The Truth About Salt-Free Water Softeners 

I was about to order a salt-less system for 3500 bucks. I am on a well with lots of iron. Thank you very much so glad I did more research.

As someone who has had a water softener for over 20 years as a solution to chronic excema I want to clear up a myth that everyone seems to misunderstand. The water in your system does NOT become salt water. The salt solution is used to clean the resin beads which collect the limescale when it regenerates. It is kept separate from your water and heating system and is flushed down the drain. If you can taste salt from your tap then your resin tank has a leak, which should not happen. You will not end up with salt water rusting your radiators and pipes.

Wow I have been all over you tube and this is the only one just educating me on the different options. Seems like all the others are trying to sell me on a specific brand. This is by far the best water cond/soft I have seen so far.

Just moved from the west to the east coast I've been using a softener for over 30 years. I didn't know the difference between two types of systems until watching this video. Now I can make my decision with confidence on which I will add to my new house. You did such a a good job with this video that I am confident, that if I felt like coming out of retirement I could help you sell either unit😅

The best, clearest explanation of non-salt water conditioning systems that I've heard. Thanks!

Sir, I “enjoyed” learning about the differences between the two major process types. It will give me another bit of information to store for future reference. It is nice to find a sales person that takes the time to explain the true areas of application for the product that they represent. Thank you.

Thank you very much for specific information. For few days I was confused with lot of products in market. Their saleman saying conditioner as softner and lying to people. This particular video cleared my doubts. Awsome

Hi John I'm learning a lot from your videos! Thank you for that. I'm curious: would you ever considering a micropore-size spin down filter or other fine filter in-line between a water conditioning unit and a water heater? Would such a practice remove those hardness microcrystals so that you can reap the anti-scaling and detergent-improving rewards of water softening with less need for softening salt? Thanks!

Really informative, thank you. I have a ion exchange softener and was thinking of changing to a "salt free" conditioner, but your information here saved me from making a mistake. Thank you!

A clear concise explanation about salt free water conditioners, thanks!

Excellent explanation, you make it so easy to understand the benefits of this system. Thank You.

Great learning curve - I am researching our house and trying to make the correct solution. You will be getting a call soon - thanks for the info.

Hi. What about drinking this kind of water? This is my current hesitation. If this method makes bigger pieces of minerals ( bigger "salt" pieces ) then , when you drink this water , theese pieces may be withhold by your kidneys and this may cause kidney stone. Have you got any clue about this?

Wow! That was an incredibly informative video! Thank you very much!

It is fairly easy to descale a tankless water heater. Add service valves and get a descaler kit. Valves are around $80, kit around $150. Lots of videos on doing it yourself once a year.

Working in this business for years this a very well informed video! Thanks

Very helpful. I live in Arizona where the water is very hard. I have a tankless water heater in my condo and just had a Pelican Water conditioner installed. I also had an RO filter installed in the kitchen and to the ice maker. WOW! My dishes aren't spotted, my shower is clear and my ice cubes are like diamonds!

Well done on unbiased and honest guidance!

Excellent balanced informational video. Thanks.

used a Pelican salt-free system for 20 years. i'm on a private well, and I still have the original 36 year old hot water heater too. salt-based systems destroy concrete septic tanks (unless you have a dry well to empty them in). (i had 2 salt-based systems for 16 years, and will never go back to one)

The only informative video about saltfree softners on youtube! Thunbs up!

Great video. My mom was sold a "chemical-free water softener" which was clearly due to her desire to be more 'natural' and 'green'. She was told it would work exactly the same as any water softener. Needless to say, it doesn't do what she wanted it to.

Really helpful information that was hard to find anywhere else!

This is the most thoroughly informative explanation of water conditioners i have found. We installed a NaturalSof system about 15 years ago, and though I'm pleased with it, I wish I had seen this video before we made our decision. Thank you.

Great video guys. Culligan didn't tell me anything about water conditioners.

Thanks for clearing this up.

I appreciate the information-explained so well and easy to follow-Thank you

Best explanation I’ve heard on these type of systems

Super information...great pros and cons...I learned a ton. Thanks!

Very clear explanation, thanks

Thank you very much for this video. I live in well water area and I was going to purchase a Nuvo h2o. Thanks again.

Excellent presentation! Thank you for the information!

Great over view - So ideally you are looking at a pre filter - A carbon filter - The salt medium to soften and the reverse osmosis for the kitchen and fridge?

Thank you for a seemingly unbiased review of pros and cons of each system. There are many videos and websites that discuss this, and most seem very biased and sales-y. I do have a question -- I am on well water in CO outside of Denver. I had a water test done and I have hard water -- the test results were 50 mg/L of Calcium and 20 mg/L of Magnesium. Is this a candidate for a salt-free conditioner, or am I going to be best off with a salt based system? I like the idea of being more environmentally friendly and also lower maintenance, but if a salt based system is the correct solution, then that is what I would go with.

Thank you for this very informative video!

Thank you for commenting on well use.

