Whole house water conditioner?

[Bustergordon]

Hi everyone! I just moved into a house in an area with very hard water (roughly 12gpg). I can't have a water softener because of the sodium issue (my husband has a heart condition, so we're concerned about it). Our plumber recommended that we consider a whole house water conditioner, in particular, the EWS-1354 from Advanced Water Filters (linked here. Does anyone know anything about this? I only found a review of the smaller version, and the reviewer wasn't sure whether it was really doing anything.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[Wally Hays]

Yes it works, but it is very expensive and when the media is exhausted it is very expensive to replace. You can go with a regular softener and use potassium chloride for the regeneration cycle or you can use a regular softener and salt and install a reverse osmosis filter for your drinking and cooking water. There is probably a local filtration or well & pump company that can advise you of the right equipment for your needs.

[Bustergordon]

Thanks for the info. I'm somewhat less concerned about the cost than I am the effectiveness & impact on the plumbing. It seems like the cartridges only need to be replaced every 8-10 years, so while expensive, it's not a frequent replacement issue. We can't do the potassium chloride softener either (my husband's condition is electrical, and therefore he is sensitive to levels of sodium, magnesium & potassium).

Will this conditioner have any impact on water pressure, or should it maintain the same kind of water pressure? What about water usage - am I going to be using more water because of this type of system? It's hard to find good information on it and how it works.

Thanks!

[Bustergordon]

One more thought...we are on a septic system if that makes any difference...

[Wally Hays]

Yes, it will cause slightly lower water pressure but nothing that should be a problem
No, you will not be using more water than usual.
I am a bit skeptical of the 8 to 10 years before media replacement but obvbiously that depends a lot on your useage
Septic will make zero difference.

Cost wise though I would go with a standard softener and an Reverse Osmosis filter for drinking and cooking.

[bpetey]

Does a typical softener actually add sodium to the water? If so I could never taste it.

[Wally Hays]

A very very small amount yes. Typically about as much as you get in a slice of white bread but for folks with a heart condition, even that is too much.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I agree with the use of a softener and RO filter for the fridge and drinking. I have that and love it. It has worked out great and everyone loves the water from the RO faucet; the kids drink more water than soda!