Should I install a whole house filter before water softner?

[polocash]

Will this help prolong the life of a water softner? Are there other benefits? I already have 2 stage filters at sink and frig. for ice, cooking and drinking water.

Rick

[master plumber mark]

if you are on a well, it might be a nice thing to do....

wouild work like a sand filter and keep the sediment out of the unit


if you are on city water, a pressure reduceing valve would be a better choice

if your water is above 95 psi...during the day.

[Gary Slusser]

Will this help prolong the life of a water softner? Are there other benefits? I already have 2 stage filters at sink and frig. for ice, cooking and drinking water.

Rick

With certain brands of control valves yes, they can't handle dirt very well and some simply gag on it but... Clack and Fleck controls have no problem with very dirty discolored water. We use them on very dirty water when we need a turbidity or heavy iron filter. On a softener, if the water is that dirty, you need a backwashed filter in front of the softener but I suggest not using a softener with a control valve that can't handle the dirt in the vast majority of well or city waters. Also, most dirt will be backwashed out of a softener, so those softeners that suggest using a prefilter.... IMO they are not the right choice for that water or the clerk etc. is simply trying to sell you more than you need.

Using a prefilter when not needed also causes a softener problems due to the pressure loss the filter causes.

Gary
Quality Water Asscoiates