Whole house water filter/softener ideas....
 

A few years back had a water leak. A copper pipe burst which made a mess. I noticed there is sediment build up inside the copper pipe. My brain got to thinking; would a whole house water filtration/softener system help prevent sediment built up in the water pipes?

While a whole house filter and softener system will help prevent/lessen the buildup of future sediment it won't cure the existing sediment.

A couple of things to take into consideration.

A whole house filter shouldn't be connected to an outdoor water outlet. It won't do any harm, but filtering water used to water plants, lawns, wash cars, etc. is just a waste of your filter.

Same thing with a water softener, plus if you use salt as the softening agent, it is not good for plants. Over time the salt will build up in the soil.

If possible, you should have a filter which is on the outside of your house. It makes it easier and less chance of a mess, to change/clean/flush the filter element.

A good water softener system will act as a filter but if you have very hard water a pre-filter is a good idea.

I have a Fleck whole house softener and a separate smaller filter for my tankless water heater. I use potassium chloride as the softening agent instead of salt.

thank you Mike for the input. I guess sediment build up is in the pipes to stay.....


On the bright side, I've heard that water softeners prolong the life of washing machines and dish washers.

Don't know about your home but most homes here place the water heater in the garage by the door which is where the 1" PEX-A main enters the crawl space on the other side of the wall. Perfect place to intercept the main and install a filter on the wall next to the water heater. That's what I plan to do. My house is plumbed with PEX-A so I plan on buying the expanding tool for the job and using the tool to plumb my shop when I build it.

Whatever else you do, it would be a good idea to start with a PFAS test. This stuff is turning up everywhere, and it's a cumulative poison. Easily managed with granulated carbon filters, but you really need to test. These folks offer a cheap test:


https://cyclopure.com/know-your-water/

Thanks to everyone for your input, it is all very helpful. As I suspected, there is a lot more to water issues than I originally thought.

'Soft' Water
 

yes, I cannot see any down side to a whole house water softener, I have incredibly hard water where I live, the local beer makers love it, no one else as it stains everything , tastes nasty as wears out everything to boot .

The local beers or the water?

The local water .

Apparently hard water makes better beer.....

Sounds like a tongue twister to me, "A bit of bitter batter makes a pint of bitter bitter better".

Water leaks are the number source of damage for home owners. Just ask any home owner insurance company. Water water water; we sure like having it in our homes but when something goes wrong, WHAM!

My father built a new house and had a plumber come up with something unique. They built a special "water room" in the house which housed the hot water heater and a special water valve system. There are separate turn off valves for each room, i.e. one valve for the laundry room, one valve for each of the bathrooms, one valve for the kitchen, etc.

That way if there is either a water leak or you need to put in a new faucet, toilet or whatever, you simply turn off the water to JUST THAT ROOM; the rest of the house still has water while you are trying to figure out the problem!

Pretty darn slick......