Is a central water filtration system useful (descaling)?

Hello everyone,

I am currently dealing with the topic of installing a central water filtration system in the house.
The following key data:
We mostly receive Lake Constance water, to which a small portion of local spring water is added.
In 2016/2017, we did a complete renovation and also renewed all the water pipes (Mepla pipe).

Ideally, the water filtration system should fulfill the following purposes:
- Descaling, to better protect machines like washing machines, etc., fewer lime stains in showers and sinks, as well as fewer deposits in the pipes
- Improvement of the drinking water

In the future, we would like to avoid buying bottled water, especially since we only drink still water anyway, which should then be purified by the system and optionally enriched with minerals.

I have already read briefly about it and also learned that some filtration systems can be rather unhealthy.

What are your experiences/recommendations?

Best regards
Chris

Hello!

As an alternative to the central water softening system, there is also the option of a reverse osmosis system. It is then installed locally at the point of use, for example in the kitchen.

Have you already informed yourself about it? Opinions on this vary greatly... we have had something like this in the kitchen for about 4 years now and have not bought drinking water since then.

Best regards Nico

So, a water softening system is NOT a filtration system! After the house connection, a water filter should come first after the shut-off valve and the meter (with cartridges or backwashable).

If you have relatively hard drinking water, you can consider a water softening system. For that, you should first find out what your water hardness is. Only then can you decide if a water softening system makes sense.

A reverse osmosis system at the house connection is absolutely not necessary. Our drinking water is safe to drink and usually even better and more intensively monitored in quality than the water you can buy in bottles. A water softening system also does not make the water more drinkable.

If you buy a water softening system, it should be one based on the ion exchange principle and regenerated with salt. It also has its disadvantages. But all other systems are nonsense or bogus.

There are already several threads on this topic here, use the search function. But beware, some strange/incorrect statements are also included ;)

Regards Specki

So, a water softener is NOT a filtration system!
After the house connection, a water filter should first be installed after the shut-off valve and the meter (with cartridges or backwashable).

If you have relatively hard drinking water, you can consider a water softener.
For that, you should first find out what your water hardness is. Only then can you decide if a water softener makes sense.

An osmosis system at the house connection is absolutely not necessary.
Our drinking water is safe to drink and usually monitored better and more intensively in terms of quality than the water you can buy in bottles. A water softener does not make the water more drinkable either.

If you buy a water softener, it should be one based on the ion exchange principle and regenerated with salt. That also has its disadvantages. But all other systems are nonsense or humbug.

There are already several threads on this topic here, use the search function. But beware, some strange/false statements are also included ;)

Regards
Specki

Thanks for your feedback!
I was thinking about a combination of filter and softening system.
Precisely because there are so many different opinions on this, I wanted to bring it up again...
I have a backwash filter that I have to operate manually. To what extent
Regarding drinking water, I have the following information from the municipal utilities:

Total hardness (° dH)	Hardness range	Nitrate (mg/l)	Fluoride (mg/l)	pH value
8.9	medium	4.3	0.1	7.9

Best regards
Chris

So, with that, the topic is off the table ;)

You have a total hardness of 8.9 °dH. You definitely don’t need a water softener!
I have 23 °dH and have reduced it to 7 °dH (can’t go lower, otherwise I would exceed the sodium levels in the water)

By the way, I work professionally with water treatment, so I know a bit more about this field.

And as I already wrote, there is no such thing as a combination of softening and filtering. You don’t need that either. You have a main entrance filter and at your hardness level you don’t need softening. Just use the water as is for everything and drink it. I ONLY drink tap water. If I need water for on the go, I fill a water bottle with tap water. Overpriced water from the supermarket/beverage store is bought by people who have too much money and like to carry stuff back and forth and ****** the environment. (yeah, I just can’t understand that ;) )

Regards Specki

In my basement, in front of the water meter, the water comes from the municipality through a pipe that is already completely rusted on the outside - what could be done??