Water Filter Vs Water Softener Detail Guide

Last updated on October 3, 2019

Water Softener and Water Filters are two different products used for 2 different purposes. So, Let’s start discussing the usage of both products.

A water softener is used to soften the hard water, later it uses to wash clothes, dishwashing, or for bathing purposes. Whereas a water filter makes water drinkable. It removes dirt, bad smell, and other harmful chemicals from the water and makes it suitable for drinking.

What is the best solution to hard water? The mineral contained in hard water can indeed help in healthy bone formation. However, the disadvantages of using hard water surpass the benefits that you can gain. For instance, hard water leads to the clogging of plumbing systems. You can spend a lot of money on repairs. Besides, bathing using hard water is harmful to human health.

The mineral ions block the pores on the skin leading to inflammation. When the salt ions accumulate so much on the skin, soap cannot penetrate through while bathing. You end up having old and itchy skin. Also, hard water does not lather quickly with soap. You will be required to use a lot of soap for simple washing, and this can be so expensive. It is also known for staining clothes.

That is why we have to do all it always takes to use soft water. It is the only way we can protect ourselves from these damages. Two main approaches can be used to treat hard water, the use of filters or softeners. Which method should you consider? Do they offer similar results? This blog discusses in detail the features, advantages, and disadvantages of the two options. Water Filter Vs Water Softener – Read to the end and know the one that best suits you.

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Water Softeners

As we mentioned earlier, water may contain a lot of dissolved minerals which may have a lot of negative impacts when used. Water softener primarily focuses on eliminating these minerals. While many may conclude that water softeners are also water filter, when the word water filter is used, it covers a wide range of aspects, rather than just eliminating the substances that cause water hardness.

Water softeners use the ion exchange method to remove salt ions responsible for water hardness. The resins used in the system contain sodium ions. When hard water flows over the resins, calcium, and magnesium ions are removed and goes to the active site of the structure, where they are replaced by sodium ions.

Features of Water Softeners

Energy efficiency
Superior softening
Simple to use. The resins used are self-cleaning. The salt cabinet is also easy and straightforward to fill. The softeners are also made in a space-saving manner.
Upflow brining. Conventionally, hard water flows to the softeners via the resin bed above and should be allowed to flow throughout the resin and complete the ion exchange softening process. However, the water does not penetrate through the resin bed, indicating that the softening capacity is not optimized. But current water softeners use the Upflow brining approach to ensure the softening process is complete.
Contemporary water softeners feature a flow meter to indicate the latest water usage and allow softener regeneration when appropriate.
Digital display
Custom engineering

Advantages

Saves money. Water softeners make water soft, preventing clogging of plumbing systems. This saves money on repairs. Besides, softened water easily dissolves soap, meaning that you will not spend too much on soaps and detergents. Moreover, using softened water eliminates the negative impacts of hard water on your appliances.
Healthy hair and softer skin. The scums that form on the surface as a result of hard water affects the skin adversely. However, softened water reverses these effects
Bright and softer clothes. Water softeners protect your clothes from the side effects of hard water. What is more, soft water dissolves in the clothes quite easily, making cleaning very useful? Usually, the minerals in hard water make the color of the fabrics to fade over time. Using soft water prevents this problem.
Saves cleaning time.

Disadvantages

High operating costs. The system requires salt and water, and this can be quite expensive.
Has negative impacts on the environment. The wastewater can accumulate to harmful levels, especially in areas with extremely hard water.
Soft water can hardly be recycled since it requires a lot of resources.
Softened water may not be suitable for drinking due to the high concentration of sodium ions.
Installation is costly.

Water Filters

Water filters use several technologies to eliminate contaminants and their effects from water. To eliminate pollutants, advanced beds are used through various processes, including adsorption, ion exchange, and catalytic conversion. Additionally, oxidation and micron-filtration are also used. It involves a very complex process and eliminates all kinds of pollutants, whether natural or manmade.

Features of Water Filters

Uses a combination of processes, including ion exchange, oxidation, and adsorption among others
Removes both manmade and natural pollutants.
Potentially improves the taste and smell of water.
Cost-efficient.

Advantages

Improves health by eliminating all the types of contaminants in water, making it very safe for use and human consumption.
Saves money. With water filters, you no longer have to spend on bottled water.
Beneficial to the environment. Using water filters eliminates the need for bottled water. Plastic bottles are harmful to the environment.
Improve taste.
It eliminates hard minerals.

Disadvantages

Slow water output.
It requires regular maintenance, and this can be expensive.
The filtration techniques have limitations as well. For instance, no single filtration strategy can eliminate all the existing contaminants.
The initial installation cost is very high.

We have discussed in detail how each of the two approaches works. But then how do we compare them?

The Differences between Water Filter Vs Water Softener

The two approaches treat water differently. While water filters remove contaminants, water softeners eliminate minerals.
The technology used in water treatment is different. Water softeners use ion exchange strategy while filters employ a combination of processes.
They have different requirements for maintenance.

The Bottom Line

Water Filter Vs Water Softener are two different systems that aim at treating water. Which one has an edge? Well, we have discussed in detail how each of the two approaches works, their respective features, and advantages and disadvantages. Which one should you go for? The decision is yours!

John Morris

John Morris is a content writer who loves to write about cutting edge technologies related to water purification. He spends most of his time doing water quality and product reviews. When not working he loves swimming (naturally) and listening to music.