How does pelican water softener work

In addition, hard water can be potentially disastrous for your hot water heater. Hard water scale buildup on your plumbing fixtures is the direct result of too much calcium and magnesium being present in your water. This kind of limescale can have an adverse effect on many appliances in the home including the dishwasher, water heater, fridge, sink faucets and shower heads.

The scale buildup will clog these items or cause damage to o-rings and valves that result in costly repairs. The high temperature in your water heater causes limescale from hard water to form quicker and can result in your heating element burning out much faster than normal.

Water hardness can also interfere with your detergents and form soap scum. Depending on the type of water softener the chemistry can function in two distinct ways. Most water softeners can be separated into two types: salt-based water softeners and a water softener alternative. Over time the ion-exchange process will cause hardness minerals to accumulate in the conditioning tank of the unit. These minerals must be flushed down the wastewater drain in the form of salt brine, reintroducing these minerals into the water supply in concentrated doses.

Salt-based water softeners require upkeep when they are used - the salt within the system must be regenerated at regular intervals. These softeners can eliminate most hard water scale buildup in your home, reducing spotting and scaling. This saves you money on appliance repair, plumbing repair, and detergent that is rendered less effective by hard water.

These types of softeners greatly increase the sodium content of your water, which is not ideal for long-term health. The discharge of concentrated salt brine from these systems has a negative impact on wastewater treatment.

Soft water that has been softened with these systems is more likely to leach heavy metals in your pipes. A water softener alternative forgoes the ion exchange process used by other systems, meaning it generates zero water waste and requires less maintenance than salt-based counterparts.

But what are the major benefits of water softeners? Why should you invest in a water softener alternative system for your household?

This benefit really depends on your personal preferences. Some families do not acclimate to the slippery texture of water treated with ion exchange. A water softener alternative generates no waste water whatsoever, making them a better choice for the environment. Salt-based water softeners create mineral-heavy wastewater that is discharged into the water supply. A water softener alternative helps you save money on your energy bill.

Our systems use no electricity, so soft water can be enjoyed without increasing the electrical bill. Beneficial minerals are left intact in your drinking water, while the negative effects of hard water like scale buildup are avoided. This way you avoid increasing your sodium intake while still treating the core problems of having hard water.

However, some people view this last item as a drawback. A water softener alternative does not remove the magnesium and calcium ions from your hard water, but rather impede their ability to cause scale buildup and other problems.

Thus, water that is left to dry on a surface will leave evaporative deposits behind. However these softener render the hardness incapable of causing damage.

When you decide to treat the hard water in your home you must still make many decisions to equip your home with the best water softener system. When I visit my soon to be new home area there is softener. I don't know what kind of water softener the corporate housing has It is horrible on my hair my hair is frizzy and overly soft. I hate it.

So question is we are building a house and must get a softener what softeners should I get? Move from Cincinnati water to San Antonio to water. Sue, We sell a lot of systems in San Antonio which has very hard water.

Ken Larsen. My water hardness is GPG, according to the city website. I've replaced my water heater four times in the last ten years because the capacity is so reduced by scale that you have to hurry while showering. I buy a gallon of vinegar a month to clean my coffee pot. I'm not too concerned with how much lather I get when I bathe, etc.

I'm just tired of carrying thirty gallon water heaters full of scale deposits. I really haven't got the space for another appliance either, I live in a trailer house. I think that salt-free would be the way to go for me. I've been looking at ScaleBlaster mostly, but they all seem to do the same thing. They say they will reduce or remove the deposits that are already formed in my water heater and pipes also, which would be great.

Am I thnking correctly? We do not believe in the Junk Science of the Scaleblaster. The more I read, the more I am confused. I do not want a softener, I want a conditioner. I have a very porous rock in the shower. House is 3 weeks old and I can already seem the scale build up.

What particular salt free equipment or combination of equipments would best reduce the build up in my showers? After doing several water tests with little white strips with colored dots on them. We were advised that yes, we had hard water, and these are the soft water system we needed. I find this to be extremely expensive! I can't find any price points to compare he cost with. It feels like the rep is throwing in all these freebies just to get my attention away from the HIGH price.