Very informative. Appreciate for a clear explanation. Thank you.

Enjoyed the video. Learned a lot. Looking at a house that has hard well water with PPM at 521. The water is visibly clouded with iron. Hate the water softeners because of the sodium. Can I not use a a salt free water softener?

Very well explained - thanks!

Thanks for clearing it up

Great explanation. Thank you.

Absolutely educational; thank you sir!!!!

Excellent presentation!

Great, easy to understand explanation. Thank you! We are on fairly hard well water so I'll be looking for an upgraded softener.

What I like about this video is it's unbiased and objective. Thumbs up!

Good info. Some one tried to sell me a very expensive water softner. Id rather have a non salt system.

Thank you very much for a clear explanation!!! You are so kind!

You are a great teacher John! Í love your way of explaining. Question: Can a Scale Inhibitor/ conditioner be used along with a Reverse Osmosis membrane or must it be a true softener (municipal Water supply) ??

Very good and clear explanation

I already have a conditioner that was "advertised" as "reducing" the hardness of the water. This is a very helpful video and it helped me get a correct assessment of choices available in the market.

Our city water comes from well. Good video

Thanks. Can I have recommendations on whole house salt-free conditioners that are high quality, reliable, and with a great price ? My goal is to not see and clean on a regularly basis all the build-up on the plumbing fixtures/tubs/stainless steel sinks...etc from the minerals.

really good info!

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I am going with salt free for my new home

Are water conditioners good for pre-treating water for reverse osmosis, or are water softeners better? We have very hard water but no other chemicals including chlorine. Thanks.

Thank you for the clear explanation. I was hoping for a scale inhibitor, but with the Fe & Mn in our well water will definitly preclude us from that option.

Great content, very clearly presented

Hi...my wife and I are in a home that has a pump and well. What are my best options for filtration and water softness?

Thank you for explaining the differences so well, but I do got a question. It is stated that the scale inhibitor system does not work with well water because of the iron- manganese problem. However, what if you place an iron- and manganese filter before the water enters the scale inhibitors filter? It is quite normal with two or more filters installed in order to achieve the optimal result. Why is this variable taken out?

Great video, a wealth of knowledge and well explained. Sad it leave me out as I have a well with rough water.

Thanks for this. I'm on a private well with very hard water. My water softener did the trick for 14 years, and while it still functions through the cycles, the media is no longer doing its part. I was close to buying a scale inhibitor. I didn't know the effect that iron and manganese have on the media. Thanks for saving me from a wasteful mistake. I know the fix is to replace the media, but I am also curious about the Electronic Descalers. They are pricey, yet 95% of reviews are claiming they work.

Good job

If minerals get chrystalized would they get trapped by filter? Does itmake any sense to install filter after descaler?

I didn't see any instruction or notes about replacing my Pelican salt free media. Do they use a different salt free method or media?

Just saved me 700 bucks with this vid. Thank you sir

Very informative. Can this treated water be used to water the garden without killing the foliage? Salt tanks usage in a garden eventually kills the plants.

Very informative

I bought my house last year in a tiny middle of nowhere "town" of 970 people. When I did the walk through in the buying process I was surprised it didn't have a water softener... well it does but it's a "saltless" softener. The house is on the "town" water supply. After 1 year of being here I'm having the POS saltless unit replaced with a salt water softener that ACTUALLY softens the water. I've had to clean my shower heads from scale buildup twice and my kitchen faucet once in the 1 year I've been here. I rarely use my dishwasher because it leaves white crap all over the dishes. I had a plumbing inspection done from the company I deal with for plumbing and hvac needs. I already knew I had hard as hell water because I bought test strips. Without saying a word to the inspector he noticed within 5 minutes by just looking at my fixtures I had hard water and decided to do a test. My water is 4x harder than what's deemed acceptable. Which explains why I had to replace my washer a couple months ago. He said I should get a traditional softener installed because I have a tank less water heater and hard water will fucking destroy it and tank less units aren't cheap to replace and they're supposed to last like 20 years. The house was built in 2016..... and in the time between having my offer accepted and closing the original tankless water heater started leaking and fried the circuit board. So literally the day I moved in the water heater was being replaced. My current unit is 1 year old. So obviously I agreed with the plumber (really... had my doubts about the effectiveness of a saltless unit confirmed) to have a real water softener installed. So... long story short.... if you want calcium/ sediment buildup on EVERY fixture and water marks all over your shower.... and enjoy replacing all your appliances that b use water every 5 years..... then go ahead and get yourself a saltless unit. If you like clean clothes, a clean body, and want your appliances to actually last a reasonable amount of time.... go with a salt water softener. My plumber (a fairly large company that covers the state) says he thinks saltless units are kind of a gimmick. Take that for what it's worth. But from my personal experience I can't help but agree. For those that think salt units add salt to your water.... no. Just..... no. The salt used to clean the resin beads will leave behind sodium.... but it's such a finite amount. You won't taste salty water. Milk contains more sodium. Does milk taste salty to you? At the end of the day... even if it did make salty water.... I'd rather drink that and have appliances that last a decade+ instead of having to replace them every few years.... oh.... and not have to take apart every faucet to clean out the insane amount of scale buildup a saltless unit will not prevent because it doesn't remove calcium or magnesium not softening shit. Saltless units a 100% a gimmick IMO. I'll take buying the $5 bag of salt once every 2-3 months vs..... replacing my tankless water heater every 5 years... or washer every 6 years.... or dishwasher... or fridge.... and clean every faucet from scale buildup every few months.

