Salt and Carbon Water Filters

The two main types of commercial water filters are salt filters and carbon filters.

The two main types of commercial water filters are salt filters and carbon filters. Salt filters, which are often used in water softeners, are advertised on TV as inexpensive, but the ads may fail to mention that frequent refills are required. Also, salt filters block certain minerals from your water supply and replace them with sodium. The resulting sodium acids are corrosive to your plumbing and appliances and can harm pets and plants. The worst short-term effect is the speed with which these sodium-based compounds speedily corrode pipes and appliances, which translates to expensive maintenance and repair.

Carbon water-filtering systems, on the other hand, don’t replace the minerals in the water. In fact, they don’t add anything. They simply remove the unwanted compounds and leave the water tasting cleaner and fresher. Carbon filters are safe for plumbing and appliances, and they effectively filter out all chlorine, pesticides, and other contaminants, while leaving in the minerals that are good for you. Scale buildup in pipes is reduced without depriving you of the nutrients you need. Through a proprietary carbon filtration process, calcium and magnesium are restructured, rather than replaced or eliminated.

Salt water filters are on the decline in water treatment systems. More and more people are opting for the technologically more advanced carbon filtering systems to better protect their health. In the long run, these systems are cheaper, too, as less maintenance is needed.

Can you afford to buy a water filtering alternative that gives you soft water without adding sodium acids? Maybe the more important question is whether you can afford not to. Today's best water treatment systems are more inexpensive than you might imagine, and they will save you hundreds in maintenance by extending the lives of your pipes, hot water heaters, and washing machines.

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