We are really tired of the calcium residue feeling on our skin after taking showers and just want something to get rid of the hard water our glass cups and plates always have the white residue after hand washing them and we are blowing through laundry detergent like water, I already replaced a bathroom faucet cartridge due to residue from the water which totally dissolved and cracked a plastic nut fastener within the cold water faucet knob , Is there anything you can recommend, we are new home owners 6 months and a family of three - 2 adults and a 6yr old, we live in a one family home which has 2 full baths.

Any recommendations are really appreciated. Also, let me know if you have any affiliates in this area. I hate to call that a scam because this is how many dealers go to market, but as you have already seen, it is not a good deal.

The Pelican PAC3 is an OK system which really does soften the water, unlike some of their other "softeners" which do not. The valve on that softener was obsoleted by Fleck almost a year ago. We never sold that valve - for a reason - it is very unreliable.

I live in Fort Mohave, AZ. My home built in initially had a water softener. Husband's doctor suggested we get rid of it because of the negative side effects of salt with his high no and heart problems.

Our water quality is good all levels of contaminants except the ph 8. After a few washes of new clothes they seem dingy, let alone hair and body after a shower is extremely dry, this in turn adds more expense in lotions, shampoo and conditioners. What solutions do I have without spending another fortune? S Whitney. Mark - we purchased a Pelican salt free water softener about 3 months ago.

Pelican is offering to switch out the system to their actual salt using system with no add'l charge. Will it work like my old culligan system did?

Per our water report we have 18 grains per million hardness. I don't care for the salt free system as dishes are no longer getting clean all the time and it seems like my shower door is constantly cloudy even though I scrubbed it well and put rain Ex on like they suggested and now continue to scrub it every other day.

My husband and I are on different sides of the fence about the system. He likes the non slick feeling of the water and I feel like I have something stuck on my skin, my hair is yucky. I don't care if I have water spots on the dishes, but it seems like I can't keep anything clean anymore..

Well, you are correct. You do have soap and hardness stuck in the pores of your skin with hard water. To prove it, you can wash one hand in hard water and one hand in soft water with a soap that has a strong taste like Ivory. Then rinse each and in the soft water and the hard water and after you dry them, you will noit taste the soap on the softnwater but will on the hard water.

Do you still trust Pelican after they sold you what they called a Salt-Free Water Softener, which does not soften the water? If so, go for it, or demand your money back and buy ours. They do not exist. I work in a textile mill, and we have a current resin ion-interchange system to obtain soft water using salt. Our hard water has ppm Hardness.

Is it safe to use TAC technology to obtain conditioned water to avoid scale on pipes and Boilers? Does the final crystal seed has any ionic charge that could affect dyeing or bleaching?

We used to use TAC Technology and don't because it has a poor "predictable success rate" in our opinion. I think the "seed crystal" is more fiction than fact. Just my opinion based upon 45 years of water treatment experience. How do these work? Are they ion exchange or membrane based? How do they cause minerals to precipitate out? Basically, I need to know how they work before considering a purchase. They don't work.

There is no such things as a salt-free water softener. That's the point! Tara D. You mentioned Easy Water in your article. Would you say the salt-free conditioner is effective and worth the cost? We purchased it in Indiana about 3 months ago and I have not noticed a difference. I'm considering returning it. We are also located in Indy and very familiar with Easy Water. Your observation is typical of our testing. We have one and could not discern any difference between the treated and untreated water.

Mark at the plant I work at we have 2 U. S Water, softeners up stream of that we have 3 of their multi media filters the problem we have is that when the softners switch the one that was on standby has a huge hardness spike for awhile then goes away. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated. There are many factors at work here. You should call our tech support at for help.

John H. Do you have any updates on this issue? I contacted Pelican, ask for tests to backup claims, all their test were done in Germany, I have no idea what their water is like over there. I asked if it was tested in Florida, they based there after all, answer no it wasn't Looks like scam. Pelican does not soften water, even though they call it a "softener.

It's not what they call it and it is easily proved. If they start by calling something a water softener and yet, it does not soften the water Fool me once Good artical as a chemical engineer it was bs free.

