Whole House Water Filter & Salt-Free Softener Alternative Combo - FS1500

Our 1-3 Bath 12 GPM systems uses 9 x 48” tanks and sits about 52 inches tall, including the valve head. The 4-6 Bath 15 GPM system uses 10x54” tanks and sits about 58 inches tall. For single tanks, we recommend 20x10” space. For our combos, we recommend a 30x10” space.

Hard water is water that contains dissolved minerals, usually calcium and magnesium. It’s commonly measured in grains per gallon (GPG). As these dissolved minerals can clump together to produce scale – which can harm your internal pipes, plumbing, and home appliances – hard water can be a nuisance. Our systems can help manage it.

Our mineral tanks are built out of USA-made high-spun fiberglass, and they’re certified for safety. We offer a lifetime guarantee against manufacturer defects. Unfortunately, not all tanks on the market are made to such standards.

No. Calcium and magnesium are naturally occurring minerals that are generally considered to be a benefit to a healthy diet. However, these minerals are a nuisance for internal plumbing, appliances, shower or faucet heads, and heating elements.

For quality and price, the FilterSmart water filter and softener system is the best combo system on the market. We have combined our whole house carbon filter with our salt free water softener to create the very best in water treatment. With zero salt softening and carbon filtration, you get the best of both worlds when it comes to scale-free quality drinking water at every tap in your home. Our up-flow design requires no electricity or extra drain for backwashing. Changing out the sediment pre-filter every 6-8 months is the only maintenance required. The dual tank all-in-one salt-less system has a sediment pre-filter for sediment rust and debris, a carbon filter for chlorine and contaminants, and then a salt-free softener tank for the treatment of hard water. Traditional salt systems simply take unfiltered tap water and replace healthy minerals for sodium. Our combo system retains all the healthy minerals while filtering out harmful contaminants and providing quality drinking water for your entire home.

FilterSmart has been a leader in no salt water softening for almost a decade. We have developed and tested a variety of salt free water softening mediums, finding the very best at scale reduction and longevity. Our carbon filters use the best coconut shell carbon from Jacobi, the worldwide leader in activated carbons. All of our parts carry a certification, and our tanks and valves are guaranteed for a lifetime. If there’s any leak in the tank, we will send out a replacement part for as long as you own the system. With industry-leading customer support – from ordering, installation and maintenance – there is simply no better company for your water treatment needs. For quality, price, guarantee and media we use our combo system simply cannot be beat.

Testing a water softener that does not use salt is different than a traditional salt based system. A standard test strip to test for hardness will still read hard with a salt free system because calcium and magnesium is technically still in the water; it’s just in a suspended state. The water hardness may actually go up initially as it removes any existing scale that could be attached to pipes. The best way to test is to check pipes for limescale build-up. If you have initial hard water build-up, it can take time for the system to remove any existing scale. We recommend draining a water heater tank prior to installation to help flush existing hard water build-up.

Activated charcoal carbon filters are most effective at removing chlorine, chloramine, disinfectant by-products, sediment, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), taste and odor from water as well as hundreds of other inorganic based compounds. Activated carbon does not remove salt or dissolved solids from the water.

Chlorine is added to local municipalities as a disinfectant. As a result, city water is generally responsible for dry skin, and it typically has a poor taste and odor. Chlorine can create disinfectant byproducts which have also been known to cause health issues. Activated carbon is the best way to remove chlorine and other byproducts, as well as almost all other chemical compounds that can find their way into the local water supply. If your water district uses chloramine as a disinfectant, our PRO series uses a catalytic carbon that’s designed specifically for chloramine removal. You can contact your local water district, or simply google your zip code along with the words “water quality report” and that should pull up your most recent report. On the report, look for "disinfectant used" to see if they use chlorine or chloramine (a mixture of chlorine and ammonia) – or something else. If you need any help or have any questions, contact our customer support and we’ll help you.

Salt-based water softeners use ion exchange to replace calcium and magnesium ions with salt. This, of course, results in the depletion of calcium and magnesium and a higher level of sodium in the water. Salt-based water softeners also waste water through backwashing and require a drain and electrical hookup. Water softeners do not filter contaminants from the water; they simply exchange the calcium and magnesium with sodium, thus producing soft water. Salt-free systems act as a conditioner, taking the calcium and magnesium and turning them into microscopic nano crystals that become suspended in water so they cannot attach to appliances and pipes to create scale. The most noticeable difference is that salt-free water softeners don’t leave your skin slimy or slippery like traditional salt based systems. Our customers, however, do notice a softer feeling from the water.

The carbon media comes with a 5 year or 1,000,000 gallon guarantee. We guarantee the carbon reducing chlorine to undetectable levels for that period. When the carbon media needs to be replaced simply, order a replacement bag of carbon, dump out the expired media, and refill the tanks with new media. The salt-free softener media generally does not need to be replaced.