When it comes tof home water solutions, the Express Water Ultimate Protection Whole House system stands out as a reliable and efficient answer to the challenge of hard water. We recently installed this system in our home, and the difference is compelling.
We did receive the system at no cost in exchange for sharing our experience, but all opinions remain my own. Some links in this article are affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them.
What is Hard Water?
Hard water, a term familiar to many, contains an excess of minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium. These minerals get picked up as water travels through natural rock formations and underground deposits.
While it might not taste or smell different, its impact is felt in your daily routine. And depending on your water and your sensitivity, you may taste the difference.
According to the water hardness scale, 85 percent of American households have hard water. You can measure it by parts per million (ppm) of grains per gallon (gpg) most commonly. For example, over 7gpg is considered hard water.
You can find the water hardness of your own town usually via reports that have to be shared annually from your town or by testing your water with a kit.
In addition to hard water, many communities – including my own – deal with other impurities in their water like arsenic, iron, lead, and manganese.
This is where a whole house filtration system shines. It provides cleaner, more convenient water than any pitcher, faucet, or shouelr head system.
If you have water issues, this whole house filter is affordable and really works. My water now runs clear. It feels different to the touch, and most importantly, it tastes good!
Why is Untreated Water Bad for You?
These minerals leave behind unsightly white scale deposits on fixtures, glassware, and even your bathtub, making cleaning a tiresome chore. The residue is a result of the minerals reacting with soap and detergent, forming soap scum, which clings to surfaces.
Beyond these visible signs, hard water can have subtler effects on your life. When used for showering or washing, it can leave your skin and hair feeling dry and lackluster. The minerals in hard water can strip the natural oils from your skin and hair, causing discomfort and frustration.
They react with the fatty acids in soap, creating insoluble deposits on your skin, which can clog pores and lead to irritation. Over time, these deposits can even exacerbate skin conditions like eczema.
Moreover, hard water can make your laundry dull and less soft. It affects the efficiency of your appliances, including your dishwasher and water heater.
The accumulation of minerals, known as limescale, inside these appliances can reduce their efficiency, causing increased energy consumption and wear and tear. It’s not just your appliances; your plumbing fixtures, pipes, and even your water-using appliances are at risk of damage from these deposits.
How Untreated Water Damages Your Appliances
Hard water and water with other contaminants has well-documented adverse effects on appliances. The calcium and magnesium present in hard water can accumulate within appliances over time, leading to a condition known as limescale.
Limescale acts as an insulating layer inside water heaters, reducing their ability to efficiently transfer heat to the water. As a result, your water heater has to work harder and consume more energy to maintain the desired temperature.
This increased energy consumption not only leads to higher utility bills but also shortens the lifespan of the water heater. This is where investing money in solutions now will potentially save you more money later.
Dishwashers also suffer from the effects of untreated water. The buildup of limescale on heating elements and spray arms can lead to poor performance. Dishes may come out with residue or spots, and the dishwasher itself may require more frequent repairs or replacements.
The impact of hard water isn’t confined to these two appliances. Washing machines, coffee makers, and even your pipes and plumbing fixtures can all fall victim to limescale buildup, reducing their efficiency and longevity.
Does a Whole House Filtration System Replace a Water Softener?
Whole house filtration systems and water softeners are both essential tools in the battle against hard water, but they serve different purposes. They actually are very complementary to each other.
A whole house filtration system focuses on removing impurities from your water, including sediments, chlorine, and other contaminants. These systems enhance the overall quality of your water, making it safer to drink and reducing the risk of contaminants entering your home.
The Express Water Whole House System uses 5 micron filters in the first and last stage to remove contaminants. The three different filters each have a unique purpose and cover polphosphates, kinetic degradation fluxion, and activated carbon block.
On the other hand, a water softener specifically targets the minerals that make water “hard,” primarily calcium and magnesium.
Water softeners use a process called ion exchange to replace these minerals with sodium ions, effectively “softening” the water. This makes it less likely to cause limescale buildup in appliances and pipes.
In some cases, a whole house filtration system can help reduce the effects of hard water, as it removes some impurities and sediments. However, it won’t eliminate the minerals that make water hard.
If you live in an area with extremely hard water, you might benefit from a combination of a whole house filtration system and a water softener to ensure both the purity and softness of your water.