I have struggled for years with hard water and installed an iron filter it works great. I always wondered if similar technology was available for mg and ca Now I know. Hi, Mark I had a problem getting my washer to drain the detergent out during the rinse cycles. I tried several popular methods I read about online such as using very low amounts of detergent, using vinegar, cleaning the machine with Affresh type cleaners, and such but with no improvement not to mention those methods felt pretty off to me.

The only thing that worked satisfactorily was a liquid called Calgon. I don't think it is perfect, but it is satisfactory for me. The problem is that with the amount of laundry our family goes through every week, it seems rather expensive and not so environmentally friendly to constantly be buying the little bottles it comes in.

Do you have any salt-less products that can deliver similar or better results that can be installed either for the whole house or adapted to the washer and perhaps the shower head? There is nothing that will improve that, except a water softener. Of course there are some people who SAY that have something that will. Be careful what you believe The tankless water heater in our new house is installed outside the house. There's no good drainage option out there so I think we're stuck with one of these "conditioning" systems.

But it seems like many of them say to avoid direct sunlight, which it will undoubtedly get for at least a couple of hours a day. Are any options better than others in this situation? Right now, there is nothing better! Mark, I bought this limeblaster and used it for about 4 years and just went through the Texas storms where my 11 year old Takagi tankless water heater outdoor finally busted a pipe in the heat exchanger.

I took a moment to take a closer look and was curious to see if any scale had developed. I didn't see too much scale within the exchanger where the cracked hole formed, however I did see a lot of iron red looking deposits right at the hot-side outlet.

I never noticed any of the deposits during hot water use, but hot water was always less flow and this might have been the reason. Reading this old article from Clemson University, it talks about the drawbacks of polyphosphates -- "These units can handle up to 3 milligrams per liter of iron in solution.

They contain a phosphate compound which coats the soluble iron and prevents its oxidation when the water is exposed to air.

The compound is not effective against ferric iron that has already oxidized. Polyphosphate is only effective in cold water. Heating the water will release the iron so that oxidized iron accumulates in the water heater. The heated water will be rusty and unsatisfactory for home use. BTW, what is the amount of Siliphos in each cartridge?

Trying to determine what your dosing at? It sounds like what you may be seeing is some corrosion, rusting, or electrolysis at the outlet, which could very well be caused by dissimilar metals.

If you are only seeing it at the outlet and not in the heating area, then that makes it extremely likely. Polyphosphates have improved over the years and are now more capable of handling higher temperatures… sometimes up to Degrees F. Using a cartridge is not an exact science and we have had a lot of success with our Green Wave System for the Whole House with the Limeblaster feeding just the water heater. Additionally, we are re-formulating the Limeblaster to be able to withstand even higher temperatures.

Alfred Engling. We sell all over the country, but only sell direct. We have no dealers or middlemen. That saves you a lot of money. About half our customers do it themselves we have SS flex connectors and the other half use a handyman. Victor walker. Mark I have been researching systems till I am ready to slit my throat.

So many inconsistencies on the web. The water flow in our house 10 years old is terrible. I am ready to replace the hot water heater and all of the shower valves. Before I do I know I need a system. I want a slightly oversized system just so I have some peace of mind.

Can you suggest a system? Is there anything I can do to repair the current buildup other than replace everything? Duy Pham. The water report in my area says it has 63 ppm Calcium and 57 ppm Magnesium. I currently have a RO system under the sink for drinking water. I had a Culligan salt water softener but it broke down 5 years ago. Can you recommend a whole house saltless water conditioner system for me? Also do I need professional installation for the system?

I already have a drainage line built in where the water softener was placed. We sell the Limeblaster salt free conditioner. If we find a better one - we will sell it. Danielle Budau. I don't know what to do at this point. We have a water person that comes out every month and he's tested the levels, all is good.

Do you have any suggestions? Elaborate more about your problems. How is salt destroying your skin and hair? By the way, it's not salt that is in the water. It's sodium bicarbonate. There's a big difference Milton Roberts. Hello Mark, I am researching this stuff because my wife told me to.

Probably like every other guy. I had her discuss what she really wants and it turns out to easier and cheaper maybe than I thought it would be. I talked to her about soft vs hard water because our water lathers just fine. It turns out that she hates the taste of our town water and will settle for an under sink unit that can fix the taste of the water out of the kitchen sink.

