Every water treatment package, compared

Hard water: salt softeners

A softener takes the hardness out. The Tigers add a carbon layer for chlorine taste in the same tank; the Bobcat is softening only. Every one of them adds some sodium.

Do you need one? Prescott city water, at 4.3–7.6 grains, is moderately hard: only the top of that range crosses the 7-grain line where the U.S. Geological Survey starts calling water hard. At that level a softener is about comfort and cost, not health; on a hard well, or ahead of a gas tankless heater, the case is stronger.

Which Tiger: 32, 48 or 64K?

All three are the same design: a softener with a carbon layer in one tank, on a Clack WS1 valve. They differ in tank size, capacity and steady flow. The capacities and flows below are Charger’s figures for its own tanks of the same size that share the tank with carbon.

• Tiger 32, $2,235 — best for one or two people on city water. A 10″ × 54″ tank; Charger rates tanks like it at 18,000–24,000 grains between regenerations at the lower salt setting and about 5–6 gallons a minute of steady flow. For two people on Prescott city water it regenerates about every 13–21 days.
• Tiger 48, $2,590 — best for three or four people, or one or two on harder water up to about 20 grains. A 12″ × 52″ tank; Charger rates tanks like it at 27,000–36,000 grains between regenerations at the lower salt setting and about 7.5 gallons a minute of steady flow. For two people on Prescott city water it regenerates about every 19–32 days.
• Tiger 64K, $3,399 — best for larger households, or harder wells. A 13″ × 54″ tank; Charger rates tanks like it at 36,000–48,000 grains between regenerations at the lower salt setting and about 10 gallons a minute of steady flow. For two people on Prescott city water it regenerates about every 25–42 days.

Salt use is about the same on all three for the same household: about 3–4 fifty-pound bags a year for two people on Prescott city water (our arithmetic), because the salt follows the hardness removed, not the tank. The city figures are worked at 7.6 grains, the top of the city’s range.

A bigger tank buys fewer regenerations and more flow for showers running at once, and sends more water to the drain each time it regenerates. The Bobcat is a plain softener with no carbon layer. These are reference prices: whole-house systems are not installed until CreekWell’s contractor licenses are issued.

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Chlorine, chloramine and PFAS

Whole-house carbon for taste and smell, and a whole-house PFAS filter certified to reduce five PFAS at up to 5 gallons a minute, for water that has tested positive.

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Drinking water

Reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink, or for the whole house. On a well with iron or arsenic? Read drinking water only, on a well first.

The Kitten and the Ocelot can be booked for November if your water is inside their limits. The Lion’s price is a reference price: whole-house systems are not installed until CreekWell’s contractor licenses are issued.

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Who warrants what

“10-year warranty” almost never means the whole system. Here is how the coverage on these packages really splits, part by part.

The makers’ warranty terms, by maker (each spec sheet links the maker’s text where one is published):

• Charger softeners and filters: a limited warranty to the original buyer; it excludes freezing, water over 120°F, pressure over 120 psi and changes from the original design, and it does not cover consequential damages, such as water damage to a floor.
• HydroSplash under-sink RO: excludes accident, misuse, neglect, improper installation, pressure over 100 psi and modifications. Charger’s obligation is limited to repairing or replacing defective parts, and it is in no event liable for incidental or consequential damages, such as water damage from a leak (owner’s manual, 8.0).
• Charger UV: the full terms are not published; ask Neil for a copy before you buy.
• AdEdge (the Jaguar’s arsenic system) and AdvanTech (the Lion’s RO unit): publish no warranty.

These terms cover the part, not the labor to fit it; who pays the labor to swap a defective part, in the first two years and after, is written on your estimate.

Words on these sheets, in plain English

Grain per gallon (gpg)

The unit used to measure hardness: one grain per gallon is about 17 ppm (mg/L). The City of Prescott reports 4.3–7.6 grains; ADEQ’s study of Prescott-area wells averaged about 12.

32K, 48K, 64K

A softener’s nominal size in thousands of grains. What it holds between regenerations is less; each sheet gives Charger’s rating.

Regeneration

A softener’s cleaning cycle: salt water renews the resin, then it rinses to the drain — about 40 to 140 gallons on the tanks on these sheets, by size, plus the slow salt-water rinse (our arithmetic from Charger’s settings).

Backwash

A filter rinsing itself by running water backward through the tank to a drain.

Air draw

How the Panther’s iron filter works: it keeps a pocket of air in the tank that turns dissolved iron and the rotten-egg gas into particles the media catches, and after each backwash it draws in fresh air, briefly emptying the tank of water to do it (Charger).