What’s the Difference Between Reverse Osmosis, Whole House Filtration, and a Water Softener?
When it comes to water treatment, understanding the differences between reverse osmosis, whole house filtration, and water softeners is crucial for making the right choice for your home.
Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are typically installed under your kitchen sink and are designed to purify your drinking water. They don’t treat water beyond a specific area where they’re installed.
These systems use a semi-permeable membrane to remove contaminants, including minerals, chemicals, and microorganisms, leaving you with clean, pure drinking water. RO systems are a popular choice for households concerned about the quality of their tap water, but they don’t address water hardness throughout your home.
Whole house filtration systems, as the name suggests, treat the water at the point of entry to your home. These systems are designed to remove a broad range of impurities, including sediments, chlorine, and other contaminants.
While they enhance the overall quality of your water, they don’t specifically address water hardness. They are a valuable addition to homes looking for clean, filtered water for various uses but may not be sufficient if you have severe hard water issues.
Water softeners are dedicated to tackling hard water. They use a process called ion exchange to replace calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions, effectively “softening” the water.
Water softeners are typically installed at the point of entry to your home’s water supply, ensuring that all the water in your home is softened though in my house the previous owners installed it later in the supply, so it does not soften all our water.
They are the go-to solution for preventing limescale buildup in appliances and pipes, making them a preferred choice in areas with extremely hard water.
Does the Express Water Whole House System Really Work?
Express Water’s Ultimate Protection Whole House System has a reputation as a reliable solution for tackling water issues, though it does not soften water. This system combines a range of filtration technologies to effectively remove impurities from your water, leaving it cleaner and safer for your daily use.
It employs a blend of catalytic carbon, kinetic degradation fluxion (KDF), and activated carbon block filters. These filter media work in harmony to target and reduce the minerals responsible for water issues. The catalytic carbon filter, in particular, is efficient at dealing with chlorine and chloramine, which can affect water taste and odor.
I love that the Express Water system caters to the entire house, ensuring that every faucet, appliance, and fixture in your home receives treated water. This comprehensive approach means you’ll have limescale-free appliances and cleaner water throughout your home.
The system’s ease of installation and low maintenance requirements make it a practical choice for homeowners. It’s designed with user-friendliness in mind, allowing you to change filters without the need for professional assistance.
The day after I had this installed, my husband asked if I noticed the difference in the water. He did while showering and again while doing dishes.
Me? I notice less of a smell, and it tastes so much better straight from the tap. I won’t even talk about how my hair is so much happier when I shower than it was before (because of course our water softener is connected only to our kitchen drinking water and not our appliances or shower).
I mean, this filter was white when we installed it. Two days later, I can already see how much gunk it has saved from our water, and I wish I had installed this years ago.
Overall, Express Water’s Ultimate Protection Whole House system is effective in addressing the challenges posed by water that has impurities, which unfortunately is most tap water. It extends the lifespan of your appliances, enhances water quality, and provides a more comfortable living environment.
Can I Install the Whole House Filtration System Myself?
The system comes with installation instructions, but I would not install this without a licensed plumber who has experience with whole home water filtration systems.
To install the system, you have to turn off water to the entire house, cut existing pipes, attach the system to your pipes, and more. I definitely recommend using a licensed and experienced plumber.
My plumber was able to install my system, including creating an access for me to be able to change the filters down the road, in about two hours, so it isn’t a long process. We will be installing a door to our water access, similar to what we have for our circu
How Often Do You Need to Replace Filters?
The good news is that the filters in the Express Water System are designed to last between six months and year in most situations, which is generally equivalent to about 100,000 gallons. If you have extremely hard water, you may need to change them more frequently.
The system is designed to not decrease your water pressure as it filters the incoming water. However, over time, the sediment is filters out slowly starts to make the water pressure decrease.
Each of the three filters has an independent pressure guage, so you can see the current pressure. Once the pressure decreases by 10-12psi, replace the filters.
Mine started at a little over 70psi, and when it reaches 60psi, I’ll know to replace it. Because each filter works independently and the gauges measure each filter, I can replace filters as they need them rather than having to replace all the filters at once if some contaminants addressed by one filter are more prevalent in my water.
How Do You Replace the Express Water filters?
