FilterSmartFS500 Salt-Free Water Softener Alternative 15 GPM
Another size of the FilterSmart FS500, which ranks 30th of 35 in Water Softeners
The 15 GPM FS500 conditioner in a 10 in by 54 in tank, for four to six bathroom homes with hard water.
$1,920
We may earn a commission if you buy through this link. It never affects our scores. How this works
Usability
Usability
The 15 GPM FS500 is the same conditioner as the 12 GPM model in a bigger tank, and the same caveat governs both: template assisted crystallization prevents scale from adhering, it does not soften. Hardness minerals stay in the water and a test strip will still read hard, by design. What the larger tank adds is contact time at higher simultaneous draw, and since FilterSmart states TAC needs about five seconds of contact against roughly ninety for ion exchange resin, the margin at 15 GPM is not trivial on a six-bathroom house. The operating case remains the strongest thing about the product. Nothing is consumed, nothing is dosed, nothing drains, and the only recurring task is the sediment pre-filter every 8 to 10 months. Where it falls down is price and evidence. At 1,920 dollars for scale control alone this is the most expensive scale-only product FilterSmart sells, there is no certification to point at, and no data specific to FilterSmart's own media rather than to TAC in general. FilterSmart also states that iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide foul the media, which means most untreated wells need pre-treatment before this is viable.
- No salt, no brine tank, no drain, no electricity and no wasted backwash water
- Larger bed maintains contact time on high simultaneous draw
- Media is not consumed, so there is no recurring media cost
- Adds no sodium and leaves beneficial minerals in the water
- Legal where salt-based softeners are banned
- Lifetime warranty on tanks and valve heads
- A conditioner, not a softener - no change to a hardness reading, no lather improvement, no end to spotting
- 1,920 dollars is the most FilterSmart charges for scale control alone, with no filtration included
- No certification for scale reduction and no performance data for FilterSmart's specific media
- Iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide foul the media, so most wells need pre-treatment
- About 58 in tall with the valve head, which will not fit every installation space
- Results can only be confirmed by watching scale on fixtures over months, not by testing
This is the larger FS500 conditioner, rated at 15 GPM for four to six bathroom homes, in a 10 in by 54 in tank. The technology is identical to the 12 GPM model: template assisted crystallization on catalytic bead media, converting hardness minerals into suspended microcrystals that cannot form adherent scale. No salt, no drain, no electricity and no media replacement.
Additional information
Specification: FilterSmart FS500 Salt-Free Water Softener Alternative 15 GPM
| Water Filtration Specifications | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||||||||||||
| General Specifications | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
