide filtered water for drinking and cooking.
- Whole house systems – Installed at the point of entry to provide filtered water throughout the entire home.
- Portable filters – These are used in portable water bottles or for outdoor activities.
Water softeners usually have one way on how it is applied and used in the home:
- Whole house systems – Installed at the point of entry to soften all the water used in the home.
Benefits of Water Filters vs Water Softeners
Water Filter Benefits:
- Improved taste and odor – Removes chlorine and other chemicals affecting taste and smell.
- Healthier water – Eliminates harmful contaminants, making water safer to drink.
- Versatility – Different types of filters can target a wide range of contaminants.
Water Softener Benefits:
- Prevents scale buildup – Protects pipes, appliances, and fixtures from scale deposits caused by hard water.
- Improves cleaning – Enhances the effectiveness of soaps and detergents, reducing soap scum and residue.
- Extends appliance lifespan – Reduces wear and tear on appliances that use water.
Limitations of Water Filters vs Water Softeners
Water Filters:
- Do not soften water – Standard water filters do not address water hardness.
- Filter replacement – Require regular replacement of filter cartridges to maintain effectiveness.
- Targeted contaminants – You may need multiple types of filters to address all contaminants in your water.
Water Softeners:
- Does not remove all contaminants – Only addresses water hardness; it does not remove other contaminants like chlorine, sediment, or bacteria.
- Salt use – Require regular addition of salt or potassium chloride and generates wastewater during regeneration.
- Space and installation – Requires space for installation and may need professional setup.
Choosing the Right System for Your Needs
When looking at a water filtration system or a water softener and deciding which would work best for your home, there are many things to consider.
With a water filtration system, consider the following:
- Water quality – Test your water to identify the specific contaminants present.
- Filtration needs/priorities – Determine whether you need a whole-house system, a point-of-use filter, or both.
- Flow rate – Ensure the filter can handle your household’s water usage.
- Maintenance – The frequency and cost of replacing filter cartridges or performing maintenance.
- Certifications – Look for filters certified by organizations like NSF International to ensure they meet performance standards.
With a water softener, consider the following:
- Water hardness level – Logan Services provides free testing of your water hardness to see what levels you have in your home.
- Household size/water usage – Depending on how small or large your home is depends on the capacity of water softener you will need. The number of people living in the home also affects your water usage.
- Regeneration method – There is timer-based and demand-initiated methods. Depending on the method you pick, efficiency, cost, and simplicity are involved.
- Space and installation – Ensure there is sufficient space for a water softener to be installed in your home, along with space to be able to check it and fill with salt regularly. Logan Services has professionals who will install a new water softener in your home today.
- Features and controls – Some models of water softeners have digital controls that monitor water usage and cycles. Some other alerts and things can be set up with different features.
- Budget – Consider the price of the unit as well as the cost of salt and regular maintenance. You might need to stay within a specific range, but our team can help walk you through the best options for your home and water.
- Water quality – If you have more than hardness in your water you might want to consider supplemental filters or a combination system.
Water filters are best for improving water quality, taste, and safety by removing various contaminants. Water softeners are best for addressing problematic water issues by removing hardness minerals to prevent scale buildup and improve soap and detergent effectiveness.
Call Logan Services for Help Choosing Your Water Treatment System
Deciding between a water filter or water softener? Contact Logan Services today! Our team will come into your home and provide a free water test, looking for hardness-causing minerals and contaminants that may be in your water. Our experts will then talk to you and go over the best treatment for your home.
If you feel that the water in your home needs to be improved, call our team today! We will schedule you and ensure that we find the best solution for your needs and your home.
FAQ
Which is better, a water softener or a water filter?
It depends on what specific water issues you are facing and what you want to achieve with your water treatment system. A water softener removes hardness-causing minerals, and a water filter removes a wide range of contaminants from water (not hardness-causing minerals – calcium and magnesium).
What are the disadvantages of a water softener?
The disadvantages you may face with a water softener are that they don’t remove some contaminants like sediment, high levels of iron, manganese, chlorine, bacteria, or chemicals. Regular maintenance is required for the upkeep of the water softener.
Do water filters soften hard water?
Water filters don’t soften hard water. They are designed to remove various contaminants from the water but not the minerals that actually cause hardness.
How do you maintain a water softener?
To ensure the adequate performance of your water softener, you will want to check salt levels regularly, use the correct type of salt, clean the brine tank, regenerate the system manually, clean the resin bed, inspect for salt bridges, test water hardness, get professional service, and check for leaks.
Does a whole house water filtration system include water softening?
A whole-house water filtration system doesn’t include water softening. You would have to add a water softener to the filtration system to remove the minerals that create hard water. This way, you can ensure that all water entering your home is treated for hardness and other contaminants.
