FilterSmart FS500 Salt-Free Water Softener Alternative 12 GPM
Template assisted crystallization for scale control with no salt, no drain and no media replacement.
$1,595
Usability
The most important thing to understand about the FS500 is what the name does not mean. This is not a softener. It is a template assisted crystallization conditioner, and TAC does not remove calcium or magnesium, does not lower a hardness test reading, and does not produce the lather or the slippery feel of softened water. What it does do, and the Arizona State University work FilterSmart cites supports this, is prevent scale from adhering to pipes, heaters and fixtures. If your actual complaint is limescale on the shower door and a water heater that keeps failing, that is the right target. If your complaint is soap that will not lather or spotting on glassware, this will disappoint you and no amount of installation care will change that. The upside is real: no salt to carry, no brine tank, no drain line, no electricity, no backwash water, and it can be installed where salt softeners are banned. The media is not consumed, so the only running cost is the sediment pre-filter every 8 to 10 months. The price is the problem. At 1,595 dollars for scale control alone, with no certification and no published performance data of FilterSmart's own, this is a lot to pay for a technology sold at half the price by several competitors. FilterSmart is also explicit that iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide will foul the media, which rules out most untreated wells.
- No salt, no brine tank, no drain, no electricity and no backwash water
- Media is not consumed in the reaction, so there is no ongoing media cost
- Leaves calcium and magnesium in the water and adds no sodium
- Can be installed in jurisdictions where salt-based softeners are banned
- Lifetime warranty on tanks and valve heads
- TAC scale reduction is supported by third-party academic testing of the technology
- It is a conditioner, not a softener - it will not lower a hardness reading, improve lather or stop spotting
- No certification of any kind for scale reduction, and no performance data specific to FilterSmart's media
- Removes no contaminants at all; chlorine, taste and odour need the separate carbon filter or the combo
- Iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide foul the media, so most untreated well water needs pre-treatment first
- 1,595 dollars is high for scale control alone against competing TAC systems
- Effect is invisible on a test strip, so verifying it works means watching pipes and fixtures over months
The FS500 is FilterSmart's salt-free conditioner for one to three bathroom homes, rated at 12 GPM. It uses template assisted crystallization, in which catalytic bead media converts calcium and magnesium into suspended microcrystals that will not adhere to pipes and heating elements. Nothing is added to or removed from the water, so the minerals stay in and no sodium goes in. The system uses no salt, no electricity and no drain, and the media is not consumed in the reaction.
Additional information
Specification: FilterSmart FS500 Salt-Free Water Softener Alternative 12 GPM
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