5 Best Whole House Water Filter and Softener Combo Reviews [2022]

Last Updated on 1 year by Todd

If hard water with dirt and sediment is supplied in your area, then you need to get a whole house water filter and softener combo in your house. Whole house water filter and softener combo are indeed life-saver for such homes. You will get pure soft, and purified water from every tap of your home. They are quite effective because of the fact that they produce a high quality of water with no bad taste or odor.

When it comes to choosing the best whole house water filter and softener combo, it becomes one of the tedious tasks. The reason is, the market is bombarded with tons of water softener filter combos. So it becomes a tricky task to choose one best.

For this purpose, we have sorted out and reviewed 5 best whole house filter and softener combo that gives superior performance with endless durability.

Best Whole House Water Filter And Softener Combo 2022

The review comprises of some important aspects detailed feature discussion followed by pros and cons.

So without further ado, let’s move on to whole house water filter and softener combo reviews.

1. Iron Pro 2 water – Best whole house water filter and softener combo for well water:

I am starting with one of the best whole house water filtration and softener system. IRON Pro 2 is a perfect choice for those households where dirty hard water is a problem. Iron Pro 2 is manufactured by the giants of the industry that is Pentair and Fleck. It features a strong and robust resin tank along with a capacity brine tank and Fleck 5600SXT digital control head.

Last year, we bought a house in a small city. The water is funny because it has iron. It is red. I am not sure how the city could charge us for the water with so much iron! Our house had a small water softener that was regenerating every few hours to keep up with our water quality. We know that we needed to do something about this problem, so we installed a bigger softener.

We Searched on the internet for weeks to find our Iron Pro 2. The equipment was sent in several boxes. The resin tank was contained in one box, as was the brine tank. There were many more parts than we had anticipated, and they all needed to be kept together as a unit, which made things rather complicated at times (especially during shipping!). However, they should get the job done with some common sense and a little patience.

The iron pro water softener and filter combo are suitable for average to large size families. It removes minerals that are responsible for making water hard.

This way, it turns your hard water into soft water. Besides this, it removes unnecessary iron from the water and makes your water free of iron. This way, you won’t get any stain or rust on your kitchen and home appliances.

 It has got 64,000-grain capacity and fine mesh resin responsible for removing a high level of iron from the water. 

Not only this, the iron pro 2 has got 16 GPM of flow rate, making it a perfect and suitable whole house water filtration unit for medium to large size families. It is equipped with a backlit LCD that displays all the required parameters. Iron Pro 2 is quite simple to program, and it also features an internal power back up to protect your settings.

Best Whole House Reverse Osmosis System

• Grain capacity: 64000
• Fine mesh resin
• Removes hardness up to 75gpg
• Removes iron up to 6-8ppm
• Removes manganese up to 6ppm

 

2. Express Water – Best Home Water Softener and Filter system

Express water three stages whole house filtration system is made up of food-grade material, which is built to last forever with less maintenance. My Friend installed the filter and it was easy and quick. However, if you want to change the filter, you will need to press the red buttons on top of the machine. This will make water go all over your floor. If you are prepared for that, then it is okay.

Alex says: I’ve had the system for almost a year, and it’s worked well. However, the dials leaked and I couldn’t get them to face appropriately without leaking. I just relocated the system and noticed the leak was worse; I finally discovered that the plastic housing beneath the far left gauge was cracked just below it.

The doors on our old one were made of solid wood, and I thought we could get that same quality in this model. Although it appears to be a well-constructed product, I believe it should be better built for what we paid. I took off the filters and inspected them to determine how they were performing. Even without water, they are too hefty to return on. I contacted the company for a refund, but they claim that I over tightened the gauge; therefore, they are sending me a plastic substitute part rather than the genuine item.

You know what, this whole house water filtration and water softener is something out of this world. If I talk about its performance, it’s simply amazing.

It effectively reduces harmful contaminants and dangerous heavy metal from your municipal supplied water. This way, you will get crisp and clear water from every tap of your home.

Express water three stage whole house filtration systems remove 80 different contaminants from your water, including chlorine, iron, lead, mercury, etc.

