Puritec - Total Water Filtration System
#1
09-19-06, 10:57 AM
Puritec - Total Water Filtration System
Puritec claims there 'Total Water Filtration System' is a maintenance free water filter and conditioner. Any opinions on these types of systems. For softer water, can it really do a "better" job than a regular water softener. I would love a maintenance free system, but am leery of buying something online without any input. Thanks.
#2
09-19-06, 11:35 AM
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To "soften" water is to remove calcium (among other things like iron) and that is commonly done by one of two methods.
One method is ion exchange as done by a water softener. A water softener exchanges either sodium ions (if using NaCl) or potassium ions (if using KCl) for calcium ions in the hard water. That's it, no ifs, no ands, no buts, and no sales double talk. Simple chemistry and physics. Softening water is not black magic. It is physics and chemistry. No matter how hard sales people try (and want) to they can not violate the laws of physics or change the nature of chemical actions and reactions.
The other is by a filter, but no simple filter will remove calcium. You would need a reverse osmosis unit large enough to service your entire house. You would not want to pay for that big an RO nor pay for the service and routine maintainence it would require and RO water would be very agressive in your plumbing.
NO magnet(ic) gizmo, as the Puritec, or an electronic gizmo will soften water but people waste their money on them EVERYDAY.
To "claim" is easy ... to back up the claim can be really difficult.
Now, on to "maintainence free" ... any correctly sized quality water softener is a minimal maintenance appliance. Add NaCl or KCl once a month or so and clean out the brine tank once a year if you buy quality salt or use KCl. I've got 26-28g hard water and we use a bag of KCl a month or about $80 per year and a total of 1 hour yearly to clean out the brine tank.
A single resin tank softener will regenerate at 2AM (if set to do that) and you'll never know it did or if you buy a twin resin tank softener it will regenerate as needed and switch to the other resin tank for 24/7 soft water.
Pick the right softener (not a box store brand) and get a competent install and you should go 15-20 years.
Now here's the MOST IMPORTANT thing, water treatment begins with a complete water test so you know what needs to be treated or filtered out to get the quality water you want. Are you on a well or a water system? Do that and post the results so we might help.
One method is ion exchange as done by a water softener. A water softener exchanges either sodium ions (if using NaCl) or potassium ions (if using KCl) for calcium ions in the hard water. That's it, no ifs, no ands, no buts, and no sales double talk. Simple chemistry and physics. Softening water is not black magic. It is physics and chemistry. No matter how hard sales people try (and want) to they can not violate the laws of physics or change the nature of chemical actions and reactions.
The other is by a filter, but no simple filter will remove calcium. You would need a reverse osmosis unit large enough to service your entire house. You would not want to pay for that big an RO nor pay for the service and routine maintainence it would require and RO water would be very agressive in your plumbing.
NO magnet(ic) gizmo, as the Puritec, or an electronic gizmo will soften water but people waste their money on them EVERYDAY.
To "claim" is easy ... to back up the claim can be really difficult.
Now, on to "maintainence free" ... any correctly sized quality water softener is a minimal maintenance appliance. Add NaCl or KCl once a month or so and clean out the brine tank once a year if you buy quality salt or use KCl. I've got 26-28g hard water and we use a bag of KCl a month or about $80 per year and a total of 1 hour yearly to clean out the brine tank.
A single resin tank softener will regenerate at 2AM (if set to do that) and you'll never know it did or if you buy a twin resin tank softener it will regenerate as needed and switch to the other resin tank for 24/7 soft water.
Pick the right softener (not a box store brand) and get a competent install and you should go 15-20 years.
Now here's the MOST IMPORTANT thing, water treatment begins with a complete water test so you know what needs to be treated or filtered out to get the quality water you want. Are you on a well or a water system? Do that and post the results so we might help.
Last edited by justalurker; 09-19-06 at 05:05 PM.
