Salt-Free Systems

NOTE: This is a 2023 update of a blog published in 2015. For over a decade, marketing companies have been selling customers on the idea of salt-free water softeners. It's unfortunate that salt-free water softeners don't really exist. The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines soft water as, “Water that is free from dissolved salts of such metals as calcium, iron, or magnesi...

The New (and Better) Alternative to the Fleck® 9000, 9100 and 9500 and Kinetico® It was over 35 years ago when Fleck Controls® (now owned by Pentair®) came out with a new type of metered water softener control. It wasn’t that many years prior to that when the first metered water softeners hit the market. Fleck® was one of the first companies to do this when they released the Fleck® 56...

If you are in the market for a water softener, water filter, salt-free conditioner, or a reverse osmosis system, it would seem logical to “Google” something like “Best Water Softener” or “Best Reverse Osmosis System.” That’s what many people do without really understanding what is happening. When you Google “Best Water Softener” the search will take you to a page where it says s...

We live in a world where information is readily available on nearly every subject.  Water quality is no different.  More and more consumers are becoming aware of troubling contaminants and problems in their water supplies.  Flint, Michigan is but the tip of the iceberg.  There are likely 2,000+ cities with similar problems due to aging infrastructure and poor maintenance practices, as well as ...

To many families the joy of home ownership is sometimes spoiled when they find out that their "Home Sweet Home" has water that is less than desirable. For the record, that happens to be a pretty high percentage of the homes in the United States. However, no matter what the water problem(s) might be, "Point-of-Entry" water treatment is simply the best solution, whatever the problem(s) might be. ...

Can I Use a Water Softener With a Septic Tank? Frequently, potential customers contact us and say “I can’t have a water softener because I have a septic tank.”  That statement, in and of itself is completely untrue. It is simply not true that water softener regeneration discharges pose a problem to septic systems or to the leach field. Studies have shown that water softener regeneration wa...

At US Water Systems, we have been working on the next generation of water softeners and water filters for quite some time and the future is now here.  Beginning this month, we will release the future of water softening and filtration, NOW! Before I tell you about our new releases, let me first tell you what the parameters were on what we wanted accomplish: We wanted a system that was as cl...

You might have acid water if your copper plumbing looks green and corroded, if you sometimes have "pinhole" leaks in your copper plumbing or if you see greenish-blue stains on sinks, faucets, fixtures, or inside your toilet tanks. Any or all of these issues can indicate that you have acid water. Water with a pH of 7.0 is considered to be neutral.  If the pH is above 7.0, the water is considere...

Tankless water heaters are gaining popularity all over the country for a variety reasons, but the Top Two Reasons undoubtedly are (1) saving money on energy; and (2) never running out of hot water.  To me, unlimited hot water is the biggest deal.  If you have several persons in your family, especially teenagers who may take long showers, then you know that the last man (or woman) often gets a co...

A reader recently asked: "Have you guys ever tested how much salt is actually put into the water supply with a salt-based water softener? How do salt-free conditioners prevent calcium and other minerals from coming out of solution? Does this prevent the body from absorbing such minerals? There are so many videos out there that say one thing or the other, but they're all sales pitches which ...

Anyone who has hard water knows about "Limescale" in pipes and appliances, but did you know that limescale rarely forms in the cold water plumbing?  Ask any plumber - they can tell you that limescale is prevalent in hot water lines, hot water heaters and the hot water side of appliances and plumbing fixtures.  Why is that?  It's very simple - when hard water is heated, the hardness precipitat...

"Isn't that wonderful that Big Name Water Conditioning Company is going to send out a Water Consultant and give us a water analysis absolutely free?"  Maybe you have experienced that and it sounds great, but let me remind you that you usually don't get anything for free without some strings attached.   There are exceptions and before I start, I would like to say that there are some very pro...