Whole-House Water Filtration
CF Plumbing installs and services whole-house water filtration for homes throughout La Jolla, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Carlsbad, and Rancho Santa Fe, as well as select areas of San Diego and Orange Counties.
A whole-house system treats water at the point of entry, before it reaches showers, laundry, fixtures, and the water heater. The systems installed by CF Plumbing are specified to help reduce chlorine, chloramines, and heavy metals, including lead, mercury, and arsenic. They are not under-sink drinking-water systems, and they are not salt softeners. Each of those is a separate specification.
What the system does not do
No conventional whole-house filter is sold as a spot-free system, and a salt softener should not be assumed to produce spot-free fixtures or glass either. Spotting is caused by minerals left behind as water dries. Producing truly spot-free water throughout a home generally requires a much more complex process, such as whole-house reverse osmosis or deionization. That is not a practical or appropriate solution for most residential properties, particularly in California, and it is not something CF Plumbing installs for that purpose. The whole-house system we install is not being offered as a spot-free system. Fixtures and glass still have to be cleaned.
The system also does not remove hardness. It is a conditioner, not a softener. In the homes we service, we generally do not recommend salt softeners. Residual sodium has been hard on water heaters where flushing and anode-rod service were neglected, and we have seen softeners shorten heater life in those conditions. That is field experience, not a claim about every home or every water heater. Hardness remains in the water. Deposits tend to release more readily, but fixtures are the last surface the water touches, and they still require cleaning. A weekly wipe-down is reasonable maintenance, not an optional extra. Gold, matte black, and oil-rubbed bronze finishes show residue sooner than polished chrome and need the same attention, if not more.
Much of the benefit is internal and will not be visible. Lower chlorine is easier on supply piping and on water-heater components. Helping reduce heavy metals is easier on both storage-tank and tankless heaters. The effect is most apparent on the tankless equipment CF Plumbing installs, particularly Navien units, because those heat exchangers are stainless steel. Helping reduce chlorine and metals is one of the more useful things that can be done for the life of that exchanger. The same water is still better for a tank heater. The system is not a substitute for plumbing service, descaling, or flushing. Recycled municipal water in California also means the equipment is working against a more heavily treated supply than homeowners may remember from years ago. It improves the water coming into the house. It does not restore an older water supply, and it does not eliminate the need to care for the house.
How the equipment is built
Through PuraClean Water, the systems supplied are assembled, tested, packaged, and shipped from Carlsbad. The filter is piped in an upflow configuration, so the media remains suspended in service and does not settle into channels. There is no control valve cycling a backwash, no wastewater from a regeneration cycle, and no electrical connection. The system treats water whenever the house is in use. It does not take yearly cartridge changes. Under normal conditions it is typically left in service for thirteen years or longer, depending on water use. Service is determined by a water test, usually considered after about ten years, not by a filter schedule. The installation still includes accessible shutoffs and a bypass. Equipment that cannot be reached is a poor installation regardless of how little attention the tank itself requires.
Whole-house filtration and reverse osmosis
The two systems are specified separately because they perform different work. Whole-house filtration treats water for the home. It is not designed to match the reduction of an under-sink reverse osmosis membrane, and it should not be presented as though it can. Where drinking and cooking water is the concern, an RO system at the kitchen sink is the addition we generally recommend. The two are frequently installed together.
Replacement
CF Plumbing replaces equipment that leaks, bypasses itself, or cannot be serviced. If an existing system is still performing properly, appearance alone is generally not a reason to replace it. If a softener or another filter has already been sold for a result it is not designed to produce, we look at that before recommending anything else. When an older whole-house system does reach service, the choice between rebuilding the tank and installing a new one is covered on the maintenance page.
Frequently asked questions
The same questions come up on almost every filtration call. The short answers are below.
Will this system, or a softener, keep my glass and fixtures spot-free?
No. The whole-house system we install is not a spot-free system, and a salt softener should not be expected to produce spot-free glass either. Truly spot-free water throughout a house generally requires a much more complex process, such as whole-house reverse osmosis or deionization, which is not practical for most homes and is not something CF Plumbing installs for that purpose. Fixtures still need to be cleaned, and specialty finishes need more care than polished chrome.
Will this protect my water heater?
It is beneficial for both tank and tankless heaters. Helping reduce chlorine is easier on the plumbing and on heater components, and helping reduce heavy metals is easier on the heat exchanger. The difference is most noticeable on the Navien tankless units CF Plumbing installs, because those exchangers are stainless steel and, in our experience, last longer when chlorine and metals are reduced. It does not replace descaling a tankless heater, and it does not replace flushing a storage-tank heater.
Is a reverse osmosis system still necessary?
For drinking water, yes. Whole-house filtration and reverse osmosis are complementary. CF Plumbing installs them together when the home requires both, which is common.
Does this system backwash or need yearly filter changes?
No. It is piped in upflow, so it has no backwash cycle, no wastewater, and no electrical control head. It does not take yearly cartridges. Typical life is thirteen years or more, depending on water use. After about ten years, a water test is the indicator for service.
Will this remove hard water?
No. It is a conditioner, not a softener. Hardness remains in the water. Deposits usually wipe off more readily, but fixtures still have to be cleaned.
Photographs of the existing equipment and of the main shutoff are the most useful place to start. The recommendation follows what is already installed, not a standard package.
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