Let me tell you about its performance. It uses three different steps to purify your water.

The  first step  is “sediment Filter.” Here the filters are made up of food-grade polypropylene microfiber that effectively catches the coarse contaminants from water, including sand, dust, and dirt.

The  second step  is “Kinetic Degradation Fluxion Filter (KDF).” Here, the filter comprises catalytic carbon and ionically charged copper that captures different heavy metals, including iron, lead, Chloramines, mercury, arsenic, and many others.

The last and the  final step  is “Activated Carbon Block.” Here the filter is made up of tightly vacuum heated carbon, which holds chlorine, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Pesticides, and different chemicals that are responsible for the bad taste and odour of water.

This way, the Express whole house water filtration system gives you pure and clean water.

Besides this, it is easy to set up and use. The filter comes with a pre-fit stainless steel freestanding frame. This frame will make it easier for you to either install it on the ground or mount it on the wall. This Wholehouse Water filter and Softener is Excellent Water System for Rust/Iron Removal, Great filtration system and also Great for those on well water.

The filter set is good enough to be used up to 100,000 gallons. This efficient and heavy-duty water softener and whole home filter in one delivers up to 0.25gallons of water every second.

The best thing about this water softener system is, there isn’t any loss of pressure during usage. Express three-stage water filtration and softener system is a perfect whole house filtration system that gives you clean water every time.

• Flow rate:15 GPM
• Capacity:100,000gallon
• Three-stage filtration system

 

3. iSpring WSP-50SL – Best Water Filter Softener:

The next one on my list of water softener filter combo is iSpring WSP- 50SL whole house water filtration system. Let me mention it to you that it is not a proper and typical whole house water filtration system; instead, it’s a filtration system that protects your standard filter’s fine filters.

You can say it is the first line of defense to your appliances, as it has a sediment filter that removes the large dirt, sand, and rust particles from clogging the fine mesh size of your standard water filter. This way, it is filtering the entire water of your house.

WSP-50SL features a fine stainless steel mesh of various sizes. This means you can choose the mesh size according to your need. Mesh size ranges from 50 microns to 1000 microns. So if you live in an area where you experience more sand and dust particles, then you should choose a bigger mesh size.

Apart from this, it also features a powerful anti-scaling and corrosion agent that is Siliphos. Siliphos are actually water treatment compounds that are derived from milk thistle seeds. They are polyphosphates that contain sodium, calcium, magnesium, and Silicate.

Siliphos prevent brown and red water along with corrosion of plumbing and bathroom fixtures. They do so by forming a thin protective layer around the plumbing.

This way iSpring WSL-50SL series protects the filtration system and other appliances of your home.

iSpring water filtration system has got a 1-inch outlet of MNPT fitting. With the help of this fitting, you will get a flow rate of 20GPM. Be4sides this, it also features a ¾ inch NPT threads on the inlet and outlets. It works at a temperature of 40-100F with a pressure of 20-90psi.

iSpring is made up of high-grade material that is resistant to corrosion, dust, and rust. Just install it near your water filtration system and experiences the change.

The worth mentioning point about iSpring WSP series is, it is easy to maintain as it is flushable and reusable. Just flush with a generous amount of water regularly. That’s the whole maintenance process.

I am sure if you install it in your home, you won’t need to change your water filter often since it will prevent the large particles from clogging the pore of your water filter.

• Mesh pore rating: 50,100,200,500,1000 microns
• Dry weight: 1lb
• Suitable temperature: 40-100F
• Suitable pressure: 20-90psi

 

4. Filtersmart Whole House Water Filter System & Salt Free Water Softener Combo:

FilterSmart is a known brand that is working day and night to find ways to give you water clean water without using any harmful chemicals. In fact, FilterSmart opposes the use of sodium or salt for water softening.

This whole house water softener filter combo is one of the best from the house of FilterSmart. It is a salt-free water softener system, which means it does not use salt or sodium-based chemicals to purify the water.

Rather it uses carbon to soften the water. FilterSmart uses the world’s best carbon from Jacobi. These carbon filters are  NSF certified  and made up of natural coconut shells.

