looking for a reasonable filtration system for my city water system in the Villages in Florida. Also one for my son in South Lyon MI. His is a little more complicated. He is on a city well. He has special needs. his youngest so has brain siezoursrs that require elimination or very low amounts certain chemicals in his water. this applies to bathing as well as drinking.

Hi Mark,
How do you get rid of iron and sulfur in the water? We have well water with a water softener, but the water still smells and I still have that lovely orange stain in my toilets and showers/bathtubs.

Been thinking that a RO for the whole house would take care of the problem, but from what you say in your article, that is not the case.

How do we remedy the issue then?
Thank you for your input.
Ginny

I have a water softner system as I am on well water. The system was put in by a local company called Kinectico. They say it will give me city like water. Well, it doesn’t and everytime I shower my skin feels dry or like it has a film on it and my wife’s hair is thinning and she also has a film feel on her skin after she showers in another shower in the house and she has to always use tons of lotion afterwards. Will a whole house RO system help me? I go on vacation to TN and never have an issue with my skin at any of the cabins I stay up there? Is it just that it is a bad softner system or is it in the pipes? Thank you.

Just found this article. I have been considering a RO whole home solution for my house. But looks like we might need a little more, or something different than that based on your article, plus what I know about the water.

We just drilled a well 2 months ago. Currently, we pump the water from the well into a 5000 gallon storage tank direct from the well (5.5 gpm). From there we have a secondary pump and pressure tank to keep the water at 40-60psi as it goes to the house.

We have had the water tested, and these are the results that we have determined:

Metals by EPA 200 Series Methods
Arsenic – None Detected
Boron 4.1 mg/L
Calcium 5.6 mg/L
Iron 0.15 mg/L
Magnesium 4.5 mg/L
Manganese 0.024 mg/L
Sodium 350 mg/L

Metals by EPA Method 200.8 ICP/MS
Copper – None Detected
Zinc – None Detected

Conventional Chemistry Parameters by APHA/EPA Methods
Color 10 CU
Odor – None Detected
pH 8.60 Ph Units
Specific Conductance (EC) 1600 umhos/cm
Total Dissolved Solids 810 mg/L
Turbidity 3.2 NTU
Hardness, Total 33 mg/L

Anions by EPA Method 300.0?Chloride 34 mg/L
Nitrate as 0.90 mg/L
Nitrite as N – None Detected
Sulfate as SO4 300 mg/L

Microbiological Parameters by APHA Standard Methods
Total Coliforms: Present
E. Coli: Absent

Hi Mark,

How often do you have to change out a RO membrane? I know they are pricey items. Also, how do you get rid of the white (lime??) residue that corrodes every thing and anything that is in my home? That stuff has utterly destroyed 2 hot water heaters now in only 17 years, literally rusting them in 2. And God knows how many bathroom, kitchen and outdoor fixtures I have had to replace. It does not bode well for my fish tank(s) and related equipment either. Fortunately my house is plumbed with PEX, but this does not keep the fittings from falling apart and consequently leaking. Again, fortunately all of the fittings are exposed and easily repaired. Would a RO filter economically survive such an environment? I had a under the sink system for 13 years roughly and honestly, it seemed good except the pre and post filters needed replacement way to often and cost a pretty penny. The RO membrane cost so much it was actually cheaper to replace the whole system!

My water supply is a community well that is tested multiple times a year with a 200 to 400 ppm TDS, and per the state and county exceeds minimum safe use and consumption standards. I have 2 full baths and 3 persons in my home.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Note – I am in the market but I research extensively before I do anything. And since I just finished replacing the hot water heater (again), I am attempting to locate a good economical way to clear up the water. I currently use a whole house sediment filter that runs at 1 micron. But again – this does not remove the “hardness”, just large amounts of them.

Thanks!
John Sagert

First off, thanks so much for all the great information Mark! :) I had read elsewhere that RO systems remove the minerals that cause water to be hard— but from what I’m gathering here, you’re saying that the minerals in hard water need to be removed with an anti-scalant or softener prior to going through an RO system, or those minerals can damage the RO system, is this correct?

Thanks so much for your help, Traci

I am on well water and have a terrible sulfur smell. We have been putting hydrogen peroxide down the well, which helps with the smell for a short time. we’re having to use it more and more often. We are researching what will be the best type of system for our problems. I really don’t like water softners because I don’t like the salt taste in my water. Can you please send me some information?

You guys need to fire your writers. I have a hard time taking you seriously when whoever wrote this copy doesn’t understand verb-subject agreement.

