Salt Free Water Softeners/Filters

9 years ago

Hi,

I just drilled a new well for my home renovation project. The water results indicated a hardness of 111 and a manganese level of .08 mg/l (.05 is the limit), Iron was .14 (.3 limit). I would like to soften the water but do not want to use salt. I have a brand new septic system and do not want to destroy it or pollute my backyard with salt. When I researching online I find nothing but contradicting statements. I would like to remove the manganese from the water for cleaning/health purposes, not just prevent scale build-up. I also do not want to add salt to my water supply. Any suggestions?

Sort by:Oldest

Comment (1)

User
9 years ago
You can remove the iron/manganese and leave the hardness. There are a variety of methods for iron/manganese removal. The best method for your situation will depend on the complete analysis of your water, usage, well output, space available and budget. Here is a list of the possibilities to get your research started:
1. Oxidation/Filtration: An oxidizer such as ozone, air, or chlorine may be used to react with the iron and force it to become particulate iron that can then be removed via filtration. A typical setup would involve the oxidizing unit, a holding tank, then a media filter. This type of system works quite well, but takes some expertise in sizing - you would want a water treatment pro that you trust to help you with this option.
2. Oxidizing filtration media: This type of treatment consists of a sealed tank filled with one of several media. Water passes through and is oxidized and filtered by the media. These are relatively easy to operate and what I would recommend for the average homeowner. There are several different media that can be used:
- manganese greensand: water runs through for treatment. The media must be regenerated with potassium permanganate. Care must be taken with dealing with potassium permanganate as it readily dies organic material, such as your skin, a purple-brown color. Some people are quite comfortable dealing with the chemical; others are not.
- Synthetic greensand: This is essentially the same as option (a) but consists of a coating of greensand on a silica sand core so does not require as much backwash flow. Service flow rate is 2 - 5 gpm/sqft. Backwash flow rate is 12 gpm/sqft.
- birm: This media acts as a catalyst to force oxidation of iron. While it does not need to be regenerated, it does need fairly high dissolved oxygen in the water. If your water does not have adequate dissolved oxygen (and it probably doesn't since it is well water), air injection would be necessary prior to the birm. Additionally, birm requires a minimum pH of 6.8.. Service flow rate is 3.5 - 5.0 gpm per sqft. Backwash flow rate is 11 - 20 gpm, depending upon water temperatures and desired bed expansion.
- pyrolox: an ore that oxidizes then filters the iron out. It does not need regeneration, but needs to be backwashed (to rinse out the iron) at a high rate. pH range is 6.5 - 9.0. This type of filter works very well, but backwash is critical. Service flow rate is 5 gpm/sqft. Backwash is 25-30 gpm/sqft. Backwash daily.
- Terminox: Similar to Pyrolox, but a proprietary formula . It does not require as much backwash flow rate and is more resistance to a low pH. The particulars are only available from the company that sells it. Backwash daily.
- Filox: Also similar to Pyrolox. pH range 5.0 - 9.0. Backwash flow 12-15 gpm/sqft. Service flow 6 gpm/sqft. It must be backwashed daily.
Related Discussions
Water filter/softener advice? Considering Pelican salt free solut
Q
Comments (3)
I installed both the whole house carbon filter system and Natursoft Salt-free system in June 2013. The Pelican Natursoft salt free system does nothing to help my hard water issues. It claims to condition the water to prevent internal scaling in appliances and water heaters, etc...; After 2.5 years, i suffered from damage to my water heaters and other electronic systems from the hard water in my city (14 gpg level). IT DOES NOT WORK SO I RECOMMEND BUYING ANY SALT-FREE SYSTEM TO ADDRESS YOUR HARD WATER PROBLEMS. Pelican has shady customer service and reviewing system. Take note that none of their "reviews" on their site are negative, and they surely failed to post my 1-star negative review. I wish Pelican Water should have just recommended me to purchase their salt-based ion exchange system (traditional system), as I would be a happier customer. Their 90-day warranty is bologna! You won't be able to validate the effects of hard water damage to your system/appliance in that time. The damage will have to take much longer time (over a year, in general) to manifest itself. Pelican Water - DON'T RECOMMEND THEIR SALES PRACTICES Salt-free "softener" - DON'T BE FOOLED BY *ANY* SALT-FREE SYSTEM FOR HIGH LEVELS OF HARD WATER I threw that piece of $h!t in the garbage. Got myself a Kinetico salt exchange softener to replace that piece of junk.
...See More
Anyone using a No Salt Water Softener for your new home?
Q
Comments (3)