This means you will enjoy fresh, spring-like water from the FilterSmart whole house water filtration system.

Let’s talk about the efficiency of filter smart water softener and filter.

Since it uses a carbon filter, these carbon filters will effectively remove chloramines and volatile compounds, synthetic organic compounds, and Trihalomethane chemical compounds. Besides this, it removes pesticides and herbicides too.

Not only this, it removes chlorine too from the water, which is responsible for the bad taste and odor of water. Furthermore, it has a sediment pre-filter kit that catches and holds silt, debris, and other large particles from the water. As far as the installation of FilterSmart whole house water filter is concerned, it is a little bit complex. You will get a bracket and install it against the wall, which is an easy task. Rest, installing the entire equipment is a bit tricky. So I would say that instead of trying to install it by yourself, hire a professional plumber for this purpose.

When it comes to maintenance, it’s an easy process. You need to change the pre-sediment filter after every 7 to 9 months. Whereas the carbon filter needs to be replaced after 100,000 gallons or 5 years. FilterSmart whole house water filtration and softener system is great equipment to be installed in your home. It not only softens and conditions the water but also protects your appliances from limescale build-up.

Albert has Good Review about this product he says: “A great value for the money! It really does remove all types of contaminants from your water. It is simple to use and very easy to install. I used the product for 3 months. There were no problems with the system. Overall, I highly recommend the product! 5.0 out of 5 stars Very easy to use and works as advertised

We had a problem with the water pressure not being consistent. We had to go up and down some steps, which was difficult because our handyman and I are both injured. However, we were able to install the filtration system without difficulty. But knowing about pipes for a change would be beneficial. The system performs exactly as advertised. This is the most effective water filtering system available on the market today.

• Capacity: 100,000 gallons
• Flow rate: 12 GPM
• Operating temperature: 39-120F
• NSF certified filter

 

5. Pelican PSE1800 – Whole House Water Filtration and Water Softener System:

The last one on my list of best whole house water filtration and softener system is from Pelican’s banner. Pelican water system is striving day and night to provide ways for its consumer to enjoy soft and purify water. They have got multiple water filtration series. This time we are talking about the Pelican Combo series PSE 1800.

OK, this is one of those purchases that I was concerned about for a long time – primarily because of the ‘softener’/descaler device. There’s not enough data out there to show whether these work; but, in my situation, I couldn’t put the entire house filter in my limited area without trading in my existing softener for this descaling unit at the same time. The notion of not adding salt if the descaler does work is also appealing to me.

Pelican combo series features the benefit of pelican carbon series whole house water filter and Pelican NaturSoft Salt-free water softener. This deadly combination of both will give you water that taste and smell best.

PSE-1800 features 4 stages of a water filtration system. The  first stage  is a 5-micron pre-filter system; the second and third stage is Catalytic Granular Activated Carbon Media (GAC). Whereas stage 4 comprises Pelican Media Guard that is copper and zinc oxidation media (KDF-55).

With the help of these 4 stages, you will get rid of hard water’s negative effects. You will enjoy smooth and softer skin and hairs. In short pure water will be accessible from every tap of your home.

PSE-1800 is a natural water softener that does not use salt. So this way, you will get all the essential and healthy minerals in your water.

For less than a week, I’ve had the system in place, and my wife has already noted that it has improved her hair. Our towels are softer, and there is no “gloopy” feel to the water that we previously had with our salt-based system, which neither of us liked – it never felt like you were really getting all the soap off your skin or hair. I’ll admit that right now it isn’t softening as much as our previous salt-based system did; however, for me, this isn’t an issue.

Now let’s talk about the installation part. It’s quite simple to install but for those people who have a little bit of plumbing knowledge. But if you do not have any plumbing knowledge, then installing it would become the most cumbersome task. So it would be preferable to install it by a professional plumber.

PSE-1800 whole house water softener does require little maintenance like every other water softener. You need to change the pre-filter sediment after every 6-9 months. Whereas, the filtration medium will need to change after using 600,000 gallons of water. On the other hand, the softener medium does not require any change.