While I needed a plumber to install my whole house filtration system, I can easily change the filters myself.
The system comes with a plastic wrench that fits over the filters to release them. Make sure you turn off the water at its source before you change the filter.
Once you have the water off, release the pressure by depressing the button on each of your filters. Verify via the guages that you released all the pressure.
Have a bucket at the ready, as my plumber suggested. Use the wrench to turn the entire filter clockwise until it releases.
Place the entire filter housing into your bucket and take it outside. Empty the water from the housing and dispose of the used filter.
My plumber also suggested wetting the new replacement filter before you add it to the system to wash away any loose media.
Add the replacement filter, and use the wrench to gently tighten the housing back into place by turning it counterclockwise. Do not overtighten this.
My plumber suggests using a small amount of plumber’s grease on the O-ring to ensure it doesn’t degrade before you tighten it, but that is your call.
Repeat the process for each filter you need to replace, then turn the water back on. Ensure that the pressure guages measure your expected psi, and turn on water faucets near the system – for me, it’s the laundry sink and faucet in the basement bathroom – until they don’t sputter.
Voila, you’re good to go.
What Products Does Express Water Offer?
Express Water offers a diverse range of water filtration solutions, depending on your needs. Their product lineup includes under-sink filters, reverse osmosis systems, and whole house filtration systems.
Whole House Water Filtration
Express Water’s whole house filtration systems ensure that every water source in your home is treated. They target a wide range of impurities, enhancing water quality for all your daily needs, from drinking to bathing and cleaning.
I installed the ultimate protection system, but they also have a heavy metals system, an anti-scale system, and the standard system. Each system addresses different issues and specific needs you have.
The Express Water Standard Whole House System filters impurities like chlorine, rust, dirt, sand, silt, turbidity, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), cloudiness, industrial solvents, total organic compounds, pharmaceuticals, and odors.
The Express Water Anti Scale Whole House System removes impurities like scale, chlorine, rust, dirt, sand, silt, turbidity, industrial solvents, pharmaceuticals, odors, and cloudiness.
For those with rust and other heavy metals in your water, look to the Express Water Heavy Metals Whole House System. It focuses on removing heavy metals, hydrogen sulfide, chlorine, chloramines, rust, dirt, sand, lead, iron, silt, turbidity, industrial solvents, pharmaceuticals, odors, and cloudiness.
If you’re like me and have a little more challenging water, you need a more complete solution. The Express Water Ultimate Protection Whole House System incorporates the benefits of both the anti-scale and heavy metal systems in one for a complete solution.
Reverse Osmosis Systems
The Express Water reverse osmosis systems are designed to purify your drinking water by using a multi-stage filtration process. They effectively remove contaminants, including chlorine, lead, and bacteria, providing you with clean and safe drinking water.
Even better, they offer tankless models that reduce water waste compared to traditional reverse osmosis systems like what my parents have in their house.
There are a multitude of different options from deionization to alkaline to ultraviolet. There is even a countertop option that requires no installation, which is perfect for apartments.
Water Dispensers
If you would prefer a water dispenser, which was my solution prior to the whole house system, Express Water also has dispensers.
This includes a countertop dispenser that gets plumbed to your water source so you don’t have to constantly fill it. This version has warm, cool, and room temperature water options so you can get the exact water you want and have it dispensed in three different pre-set cup sizes.
The bottom load dispenser is the one you’re probably most familiar with. It holds either a three or five gallon water jug inside. It also dispenses hot, cold, or room temperature water, depending on your needs.
Lastly, they offer a direct three stage system that has an under the sink water filtration you can install yourself. You have a separate spigot for your newly filtered water and can enjoy drinking from the faucet with peace of mind.
Conclusion
In the ongoing battle with water quality, the Express Water Ultimate Protection Whole House system emerges as a reliable, efficient, and comprehensive solution. This system not only addresses water issues but also enhances water quality, extends the life of your appliances, and provides you with cleaner, safer water throughout your home.
Whether you’re considering whole house filtration for the first time or looking to upgrade your existing system, Express Water offers a diverse range of water treatment solutions to meet your needs. Their commitment to providing clean, safe, and great-tasting water ensures that you can enjoy the benefits of quality water in every aspect of your daily life.
Say goodbye to water headaches and hello to a happier, healthier living environment.
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