We had a 'no salt' water softerner that is, as described, an electrical unit. I measured the rust content before and after installation, and it most definitely reduce iron levels. We've since switched over to a NO Salt water softener; they are much larger and significantly more expensive, but work much better.
...See More
Water filter vs. water softener for boiler problem
Q
Comments (10)
deedee, The size, type, and complexity of the equipment required will be dependent on... 1. What is in the water that needs to be treated. 2. Number of people in your home. 3. SFR and plumbing requirements. Without knowing all three variables there is no way to even ball park what you'll need. Could be as little as $500 or a few thousand. How about this... Get a water test from an independent lab. An independent lab has no agenda and won't be trying to sell you water treatment equipment. Go to http://www.epa.gov/safewater/labs/index.html to locate a certified lab near you. This is a MUST DO because without it everything is a guess. A quickie water test from Sears or a water softener company won't be as accurate (and possibly not as competent) as from a certified independent lab. Hit the Yellow Pages and call at least three local water treatment pros. Make sure you call at least one of the big dogs like Kinetico or Culligan for comparison and at least a couple independent pros. DON'T TELL THEM YOU HAD YOUR WATER TESTED. Give each an opportunity to offer suggestions and provide you with a quote to meet your water treatment needs. IGNORE ANY THAT DON'T TEST YOUR WATER THEMSELVES as they can't speak intelligently to water treatment without knowing what needs to be treated. Ask lots of questions. Softening the entire house or just the water heater (bad idea)? Warranty, parts & labor or just parts, how long and on exactly what? Install, permits required, licensed plumber? Routine maintenance and costs? Do they stock parts? Response time for emergency (water leak) calls? If they don't explain things to your satisfaction that is a good indicator of how you'll be treated after the sale. After they've gone use your water test to compare with theirs. Are all your treatment needs being addressed? Ask your neighbors if they have any water treatment experience. They might tell you who's good or who to avoid. Come back here and post the specific recommendations and hardware components with the costs and we'll give you our opinions.
...See More
Yes or No to Easy Water (no-salt) water softener?
Q
Comments (40)
I'd love to believe that these no-salt water softeners work as it is a chore to lug salt to the water softener but none of them have an understandable scientific basis with solid controlled experimental evidence to support it. While conventional water softeners work on a clearly understood and easily confirmed chemical process. When we move to our present home, it was clear our water had unacceptable levels of calcium in it. We're on a neighborhood well and well water in many regions has this problem. We have both a front loading washer as well as a continuous melting ice maker. Both had problems with our water immediately. Continuous melt ice makers don't tolerate scale at all. The deposits on the freezing plate interfere with the sheets sliding off and cause the unit to jam up. I was having to clean the freezing plate on ours monthly. Front load washers also have all sorts of problems with hard water. The soap forms scum deposits which quickly become smelly. I was running two packs of washing machine cleaner through ours every month to try to combat this. Plus I had the usual scale on the dishes and bath fixtures, plus the soap scum buildup in the showers. I installed a basic Whirlpool water softener from Lowes and this immediately solved all our problems. I clean the ice maker about once a year which was the same frequency I had done it in our previous house on city water. And occasionally I run a washer cycle with washing machine cleaner but no longer does our washer continuously get smelly. This is also a good place to point out that the science behind calcium removal using resins with salt or potassium salt is the same across all brands. I won't argue that $3,000 water softeners have a lot of extra features that you will not find in a $400 Whirlpool one. BUT the way the remove calcium is exactly the same. They ALL use an ion exchange resin that substitutes sodium for the calcium. Periodically the resin is flushed with super saturated salt water to unbind the calcium, dispose of it, and replace it with more sodium for a new cycle. Note, it is a myth that water softeners add salt to your water, they add sodium, not salt. For those that are concerned with sodium intake, for a little more money, potassium chloride can be used instead of regular salt in just about any resin based water softener. As a plus with potassium, those with gray water systems can have a water softener and still use the waste water on plants and the lawn.
...See More

Salt Free Water Softeners/Filters

Comment (1)

User

Related Discussions

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US