Of course, that could mean something for both hot and cold lines. What kind of unit do you think will do this for us? We moved from a property that had a very deep well for household use, the water was terrific. Our current neighborhood will not allow anyone to put in a well for this type of use. Only shallow wells for watering the lawn. Thanks for any help you can give me. You do no want to treat both hot and cold for drinking. Just drink water from the cold side. Steven McIlvaine.

Would there be any benefit to adding a chelating conditioner on your cold distribution if you already have a softener on your hot, or would the calcium and magnesium fall out of solution and cause scale when the two mix? John A Buck. I am building a house in Troy, Missouri. The house will be on well water. What type of a water filtration system and water softening system would work best. Janice Flaherty. We are building a house outside Portland Oregon in the farm area.

We will be using a Septic. The water tastes wonderful but leaves a scale that can be chiseled. I am not looking forward to chisel cleaning. Any ideas? Melvin O Kennon. I live in an area where Radium is common. We also have a very high iron content that will turn your whites orange, Does a salt-free system remove the Radium and the iron?

I can't say without a detailed water analysis. We have one on our site. Just enter Lab Water Test in our search boxc. I dont really have any major issues so far knock on wood except some light spotting on glass wear but want to be proactive to keep my copper piping and appliances clean as a new home owner.

Any suggestions would be great! I noticed the limeblaster but looks like I cant just use this as a stand alone system correct? Anthony Spadafora. Hello Mark, I am Master Plumber of 35 years. The last 10 years I have been installing tankless water heaters, I am a certified Navien service specialist.

Navien accepts up to 10 grains hardness without equipment but require a annual acid cleaning of the exchanger. They now will allow up to 75 Grains of hardness if you install their peak flow anti scale filter before the unit, this unit is not a phosphate injector. Navien is not some fly by night manufacturer, obviously this thing works or they wouldn't sell it. This is not a new product.

I know exactly what is in that cartridge. We sold it at one time and the results were not very good. There is no scientific way to prove it works! Obviously, you believe it, so all I can say is "watch and learn. Gaylon Mccorkle. I am on a tight budget. I would like a saltless softener or conditioner which ever is best. I don't want to be spending a lot of money on filters. I did have a water softener that used said a few years ago. Got tired of carrying bags of salt down the stairs.

What is best, I do have city hard water. Vincent Salsano. We are primarily concerned about mineral build up on pipes, water heater, appliances, etc. Will a salt less water filtering system like following address this"LimeBlaster", "Aquasna", "Pelican", etc.

Unfortunately, we prefer not to install a salt waters oftener. A saltless system utilizing the right technology can prevent scale build up. Not all are created equal. We used to use the technology Pelican and Aquasana now use, and were not satisfied with the results. The Limeblaster is less expensive and works WAY better! Maybe they call it a softener because it's easier for consumers to understand. Just like an aerobic water treatment system is often called an "aerobic septic tank.

I would be in this group. You can call it Lucy, or Daisy, or a whatsit. As long as it keeps my pipes from clogging up, who cares? An aerobic water treatment system in not an aerobic septic tank, but under your reasoning, it's OK to call it that?

People that do are ignorant of what it really does, but I can see them making that mistake. However, what if a septic tank manufacturer called their septic tank an aerobic septic tank? That would be deceptive. Would you like to use paper towels as toilet paper? A paper towel is closer to toilet paper than a water softener is to a salt free conditioner. A conditioner does none of that. Thank you for making my case with the aerobic septic tank.

I appreciate it! Rich Huner. We are on a well with the following analysis. Probably, a worst case scenario. Older Culligan water softener that's now inoperable. While your water may seem awful, as problem water specialists, it is easy for us to fix. There are several ways to do this. I will have one of our water specialists reach out to you after I consult with them.

Steven Johnson. Mark, we are planning on installing a whole-house water filter and a water softener, what is the ideal sequence-of-devices? Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Depending upon your water analysis, I would likely put the sediment and carbon ahead of the softener. We would just need to know more about what is in your water — well or city? Sean Vinci. Hi Mark, Thank you for this informative article. I came across this product from Cascadian.