In short, the Pelican PSE-1800 water softener and filtration system is a perfect system for your house, especially when you are looking for healthier, delicious drinking and cooking water. Customer says Works great no maintenance worth it look for a sale when buying, 5.0 out of 5 stars Love it! Very easy to self-install. Works great.

We are very happy with our purchase of the Salt Free Water Softener Combo and Whole House Water Filter System. It was a great price and installation was easy. We are glad we purchased this product. We also recommend it to our friends. 5.0 out of 5 stars A great value for the money.

• Capacity: 600,000 gallons
• Flow rate: 10 GPM
• NSF/ANSI certified filter

 

What to Consider to Choose the Best Water Softener and Filter Combo:

Test Your Water Quality

The ideal water filter and softener are most often determined by researching more about your water quality. You should have an independent lab analyze a direct sample if there isn’t a recent quality report for your water supply. Alternatively, you may buy a test kit.

In most cases, do-it-yourself tap testing is possible with the aid of a kit. However, it’s not always clear what they check for or how reliable they are. The EPA recommends that you use a certified lab to perform the test. Testing varies in cost from $20 to $150; some communities may provide free test kits.

Choosing the Ideal Water Filter Type

• Install a pre-filter if your water is high in sediments. Consider putting in a carbon water filtering system if you want to remove chlorine, chloramines, and other chemicals and organics commonly found in tap water. Carbon is also effective at eliminating off-tastes.
• Iron, manganese, and sulfur are all removed with iron water filters.
• KDF is not only bacteriostatic, but it also removes disinfectants and other heavy metals.

Choosing the Ideal Type of Water Softening System

Water Softener or Water Conditioner

There are salt-based water softeners that employ ion exchange to swap hardness minerals in water with sodium or potassium. And there are salt-free water conditioners that utilize various techniques to reduce the scaling effects of hard water while maintaining it.

The benefits of both types are comparable, but water conditioners have largely replaced the first. Most homeowners still use both types because of their success. On the other hand, water conditioners are gaining in popularity as they become more sophisticated and provide better and better results.

We prefer both, personally. However, if we were going to use a water conditioner, we would use Template Assisted Crystallization.

Water Softening Capacity

A saltwater softener’s resin needs to regenerate for it to replenish. The capacity of a system is the number of grains that it can remove between two regeneration cycles. The most common type of water softener is a brine system, which employs salt and calcium hydroxide to remove hardness. The amount of hardness removed depends on the unit’s size and capacity, with beginnings ranging from 8,000 hardness grains (portable water softeners) and up to 80,000 grains (whole house systems) if necessary.

Said, your new water softeners must be big enough to handle the volume of water you wish to soften and demand.

Water Pressure and Flow Rate

To supply your entire house with enough water, the whole house water filter and water softener must process a large amount of water. — kitchen, bathroom(s), appliances. Water flow rates of 50-70 gallons per minute are common for house use.

If there are no problems with the water supply, then your pressure will drop when you use too many water outlets at once, or raw feedwater may leach through.

NSF Certifications

Understand that NSF Standard 42-certified water filters exist. It assures good chlorine reduction.

The NSF Standard 44 for Cation Exchange Water Softeners was created to guide manufacturers in developing cation exchange water softeners. The main goal is to reduce hardness, and different minerals can also be reduced.

Space:

It may appear obvious, but don’t underestimate the size of a whole-house water softener and filter system.

Installation & Maintenance

Installing a whole-house water filter-softener combination is not more difficult than installing just a water filter or just a softener. So long as you have the appropriate tools and enough time and perseverance, as well as prior knowledge, you should be able to do the job yourself.

If you don’t feel confident enough to complete the task yourself, be prepared to spend at least a few hundred dollars for a plumber to set up the plumbing for you. A water softener brine tank needs to be cleaned every year. The salt level must always be greater than the water level. There are also other maintenance measures to take care of.

It’s also important to remember that if you’re looking after a whole house water filter, you must regularly clean and replace (pre-)filters. For example, depending on the type, you’ll need to do so regularly. All of this isn’t as difficult as it may sound, and you don’t need a professional to maintain your whole home filter and softener.

