One of the most common water contaminants that most homeowners struggle with is iron. The presence of iron in water can cause an unpleasant sight and smell, stain your kitchen fixtures, damage plumbing, and even affect the taste of your food. Most homeowners would consider purchasing an iron water filter to fix the problem, while others would pick a water softener. It is indeed confusing to choose a product when you have so many options that claim to address your issue.
Here is a comparative analysis between iron filters and water softeners to help you select the water solution that suits you best.
What are Iron Filters?
Iron water filters are specifically designed to remove iron from water. They are typically installed at the entry point of water in your home so that only filtered, safe water reaches your taps.
How Do Iron Filters Work?
Iron filters generally have a single tank that contains a media bed made of a natural oxidizing agent, which attracts the iron particles in water and oxidizes them to insoluble particles. These particles are then filtered out, thus ensuring that 99.9 percent of the water is free of all iron.
Regular backwashing or regeneration of the system can help maintain the iron water filter in excellent condition. This process will remove all the insoluble iron particles from the media bed and restore its optimum level of oxidation.
What are the Advantages of Using an Iron Water Filter?
Removes Other Contaminants
Sulfur and manganese can highly alter the appearance and odor of the water and so a filter that can remove all three – iron, sulfur, and manganese can be a great deal. You may find iron filters that remove other contaminants such as sulfur and manganese, too.
Low Maintenance
Iron removal filters are easy to maintain because you can set the system to undertake regeneration. Unlike other water treatment solutions, iron water filters do not use cartridges that need frequent replacement. You can set the system to backwash and use the media bed for about 6-8 years.
Salt and Chemical Free Operation
Iron filters do not need salt or additional chemicals to filter your water. Hence, you save on the expenses towards salt and chemical top-ups. Furthermore, you can save yourself the trouble of adding these to your water treatment product. This way, you get the cleanest and safest water for your use.
If you are wondering whether iron filters perform adequately with well water, you need not worry because they are an effective solution for well water.
Removes Excess Iron from Water
This may sound repetitive but you need to know that an iron filter can remove excess iron – both soluble and insoluble. Reports show that most iron filters can remove at least 10 parts per million of iron and 5 parts per million of sulfur and manganese.
What is a Water Softener?
A water softener is a solution that removes hardness, or in other words calcium and magnesium from hard water.
How Do Water Softeners Work?
There are two types of water softeners – salt-free conditioners and traditional salt-based softeners. If you are looking for a solution for removing iron traces from water, the salt-based softener is a plausible solution to your issue.
Salt-based softeners use the ion exchange process to treat water. In this process, water passes through two tanks in the water softener – a resin tank and a brine tank. The resin tank is lined with special resin beads that attract hard water ions. Once the ions come in contact with resin, an equal amount of sodium is released into the water.
While water softeners remove iron traces and hardening elements; they are not as effective if the water has a very high concentration of iron in it.
Advantages of Water Softeners
Get More Solutions
Water softeners are a great water solution for hard water. They are also capable of removing iron from the water. Hence, water softeners give you more!
Plethora of Options
You will find more options in water softeners as compared to iron filters. You can choose a product based on price, design, and efficiency.
Specific Softeners for Hard Water
If you are looking for a water solution that will remove iron and soften water, you can find softeners that are designed to remove excess iron content from the water. With these softeners, you can tackle high iron content and hardness in your water.
Need expert advice? Reach out to Peninsula Water Conditioning Inc – where you can take a look at the best products for water filtration in Maryland. You can also consult our experts to find the product that best fits your requirements.
How Can Peninsula Water Conditioning Inc. Help?
Peninsula Water Conditioning Inc. is one of the most trusted, locally-owned, and authorized companies providing products for water filtration in Maryland. We are committed to offering the best possible solutions for different water problems.
You can reach out to us by calling us at (410) 341-6500. We would be happy to help you find a suitable water treatment system for your home!
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