The product claims to solve all the usual problems that come from hard water we're also looking to remove or reduce the sulfur smell from our water which is why we're looking at this combo system.

Thank you! It says it is a saltless water softener. If it softens the water I will buy it for you. That is simply untrue. It might remove sulfur smell for a few days. My opinion? Patrick Castenie. Hi Mark, Water conditioners and septic tank- are they an issue? Thank you, Patrick. If you don't have soft water, you use a lot more soaps, chemicals and cleaners.

That is hard on a septic tank. The new softeners are extremely salt efficient and use very little water and it is very likley that soft water actually helps a septic tank. Alan J Smith. Mark let me say that you are a godsend. Over the years I have contemplated soft water systems and did ample research though never installed one for various reasons.

I want to install a tankless water heater or a couple point of use water heaters. Water hardness as you know is an issue for this equipment. After stumbling onto your blog I'm convinced I will use the Limeblaster. However I'm not sure what size to purchase and how often to change the filter.

I plan to harvest rain and possibly use grey water for watering plants which reduces my daily water use to about 50 gallons per day for 1. Any landscape irrigation using city supplied water would be upstream of the Limeblaster. So should I get the higher flow rate unit.

Also the filter life is about , gallons but at what GPG? With 16 GPG at even gallons per day I would only have 36, gallons flow through the Limeblaster. How long would the filter last at this rate? I would go with the highest flow rate as it will consistently keep the pipes in peak condition. I would just replace it every year.

Hi, I have 2 water problems. I live in South Florida and our water is hard. I would like to soften the water to prevent scale build up and have cleaner clothes and feel clean when I take a shower, not like I have dust on my face Problem no. Water is hard. We hardly harvest room to install a salt tank.

The water is HARD, please help us save money while taking care of our problems in an efficient manner. You seem like the only company who seems genuinely interested in properly informing people and guiding them to something that will work. It's "footprint" is 11" wide by 20" Deep. Do you need anything smaller? Mark, My 3 bedroom 2 bath house is on a septic tank, and I need to do something about the hard water. Looking into a traditional salt softener, I have read that the backwash of brine into the septic tank will damage the septic system.

What can I use to treat the water without damaging my septic tank? The house is connected to city water and not a well.

Short Answer: That is simply an untrue Urban Legend! The fact is: A water softener may actually help a septic tank. Hi Mark, I recently moved into a new house which has an existing Culligan Medallist Series water softener controller and tank, but it does not have a salt tank of any kind. The water flows from the well pump through the Medallist tank, then through a UV lamp.

What is this system doing for my water? E Thomson. We live in Las Vegas and Colorado River water is full of minerals. We have been disappointed with the hassles of water softeners, including hauling salt. You say the Limeblaster does not require professional installation. How is it installed and does it condition both hot and cold water? The Limeblaster will indeed stop and prevent mineral buildup on pipes, the water heater and appliances.

It is installed on the main water line and treats all the water in the house. Simple in and out! Hi Mark, I recently moved to a house with a well that has a softener system. The color in my hair fades within 2 weeks.

To combat color loss, I shampoo less frequently but this isn't helping. I'm wondering if the sodium is the reason for the loss of color. Do you know if switching to potassium chloride might help? Everything on the web says how great softened water is for your hair. No one talks about the effects of sodium chloride on color. I suspect it is because everyone who is writing articles wants to sell you a softener. It always puzzles me why everyone is so quick to blame sodium for something when there could be any number of contaminants that would cause that.

It is extremely doubtful it is sodium. Water softeners are simple, but quality counts. The prefilter removes large particles such as dirt and rust, protecting the softening media and enhancing water quality. Faucets and shower heads will be less likely to clog, and your water will look, feel and taste better. Capacity is limitless as long as you purchase the right size unit. Model NS3 is for homes with bathrooms. Model NS6 contains more softening media and serves a bathroom house. Salt-based water softeners use resin to capture calcium and magnesium.

The force of water flowing through the media tank shears the excess, resuspending bound minerals and allowing them to flow through your plumbing system without creating dreaded scale. Less than two square feet of horizontal space is all you need. The media tank is about five feet tall and must be installed vertically.