Cost

When it comes to cost, the total price of a whole house water treatment system and softener is significant, but so are operating and maintenance expenses. Some filter cartridges/materials last for longer than others. And some replacements are more costly than others.

When it comes to water softeners, consider the costs of salt and drinking water used for regeneration (salt-based systems only). In comparison to something reasonably priced, a more expensive but more resource-efficient device is likely to be more cost-effective over time.

Warranty and Where to Buy

We prefer to purchase online since we can get the greatest deals and have the widest product selection. We also like buying from sellers that.

Offer a lifetime guarantee on their systems and allow you to test their goods for a limited time and receive a full refund if you’re not completely satisfied.

All-in-One Water Softener-Filters

We don’t like all-in-one water softeners and filters. To begin with, they’re exceedingly uncommon. Second of all, rather than being more effective and efficient, they’re generally less so.

One of the reasons for this is that effective water treatment takes time, including contact time between the water and the filter media and softening resin. An all-in-one water softener and filter can’t keep up with two separate systems when only one is provided.

How Does a Whole House Water Softener and Filter Combo Work?

Pre-filters include filters based on size exclusion, carbon filter media for the adsorption of unpleasant taste and odor, chlorine and chloramine disinfection byproducts, as well as various pollutants and organic compounds. Additional specialized filter (media) types can remove heavy metals like lead or iron or hydrogen sulfide.

On the other hand, traditional water softeners all utilize ion exchange to remove hard minerals from water. Water is circulated through a tank containing softening resin and a media bed made up of thousands of tiny microbeads. The beads are heavily saturated with sodium ions.

Hard water comes into contact with the resin bed, removing calcium and other hardness minerals from the water. They attach to the beads, which function as magnets and take the place of sodium ions that go into the solution. Before the water reaches the bottom of the resin tank, it is softened and ready for distribution.

After a while, the resin beads become saturated with hard water ions, at which point a water softener must be regenerated.

The softening resin is expanded, and any debris is removed during a regeneration cycle by backwashing the resin tank, followed by a brining phase in which highly concentrated salt brine is sucked from the brine into the resin tank. The brine washes over the resin beads, removing all accumulated hard water ions and replacing them with a fresh sodium layer.

How Salt-Free Water Softeners Work

There are several types of salt-free water softeners, also known as water conditioners. All of them have in common that they eliminate or minimize the scaling effects of hard water without removing anything from the water. How? They prevent calcium and other minerals from adhering to surfaces by preventing the formation of scale. There are a few different techniques for doing so:

1. The most common technique is template-assisted crystallization. It utilizes catalytic media to convert hard water ions into large crystals. Scale prevention: Up to 99.6 percent.
2. The minerals in the water are bound together by a chelation agent, such as citric acid, to form precipitates.
3. Water descalers that use electromagnetic water induction to prevent scaling include electronic and magnetic.

What Are the Benefits of Using a Water Filter-Softener Combo?

The advantages are numerous. Whole-house water filtering gives you access to clean, wonderful-tasting water at every outlet in your house, including the shower(s). Water-using home appliances will benefit as well, and their lifespan is likely to improve. Water filtration before a water softener also aids in the prevention of clogging.

As an alternative, using a water softener not only protects your home appliances from being destroyed by hard water scaling but also prevents scale from forming in the first place. The scale will not form in your plumbing system if you use a water softener.

Reduced or no scaling means that water heaters work more effectively, resulting in lower energy expenses. The following are some cosmetic benefits: less spotting on bathroom equipment and tableware, softer and brighter clothing, and improved lathering of soaps and shampoos.

The Water-filter softener combo can be fit at any place. You don’t need to dedicate spacious spaces for installing different water treatment units. A single water softener and filter system can do it all.

Secondly, when you are supplied with contaminated hard water, then it’s an ideal single product to give you pure and filtered water.

