Re: Water Softener problem.
Boomyal,<br /><br />Private well, presumably it's iron that makes my water hard.<br /><br />Pur is very similar to Brita, but they advertise their Ultra Cartridges as being able to filter cryptosporidium and giardia. Looks like they added a pleated microfilter that Brita doesn't have. I'd guess the rest of the filter is pretty similar.<br /><br />From Pur site:<br /><br />Patented Filter Cartridge - Each filter provides up to 40 gallons/151 liters (approximately 1-2 months)<br /><br />Activated Carbon - Reduces pesticides (lindane, atrazine and 2,4-D), TTHMs, toxaphene, MTBE, as well as chlorine (taste and odor only), bad taste and odor while leaving beneficial fluoride. <br /><br />Ion Exchange Resin - Reduces lead, mercury, copper and cadmium. <br /><br />Pleated Microfilter - Reduces cryptosporidium and giardia. <br /><br />Automatic Safety Monitor gauge - Shows how much filter life is left and when to replace.<br /><br />NSF International, a nationally recognized not-for-profit agency for the certification of water filters, has tested and certified this product to reduce the following list of contaminants. Products with the NSF mark are certified to pass a series of stringent independent tests. <br /><br />NSF Replacement Element. <br />Tested and Certified by NSF International against ANSI/NSF Standard 53 in model numbers CR-800, CR-830, DS-1800, CR-900, and CR-930 for the reduction of 2,4-D, 2,4,5-TP (Silvex), Atrazine, Benzene, Cadmium, Carbofuran, Carbon Tetrachloride, Copper, Cysts, Ethylene Dibromide, Lead, Lindane, Mercury, MTBE, Methoxychlor, Simazine, Styrene, Tetrachloroethene, Toluene, Toxaphene, Trichloroethene, TTHM, Xylene, and Styrene and Standard 42 for Chlorine Class I, Particulate Class I, and Taste and Odor Reduction.
Boomyal,<br /><br />Private well, presumably it's iron that makes my water hard.<br /><br />Pur is very similar to Brita, but they advertise their Ultra Cartridges as being able to filter cryptosporidium and giardia. Looks like they added a pleated microfilter that Brita doesn't have. I'd guess the rest of the filter is pretty similar.<br /><br />From Pur site:<br /><br />Patented Filter Cartridge - Each filter provides up to 40 gallons/151 liters (approximately 1-2 months)<br /><br />Activated Carbon - Reduces pesticides (lindane, atrazine and 2,4-D), TTHMs, toxaphene, MTBE, as well as chlorine (taste and odor only), bad taste and odor while leaving beneficial fluoride. <br /><br />Ion Exchange Resin - Reduces lead, mercury, copper and cadmium. <br /><br />Pleated Microfilter - Reduces cryptosporidium and giardia. <br /><br />Automatic Safety Monitor gauge - Shows how much filter life is left and when to replace.<br /><br />NSF International, a nationally recognized not-for-profit agency for the certification of water filters, has tested and certified this product to reduce the following list of contaminants. Products with the NSF mark are certified to pass a series of stringent independent tests. <br /><br />NSF Replacement Element. <br />Tested and Certified by NSF International against ANSI/NSF Standard 53 in model numbers CR-800, CR-830, DS-1800, CR-900, and CR-930 for the reduction of 2,4-D, 2,4,5-TP (Silvex), Atrazine, Benzene, Cadmium, Carbofuran, Carbon Tetrachloride, Copper, Cysts, Ethylene Dibromide, Lead, Lindane, Mercury, MTBE, Methoxychlor, Simazine, Styrene, Tetrachloroethene, Toluene, Toxaphene, Trichloroethene, TTHM, Xylene, and Styrene and Standard 42 for Chlorine Class I, Particulate Class I, and Taste and Odor Reduction.
Although Ferrous Iron (clearwater iron, dissolved iron) is removed by ion exchange watersoftening, it is a different animal than 'hardness' all together.<br /><br />Hardness is nothing but dissolved limestone (rock). I produces no colored (yellow, red, brown) staining. Hardness leaves whitish crusty deposits and interferes with most all cleaning processes that you do in the home. If this is all you have (no colored staining) then your service provider is taking you for a ride by 'servicing' your softener annually. In other words, no iron, no cleaner. Be a total waste of money. <br /><br />If you would have colored stains without the softener, then you have iron and an occasional use of an acidic cleaner MIGHT be prudent. But as mentioned above, a bottle of it costs about $10. and can be very easily administered your self.<br /><br />If you have very low levels of iron, I would just use a salt that has a 'iron cleaner' in it. It is not as strong as what you buy in a bottle but it will do nicely for low iron content.<br /><br />All the cleaner does is to re-disolve any ferrous iron that was not released in the brining process and stays behind and converts to Ferric Iron. (that is the staining rust state of iron)<br /><br />I believe that the britta is capable of filtering giardia and crypto as well. It does not kill it, it mechanically removes it. Filters that have a half micron capability or smaller will remove it effectively. Pur and Britta probably have the same capability.