Salt Free Water Conditioners

Aquafer Salt Free System

Salt Free Water Conditioners


QUESTION: What is a Salt Free Water Conditioner?


ANSWER:
A. It prevents the formation of hard water scale in water heaters and pipes.
B. It will stop the formation of hard water scale on shower doors and fixtures
C. It will prevent hard water "bathtub ring" and allow the use of less soap and detergent.
D. It removes chlorine  from the water to improve taste, odor and the unhealthy effects of chlorine.
D. Heavy metals such as lead are significantly reduced.

QUESTION: Does a regular softener use a lot of salt?

ANSWER: It depends on the hardness of the water and also the number of people in the home. Based on averages the savings would be over 700 pounds of salt a year. That's $75-$100 a year or almost a $1,000 over the 10 year life of a softener. Not to mention the inconvenience of of putting salt in the salt cabinet.

QUESTION: Are there other advantages of the salt free water conditioner?

ANSWER. Eco Friendly Salt Free Water Conditioners NEVER regenerate so there is no water discharged to the drain.

QUESTION: Do water softeners waste a lot of water?

ANSWER: It depends on the water hardness, softener design, and the family size. But the average would be about 7500 gallons a year.  That's  about 2500 extra flushes of the toilet a year.

QUESTION: It sounds like the salt free water conditioner is very friendly to the environment. Is this true?

ANSWER: Yes it is. Also in many parts of there are restrictions that make it illegal to discharge salt into municipal sewers. Salt raises the dissolved solids content of the water making it more difficult to treat at the waste water plants.

QUESTION: Are there even more advantages with a salt free system?

ANSWER: Yes there are. The unit has no valve mechanism and thus no need for electricity. Though the cost of electricity is quite low for most softeners, the cost of installation is often lowered because no outlet is needed. With no valve, there are no moving parts so service is eliminated.


QUESTION: Is carbon required to remove chlorine from my water?   Won't there be a need to replace the Carbon?

ANSWER: In the more effective, eco friendly water conditioners, carbon is not used.  A special material that will last for millions of gallons called KDF.  KDF is an extremely expensive media.  Many manufactures find it cost prohibitive to use KDF.  Carbon is inexpensive compared to KDF so it is used.   Expected life of KDF is over twelve years of normal use for a family of four.  Carbon replacement for a similar sized family is every two years.


QUESTION: How does the the Aquafer Salt Free System work?

ANSWER: The scale prevention process is quite easy. We use a patented combination of a slight temporary pressure drop,  a catalytic process (similar to the catalytic converter in a car) and final magnetic chamber.  This patented process changes the calcium (hardness) of the water from a dissolved material to sub microscopic particles that wash through the plumbing system without being able to attach themselves to the pipes or water heater. In this form they will not react with soaps or detergents either.  This patented proven process has published clinical testing with very impressive results.

Aquafer Installation with Fluoride Filter Added

QUESTION: Will the water test soft in the Aquafer?

ANSWER: No. Soft Water Test kits show the levels of calcium and magnesium removed from the water and they don't show the amount of salt that is added back into the water.  Since the calcium ions are not removed but changed, these kits are of no value.

QUESTION: I thought all equipment had to have a valve. Why not the Aquafer?

ANSWER: The Aquafer has a constant upward flow path that keeps the filter media always moving and not packing down or channeling.  Other whole house systems with carbon require back washing.  They are a downflow water path and are harboring areas for bacteria which require backwashing.   Aquafer Water Systems have KDF which is bacteriostatic which inhibits bacteria growth.

QUESTION: Can the Aquafer be used on all water supplies.

ANSWER: Before you purchase any water conditioner, you must know something of the chemistry of the water. In particular, the Calcium hardness, total alkalinity, and pH. From this we can establish the Langelier's index and apply it to our lab test data. We estimate that about 85% of all municipal water supplies can be treated with the above process.   If on a private well, we would encourage a test or an evaluation of existing test data.

QUESTION: Am I correct in summarizing by saying that the Aquafer uses no chemicals, has no valve, has no moving parts uses no electricity, discharges no water to drain, will prevent the problems of hard water and will stop chlorine taste and odor for up to 15 years?


ANSWER: Yes.


QUESTION: Is there anything special about the water from the Aquafer compared to water that has gone through a regular salt using softener?

ANSWER: Yes. First, there will not be the slippery feel on your skin when you shower or bathe. This "feel" comes from the sodium reacting with your body oils. Secondly, we add nothing to the water such as sodium mentioned previously. This could be important to someone on a low sodium diet.  A water softener only removes calcium and magnesium from the water and replaces these elements with salt.  You are taking things out of the water that are good for you and putting something in the water that could possibly contribute to health related issues for people that are on low sodium diets.  In addition to scale prevention, the Aquafer treats your water for heavy metals, chlorine, taste and odors and bacteria prevention.

QUESTION: Any other special things about the water from an Aquafer?

ANSWER: There is an unusual phenomenon that takes place. The surface tension of the water is reduced. This is often referred to as making the water "wetter or thinner". It simply means that the water can penetrate a plant more effectively and deeper so that the plants are more easily hydrated making them hardy and grow better. Watering plants with a standard salt type softener is not recommended.  That water is actually harmful to plants.

QUESTION: Is this all brand new technology, or has there been some experience in actual use?

ANSWER: We have employed pressure drop, catalytic and magnetic processes for the Aquafer since 1994. We have also used the KDF filter material for that period of time. We have over 3800 units placed worldwide in the first 15 years.

QUESTION: Has the performance been reliable?

ANSWER: Yes. We have had fewer than 1% field problems and without exception,  they resulted from situations where Aquafers were placed on water supplies that were outside of the limits that we have established through testing. Again, we strongly advise that we be consulted if there are any questions on the water.


QUESTION: Are there any general guidelines that can be used on the water chemistry where the use of the Aquafer would be O.K.?

ANSWER: We are a high tech firm and dislike to generalize, but Aquafers are usually safe on hardness up to 25 grains, pH of 7.5 or less, and a visibly clear water. This as stated before, would include about 85% of municipal water supplies.

For more information, go to Vibrant Water Engineering's website and check out the Aquafer Salt Free Water Conditioner