Aquios® AQFS220 Whole House Salt Free Water Softener and Filter System - New Model - for Homes Under 2000 Square Feet

I live in Indianapolis, Indiana. Our city is known for having VERY HARD WATER that kills water heaters, dishwashers, faucets, etc. fast. I had doubts about purchasing the Aquios FS-220 Water Filter rather than simply getting a traditional salt-water softener. However, I'm EXTREMELY GLAD that I bought the Aquios. Here's why:1. GREAT TASTE: My water tastes better than bottled water. That's right, better. There are no odors, no after-tastes, nothing but pure, clean water.2. NO SCALE: The Aquios has removed all traces of scale on our dishes and appliances.3. NO LEAD: The Aquios removes heavy metals (salt water conditioners do not remove lead).4. NO SALT: The Aquios doesn't add any salt to my diet (salt water conditioners do).5. LOW MAINTENANCE: I simply change a filter once every 6 months or so.6. NO MORE HEAVY BAGS OF SALT.7. NO WASTED WATER FOR REGENERATION CYCLES (Aquios doesn't need to regenerate).8. BETTER WATER PRESSURE: Aquios filters remove scale build up in existing plumbing, so your pipes getting cleaner over time. We have had it only a few weeks and are already noticing some minor improvement in pressure.I had a salt conditioner a few years ago, and I hated having to load heavy bags of salt into it every week, and then listen to it regenerate at night (noisy). All that is gone forever.The best thing I can say is, how happy I am with my purchase. I highly recommend the Aquios FS-220 to anyone using HARD to VERY HARD municipal water. If you have well-water, then you probably need a pre-filter to remove sediment, etc. but it you're on city (municipal) water, then all you need is the Aquios.Thanks for reading,Stevizard

The water here is pretty hard and it may be too hard for this technology. Installation was a snap and it seems to be taking some of the hardness out but I am not sure if it is going to do the trick in the long run. They tell you that it will also take scale build-up out of your plumbing and it does do that. Once in a while a batch of it appears in the water coming out of the tap. That's OK and I am hoping that once it does that a few more times, the product will be OK. Go to the Mfg. web site and do your home work before you order it. Make sure your hardness level is within it's capability. I also have a whole house filter in front of it so the particles that can be filtered out are not clogging up the expensive cartage in this thing. That reminds me, I need change my filter !!!

So, your wondering if this is cost effective or not? It depends how you look at it, changing a 60$ filter every 45 days to me is not practical. But no electricity usage no salt bags and freed up space in the basement. You do the math if your water is really bad it'll need be changed every month

Received Aquios in no time and was surprised how small it is...23 inches long and about 5 inches around. Spent significant time figuring out the plumbing connections so the whole unit can be removed/replaced without resoldering...I think this head scratching time was worth it, and should be considered if hiring a plumber. It took me about 4 hours of pipe cutting, soldering and thinking through installation into existing plumbing infrastructure so that house water is filtered, lawn is not filtered, and each have separate valves. After installation, my soldering skills are greatly improved, and water quality noticeably better. Softer feeling water (at least I think so), fewer water stains after almost a month...but will have to wait some time to really confirm the improvement. High quality product, relatively easy to install, and seems to work well. No huge tanks, salt or power needed.

This does work, although it doesn't actually remove the hardness. This causes a bit of residue to be left over time in hot water applications, like the dish washer or boiling water.I was also surprised to see that the stock filter, while stating it removes particles larger than 5microns, does not actually reduce the parts per million (PPM) particles in my well water.All in all though, I do like it better than the electric salt water softener, and it freed up a lot of space in the utility closet.UPDATE: I have noticed that the residue left from heating or boiling water is much easier to remove than without a softener. I replaced the electric + salt softener because it had failed; when it was not operating, lime and calcium build-up required CLR or Lime-a-way to remove it, whereas now it comes off with a washcloth or scrub brush.