Does On The Go Rv Water Softener Go Before House Filters ?

Adding a Pre-Filter Protects and Improves the Effectiveness of your Water Softener

Okay, and then you've decided to install a sediment filter with your h2o softener, but you're wondering if yous should install the water filter before or later the softener.

A sediment filter should ever go before your water softener. A water softener is non made to remove silt and dirt, that'south what a sediment filter is made for. A sediment filter installed before the softener will protect and prolong the life of your h2o softener.

What'due south in Your Water?

You've probably heard information technology before, but the best way to know what is in your water and how to deal with information technology, is to have your water tested.

This is the only style to know for certain, what'due south in your water and how to treat information technology.

Well-nigh people are reluctant to test their water, because information technology costs coin and takes effort to send it to a lab. I get it, I tend to exist frugal this way.

Ane uncomplicated and free approach you can practise is to fill a large clean, white container from your cold water and run into if you tin can notice whatsoever discoloration or particles in the water. A white 5-gallon pail is perfect for this home exam, or even your bathtub.

A large body of h2o is easier to spot murkiness or discoloration in water. You lot'll too want to look for whatever particulates floating, or settling to the bottom.

Install a Sediment Filter, Just in Case

Clogged sediment filter. — A fouled sediment filter.

At this point, you may desire to install a filter, even if it's just to capture a small amount of sediment. For those of us on well water, having a sediment pre-filter is a must.

A h2o supply from a municipal source is less likely to accept sediment and particulates in it, but it'southward still not uncommon.

Perchance yous already know that you desire to install a sediment filter. You've seen particulates in your water, or perhaps you've noticed traces of sediment in your toilets. In that case, I would suggest installing a Point of Entry sediment filter, subsequently your Holding Tank (if on on well), simply merely before your h2o softener.

Clay, silt, sand, and other types of sediment will make your water softener less effective and shorten the life of the softeners resin chaplet. Removing these contaminants will protect your softener.

If you lot can find ane, I suggest installing a clear filter-housing, so that yous tin visibly come across the condition of the filter without having to close the valves and remove the housing for inspection. With a glance, I tin chop-chop see the condition of my filter to run into if it needs changing.

A dirty filter will have a thick glaze of medium-brownish colored sludge, as shown in the image above. As the sediment on the filter grows thicker with utilise, water pressure in the house gradually drops and is very noticeable.

Varying Levels of Contamination

Dirty sediment water. — Muddy sediment water.

At sure times, my well water tin run fairly clean, where I don't take to alter my sediment filter for weeks. Other times, during periods of prolonged rains, or during prolonged dry atmospheric condition, my sediment filter seems to get chock-full much more quickly and I have to modify information technology out nearly in one case a week to restore our water force per unit area.

At my place, when I turn on a faucet and notice it's flowing slower than normal, or if the force per unit area drops a lot when more than than one person is running water in different parts of the firm, I also know it's time to modify out my sediment filter.

The Water Softener is Also a Filter

The water softener itself is a filter. A water softener is meant to filter out calcium and magnesium minerals, not particulates and dirt. If dirty water is immune to catamenia into the water softener, dirt can collect on the rotating valves in the controller and become inoperable. This is some other skilful reason to install a sediment filter before the softener.

Water softeners will remove pocket-size amounts of iron, merely are non specifically designed to treat high concentrations. At that place are more effective means to deal with high iron levels. We'll discuss this in some other post.

Postal service Softener Filtration

Adding a carbon filter, placed after the softener will remove any chemical contaminants that may be present in the water, such as chlorine, and agricultural pesticides and herbicides.

Conclusion:

A pre-filter is non necessarily needed for all water softener installations, only if your h2o comes from your ain private well, installing a sediment filter is usually a necessity.

A whole-house filter housing with sediment filter can be low cost. A proficient one tin can be as piffling as $60. Replacement filters are also reasonably priced. If y'all have only a few particulates in your supply water, and so it could be many weeks before you need to alter out your filter.

This will assure that you're protecting, not only your water softener to keep it working its best, but also protect your other water-using appliances (dish washer, hot h2o heater, clothes washer, reverse osmosis drinking water filter, etc.

So, it boils down to how clean your incoming water is. Having a pre-filter earlier your h2o softener is a smart thought. It will extend the time betwixt softener regenerations. Y'all will prolong the life of your softeners resin bed, by pre-filtering the h2o with a Sediment filter.

These Crystal Quest Water Softeners come with both a sediment pre-filter, which protects the water softener, and a carbon cake post-filter to remove chemicals, tastes and odors that may be nowadays, for a well-rounded water treatment system.