Some of the benefits associated with saltless water conditioners are:

• The cost of scaling up is prohibitive, and the costs of scaling down are prohibitive. -> Scaling up will be more expensive than scaling down; existing scale deposits will eventually dissipate. Some systems are almost maintenance-free to run. You won’t need to buy new softening salt as often as you were using hardening salt.
• It’s important to understand that drinking water before bedtime is not advised, as it can lead to drowsiness. It’s vital for those on a salt-restricted diet and better for the environment. There’s no regeneration, so there’ll be no downtime and no wastewater generated.

Do I Even Need a Water Softener if I Have a Whole House Filter?

Water softeners and water filters are not the same things. The goal of a water filter is to remove one or more undesirable substances to improve water flavor and safety.

Water softeners were created to deal with hard water. They remove calcium and other minerals from water to prevent scale build-up, among other things.

Yes, a whole house water filter and softener is a complete solution to all your water issues. Usually, in extreme rainfall, dirty and contaminated hard water is supplied to households. At that moment you manually filter your hard water to get clean water. Therefore, installing a whole house water filter and softener combo will eliminate the need for other water treatment units.

Where should a whole house water filter be installed?

Ideally, you would install your whole house water filtration system in your kitchen sink. While it may be tempting to install your whole house water filtration system in the bathroom where you shower and flush the toilet, installing the filtration system in the bathroom is not ideal. The bathroom drains are usually located on the floor where any standing water is likely to collect. This makes your bathroom floor unsightly and can be a tripping hazard.

Are whole house water filters worth it?

Whole house water filters are an excellent investment if you have a well. Whole house water filters are handy for improving water quality in your home. They are best used in hard water areas or places where your water pressure is low. However, they are not recommended for the following reasons: they are expensive to maintain and require frequent filter changes, and their filters do not remove all chemicals and toxins.

FAQs

How long will my water filter-softener combination last?

It all depends upon your usage. Usually, the water filter-softener combination lasts up to 10 years with proper maintenance.

How often will I need to change filters?

It depends upon the rated capacity of the whole house water filter and softener. Usually, the filters need to be replaced after 3-6 months to prevent clogging of pores.

Is UV light required for water filtering and softening?

UV light can kill different pathogens and micro-organisms that are found in water. It is one of the proven technologies to ensure that the water is free from harmful organisms. Let me tell you UV light is not meant for converting hard water into soft. So if your family is constantly having gastric issues then it’s a great idea to install a UV water purification system along with your water filter-softener combo.

How much does it cost to install a whole house water filtration system?

The average cost of installing a filtration system is $2,000, including labor and materials. The price will vary depending on the type and complexity of the system you choose. Simpler systems typically cost less than $1,000, while more complex ones can cost over $5,000.

Can a whole house water filter be installed outside?

Whole-house water filters are a type of point-of-entry (POE) technology. They’re generally placed outside your home or inside your garage on the main water line. Whole house water filters can be installed by anyone with basic plumbing knowledge, as long as they have access to a power source and some basic tools.

What is the Whole house water filter and softener combo installation cost?

The average cost of a water softener system, including installation, is $1,500. The typical range is between $1,000 and $2,800. Installs may cost as little as $500 for DIY jobs and as much as $6,000 or more for large residences with sophisticated filtration systems.

Is a home water filtration system worth it?

If you’re having any of the issues mentioned above, a whole house water filter is well worth it. These filters function more than simply as water filters for your faucets; they help transform difficult or problematic water into cleaner, safer drinking water that’s better for your entire family.

Is a water filter better than a water softener?

Water purifiers focus on problems like stains on plates and buildup on appliances in order to offer better-tasting, cleaner water by removing a wider range of pollutants.

What is a whole house water softener?

A water softener, also known as a whole-house filtration system, uses ion exchange to remove hardness-causing calcium and magnesium minerals from your water. The greater the temperature of the water, the more calcium and magnesium will solidify and harden into solid deposits inside your hot water heater.

Conclusion:

I am pretty much sure that after doing through our whole house water filter and softener combo reviews, you will be able to make a better decision about water filter and softener. If you are still confused, then I would recommend FilterSmart whole house water system. It’s simply amazing.

Remember, the whole house water filter and softener combo is a great investment. You can say it’s a one-time investment. Just install it in your home and enjoy crystal clear and healthier water anytime.