Erin,

Here is the link to our systems:

https://www.uswatersystems.com/systems/reverse-osmosis/whole-house-reverse-osmosis-systems

We have three sizes. How many in your home and how many bathrooms?

They are easy to install and we are here 7 days a week for tech support.

John,

First of all, we have many people with RV’s come to our facility and have systems installed. We are in Indianapolis, but I have no idea where you are.

We have a small, powerful softener made for RV’s:

https://www.uswatersystems.com/us-water-aquatrol-premium-metered-water-softener.html

We usually use some pre-filters like this:

https://www.uswatersystems.com/aquapurion-big-blue-4-5-x-20-commercial-filter-housing.html

Typically, we would install this ahead of the softener with these filters:

#1: https://www.uswatersystems.com/us-water-4-5-x-20-pleated-filter-cartridge-20-micron.html
#2: https://www.uswatersystems.com/us-water-4-5-x-20-pleated-filter-cartridge-5-micron.html
#3: https://www.uswatersystems.com/us-water-radial-flow-carbon-filter-4-5-x-20-rfc-bb-20.html (city water) or
https://www.uswatersystems.com/pentek-4-5-x-20-radial-flow-iron-reduction-cartridge-rffe20-bb.html (this for well water)

Followed by:
https://www.uswatersystems.com/us-water-whole-house-professional-grade-ultraviolet-system-10-gpm.html

and this for just at the sink for drinking:

https://www.uswatersystems.com/aquapurion-plus-5-stage-reverse-osmosis-system.html

Let me know if you have questions.

No, we only sell direct, but if you get a detailed water analysis like this:

https://www.uswatersystems.com/us-water-lab-water-test.html

we can probably help!

I suppose so – you should get a detailed water test like this:

https://www.uswatersystems.com/us-water-lab-water-test.html

John,

The RO Membrane can last from 6 months to 6 years… or more, depending upon how well the water is pre-treated (i.e, softened, iron removed, etc.)

You get rid of the lime with a softener or an anti-scalant.

You can replace all the filters AND the membrane on our undersink RO system for $55.00 – usually once a year!

A softener would be the best solution and if the water were softened, the membrane would last years, making the annual filter cost $34.95.

Nick,

I don’t think you are rude, just ignorant and arrogant! Those two are often a deadly combination. “Salesman with no experience in water treatment?” I don’t need to re-cite my credentials, but my 42 years of experience in treating home and commercial-industrial applications speaks for itself. I have worked with the EPA and other state agencies for many years. You said “adding bleach or hydrogen peroxide will help”. What about the THM’s formed from the bleach and while we are at it, do you have any clue that bleach has additives which are not to be used in potable water? That is very dangerous advice. Then you go on and say “if you don’t want to use a water softener, some form of aeration would take care of the problem without chemicals” Really? Seriously? A water softener will do nothing for the smell! A water softener is not even in the equation – it does nothing for sulfur water. Aeration will handle very small amounts of sulfur, but if you have higher amounts, and also sulfur-reducing bacteria, you can make a big mess. And, while you are at it, why did you not tell Maureen that when you add aeration, you can introduce airborne contaminants (bacteria) that will also have to be dealt with.

To even comment on John’s water without a detailed water test shows TOTAL IGNORANCE on your part. It’s like going to the Doctor and saying your stomach hurts and expecting him to prescribe a remedy without any testing. That would be felony stupid! The white could be from calcium and magnesium hardness but it could also be the result of high-alkalinity combined with pH issues, high TDS along with chlorides and sulfates, genius! That advice you gave is wrong and morally reprehensible to say nothing of being totally irresponsible!

Bern’s issue is also one you cannot answer because you really don’t know what is in the water. Only water testing can answer that question. By the way, we lose money on the water tests – we do it as a service to customers because only an uninformed person would try and treat their water without adequate testing.

On Kathy’s blue staining, it can be from low pH water, but I have seen just as many on water where the PH is above 7.5. It can be a grounding or electrolysis issue and even some types of water problems can cause the blue stains. To say Calcite will solve it is also irresponsible.

I almost deleted your posts, but sometimes I think it’s good that consumers understand that there are lots of ignorant and unqualified people out there who try and pose as water experts. We are experienced (42+ years) and we test the water, because you can’t treat something properly unless you know what is in the water and if there are any competing contaminants. We take water treatment seriously and are not some hack who just comes in and does a “drive-by shooting.”

OK Nick – tell me how it is overpriced and overkill. Tell me where you can get it cheaper and explain why it is overkill.

This should be good!