Thank you lots of great info !

the crystal it creates can be filtered by those carbon filter?

Very informative video. thanks

What is the standard, if there is any, to classify/categorize a water softener as high efficiency ?

Thank you, very interesting

Geat explanation. THX a lot!!, One uncertainty is bothering me thow. You said that this scale inhibitor is not recomended for well water because of iron and manganese present. What if i use filter (eg. Oxyline plus) that will remove this particles? Would this be effective then?

thank you very easy to understand.

interesting - in San Diego county, with pretty hard water - I am getting a lot of scale build-up on a Eccotemp 4 gallon electric mini-tank water heater. This supplements my central hot water to my condo, I use it when needed, turn it off when I don't. I was considering adding a clearwave electronic water conditioner, or a scale inhibitor filter - one caveat is that I have the central hot water going into the cold side of the Eccotemp, and of course hotter water coming out of the hot side when I use the Eccotemp - so the filter (if I use one) has to be able to handle regular hot water temps on the inlet side. Thoughts?

Does TAC change with temperature of water as in it reverts back to calcified water being stuck in the pipes again?

Great video and explanation. One question not answered is often softened water is plumbed to NOT run to ice makers and the kitchen. How is this decision made between conditioned (descaled) vs softened water?

I'm leaning toward the WS. But someone told me the more hard ur water is, the more salt is exchanged in the ion exchange. So, since our water is pretty hard at 24gpg, does that mean our water will be pretty salty? If yes...how hard until the salt is not good for health?

which Systems is best for Dallas, TX area ? Salt softner or Salt-Free systems? How much it cost for bed room Home ?

Very useful information

What if the water is iron-free but the pipes coming to the house are old rusty iron pipes? Will that clog-up the salt-free water conditioner too? Or is it a difference if the iron is breaking of a pipe or solved naturally in the water?

Good, helpful info.

Are siliphos systems worth looking into?

Thank you for this great video. Do you do any work in Phoenix Arizona? I love the feel of soft water and what I would love to have is a soft water system and the D scale filter along with carbon. I have one problem I don’t have a soft water loop and I’ve got a driveway between my hose bib in the front of the house in my garage. If you do any work in Phoenix, please let me know I would love to get a quote.

What about filtration / softners for Commercial Ice Machines, coffee makers etc? Mix/match, use just regular filters etc?

Excellent video.

A scale inhibitor is 700 bucks minimum, a salt cylinder is about 40 and a bag of salt is around 10. So I would have to live 300 years to break even.

Excellent explanation and unbiased. I have been looking and looking for a comparison review of whole house water conditioning systems. What are differences in technologies or "proprietary blends" of media that some of the companies claim. Pelican, RainSoft, LifeSource, RayneWater, Kinetico ... the list is endless. Donating to Consumer Reports today and hope they conduct a review.

Thanks for the product knowledge. We are on private well water. Our water does not test high in iron or manganese content in our well. Would the salt-free conditioner work with my well in general if that is the case?

That was a great video thank you

What about the electronic descalers like Calmat, etc?

Thanks for the nice explanation. Both systems avoid scale buildup which is very important. The information which I'm not able to get from any of such review videos is about the health pros/cons of both the systems. I'm holding onto buying either of the systems because I'm still looking for the answers to the following questions. Could you please help? 1. Does Softener adds very little amount of salt to the home water? Is this good for health? 2. Conditioner keeps all the minerals within the home water. Is this good for health? 2. I read in manuals that Softener are not good for the in-house water Filtration systems and water Heaters(which u explain here though). Is this true? or which one is better for the specified appliances?

hi John,fresh water systems could make it a lot easier for people to know what they are ordering off their website if they put the size filter that the big blue canisters take like (20x4.5 filter)rather than only saying 20 inch large capacity and a model number that means nothing unless you start doing web searches

Very informative! Thank you.

I’ll add this as water heater pretreatment after I finish replacing all the old galvanized pipe with Pex-A. The existing scale is probably helping to hold our rusty pipes together.

Excellent 👍🏿

I just bought a house on a well with 2 of those black tanks a little bigger than the one in the video and a white tank from the video. It does regenerate and drains into the septic system. There is no salt and no scale build up on any of the fixtures. Do I have the system you mentioned or something different

You did a great job explaining fairly the differences. My advice would be when talking to your local dealer if they call the salt free systems water softeners then run the other direction.

How do you dispose of the descaling media after it is no longer effective (3-5 years)? Can it be washed down the drain?