Water Softener vs Iron Filter: Which to Choose?

Written by Craig "The Water Guy" Phillips

Understanding Water Treatment Systems

Water Softeners Overview

Water softeners are like the unsung heroes in our homes, quietly kicking out the rough guys—calcium and magnesium—that mess with our plumbing. These troublemakers are the culprits behind all that pesky scale buildup and the sneaky damage lurking in your pipes.

Water softeners perform a kind of molecular swap, trading calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium. Magic, right? (Minnesota Department of Health).

If your household is facing constant battles with hard water, a water softener would be your best friend, especially when that battle ends up clogging your pipes or cutting short the lives of your trusty appliances.

The harder the water—especially when it gets hot—the more calcium and magnesium are like, "Let's solidify in this cozy water heater and cause some chaos!".

Now, while these devices kick out undesirables, they do throw in some sodium. That's worth noting if you're watching your sodium intake.

But don't worry—calcium and magnesium, being essential nutrients, won't ghost you completely; you can always get them from your diet.

Iron Filters Overview

Switch gears to iron filters, and you're dealing with yet another menace: iron, and its sneaky accomplice, manganese. These guys add that undesirable metallic taste and some cringe-worthy staining to your life's palette.

Iron filters get down to business by oxidizing these elements into solid particles—then filtering those out. Buh-bye, metal taste!.

For homes tapping into well water, iron filters are critical allies. If high iron levels are crashing your house party, expect orange or brown stains on everything, weird tastes, and really unpleasant water slime.

Unlike water softeners, iron filters aren't playing the ion swap game; they take a different route using air injection, Birm, or Greensand media to deal with the iron invaders.

These players are operating on different wavelengths—softeners fight hard water, iron filters break up with iron. Your water will taste better, and you'll be saying sayonara to the stain game, pronto.

Feature / Type	Water Softener	Iron Filter
Target Minerals	Calcium, Magnesium	Iron, Manganese
Main Action	Ion Swap	Oxidize & Filter
Perks	Kicks scale to the curb, keeps appliances happy	Stops iron, says no more stains
Sodium Boost	Yep	Nope
Best For	Hard water woes	Iron-packed well water

Pros and Cons of Water Softeners

Thinking about bringing a water softener into your crib? It’s smart to weigh both the good stuff and the not-so-good stuff before diving in. Let’s break it down so you can decide what fits your pad best.

Benefits of Water Softeners

1. Beats Hard Water Problems:

• Imagine waving goodbye to pesky scale in your pipes and lifespan-cutting gunk in your appliances. By swapping out the hardcore minerals like calcium and magnesium, water softeners extend the life of things like your dishwasher and water heater that hard water beats up.
  
  

1. Makes Laundry and Cleaning a Breeze:

• Ever noticed how soap works better with soft water? Less soap, more suds. Your clothes come out cleaner and feel nicer minus that icky hard water residue.
  
  

1. Good for Skin and Hair:

• For those who love their smooth skin and glossy hair, soft water is a true pal. No more dealing with dry, irritated hair and skin ‘cause hard water left behind mineral bits.
  
  

1. Easy on the Wallet:

• Price tags may start at $600 and go up to $1,500, but after that, costs trickle slowly. Filling the salt bin sets you back about 40 pounds a month, and these systems are built to last over two decades with the barest bit of electricity.
  
  

Benefit	Details
Beats Hard Water Problems	Gets minerals like calcium and magnesium out, keeps appliances running longer.
Makes Laundry a Breeze	Uses less soap, brings out cleaner, softer clothes without the gunk.
Good for Skin and Hair	Less dryness and itchiness, hello to happy skin.
Easy on the Wallet	Starts affordable, low upkeep, lasts long.

Drawbacks of Water Softeners

1. Not Big on Iron:

• Water softeners can handle a little iron if it’s dissolved, but if there’s a lot of it, or if it’s hanging around in chunks, they’re out of their league. Those bits can sit tight and mess things up by clumping together when exposed to air.
  
  

1. Sodium Sitch:

• Swapping minerals for sodium can add a teensy bit of salt to your water. Nothing that a loaf of bread wouldn’t throw at you, but if someone in the house is watching their salt, you need to be in the know.
  
  

1. Setup and Check-ins:

• Shelling out between $600 to $1,500 for the setup might sting a bit, and you’ve got regular check-ins to keep the salt stocked up.
  
  

1. Not So Green:

• The leftover salty water doesn’t do nature any favors when it hits the streams. It can upset those fishies and frogs calling freshwater home.
  
  

Drawback	Details
Not Big on Iron	Struggles with big or clumpy iron, messes with its cycle.
Sodium Sitch	Adds a pinch of salt in through swapping, watch for low-sodium concerns.
Setup and Check-ins	Starts off between $600-$1,500, keep filling up on salt.
Not So Green	Brine discharge isn't friendly to streams and lakes.

Getting the lowdown on these ups and downs can clear up whether a water softener is your crew’s best bet or if you should buddy up with another option like an iron filter.

Pros and Cons of Iron Filters

Iron filters are a hot ticket for folks grappling with too much iron in their water. Let’s dive into what makes them shine and where they might fall short.

Benefits of Iron Filters

Iron filters are a go-to, especially for those of us using well water. Here's what they bring to the table:

• Kicks Iron Out: These filters are rockstars at booting out both insoluble and soluble iron, making your water crisp and clean.
• Bids Stains Goodbye: Say adios to those annoying orange-brown stains in your sinks and appliances. Iron filters help keep your home looking fresh.
• Betters Water Taste & Smell: Knock out that unpleasant smell and weird taste by getting rid of not just iron, but sulfur and manganese too.
• Zero Chemicals: Many options, like SoftPro's AIO Iron Master, use air to zap impurities, skipping the chemical drama altogether.

Drawbacks of Iron Filters

On the flip side, iron filters have their quirks and drawbacks we should chat about:

• Wallet Punch: Be ready to shell out a bit more dough upfront compared to other water options.
• Chore Alert: You'll need to roll up your sleeves for regular maintenance—cleaning and swapping out the filter media keeps things running smooth.
• One Trick Pony: While they ace iron and manganese removal, they're not the choice for treating water hardness. Usually, you’d pair them with a water softener.
  
  

Feature	Iron Filters
Iron Removal	Highly effective
Stain Prevention	Yes
Taste and Smell	Improved
Chemical Use	None
Cost	Higher
Maintenance	Regular
Versatility	Limited to iron/manganese

Keep these pros and cons in mind when thinking about getting an iron filter, especially if you find yourself with an iron overload in your water.