Pressure drop and Cv

The water pressure a valve or tank costs at a given flow. A valve’s flow coefficient (Cv) is the flow, in gallons a minute, at which it costs 1 psi; the drop at other flows is (flow ÷ Cv) squared.

Limited warranty

A written warranty that does not meet every one of the federal conditions for a “full” warranty — for example, one that covers only the original buyer, or limits how long implied warranties last. A written warranty on a product costing more than $10 must be called “full” or “limited” (FTC). Charger’s warranties on these packages say they are limited; each sheet’s Warranty row lists what is covered and what is excluded.

Incidental and consequential damages

Incidental damages are the costs of dealing with a failed part, such as inspecting it or shipping it back; consequential damages are the other losses it causes, such as water damage to a floor. Charger’s warranties on these packages cover neither.

Implied warranty

An unwritten promise that state law attaches to a sale — the FTC calls implied warranties “unspoken, unwritten promises, created by state law” — the most common being that a product does what it is sold to do. A limited written warranty may limit how long they last.

Not certified

No independent certifier (NSF, IAPMO or WQA) lists the product for that claim, so the claim is the maker’s own. EPA does not certify treatment devices.

MCL and MCLG

EPA’s Maximum Contaminant Level is the highest level allowed in drinking water on a public system; the MCL Goal is the level below which there is no known or expected risk to health. For lead the goal is zero (the water-testing page).

Downstream

Further along the pipe. A softener connected downstream of the outdoor spigots leaves those spigots on unsoftened water.

Free chlorine residual

Chlorine still active in the water at your tap, as in chlorinated city water. A private well normally has none.

IAPMO Z601

A standard for scale-reduction devices such as salt-free conditioners. IAPMO tests and lists products against it; none of the Snow Leopards claims it.

Media

The material in a tank that does the work: resin in a softener, carbon, KDF, SP3 or arsenic media.

Resin

The small plastic beads in a softener that trade hardness for sodium (or potassium).

Crosslink

How tightly a softener resin’s beads are bonded, in percent: 8% is the standard grade, and a higher percentage makes a tougher bead. The Tiger 48’s invoice lists 8% crosslink.

Mineral tank and salt tank

The tall tank holds the media. The salt (brine) tank is the one you fill with bags of salt.

Mid-plate

A plate inside a tank that keeps two media apart (Charger).

KDF

A copper-zinc media. Charger says it reduces chlorine, heavy metals and hydrogen sulfide.

GAC and catalytic carbon

Granular activated carbon takes out chlorine taste and smell. Regular carbon cannot remove chloramine; catalytic carbon can reduce it (Charger).

Chloramine

A disinfectant made from chlorine and ammonia that some cities use instead of chlorine.

Clear-water iron

Dissolved iron: the water runs clear from the tap, then turns orange or brown in the air.

PFAS

Man-made “forever chemicals” that break down very slowly. See the PFAS page.

ppm, ppb, mg/L, µg/L

Parts per million equal milligrams per liter (mg/L); parts per billion equal micrograms per liter (µg/L). Arsenic is usually given in ppb.

ND (non-detect)

Below the lowest level the lab’s method can reliably measure. It does not mean zero; your report gives the detection limit (the water-testing page).

gpm and psi

Gallons a minute, and pounds per square inch of water pressure.

TDS

Total dissolved solids: everything dissolved in the water, as one number. It says how much, not what.

Turbidity (NTU)

How cloudy the water is.

Micron

A millionth of a meter; a filter’s micron rating is the size of particle it catches.

NSF/ANSI standards

42: taste and odor. 44: water softeners. 53: health claims such as arsenic, lead or PFAS. 55: UV. 58: under-sink reverse osmosis. 61 and 372: what a part adds to water — material safety, not performance. NSF, IAPMO and WQA test and list products; EPA does not certify treatment devices.

Class A (UV)

The NSF/ANSI 55 grade for UV units meant for water with harmful germs: a stronger dose with an alarm or automatic shutoff.

Softener loop

The pair of pipes a builder leaves for a softener, usually near the water heater or where the water comes in.

Bypass valve

A valve that sends water around the equipment, so the house keeps water while it is serviced.

Air gap

An open space between a drain line and the drain, so dirty water can never be pulled back into the system.

Charger (and Charger Water)

Charger Water Treatment Products of Morton Grove, Illinois, the supplier Neil buys most of this equipment from; its UV sheets say Charger Water. Some parts are made by others: the HydroSplash by Vertex, the SP3 media by Watch-Water.

Arsenic III and arsenic V

The two forms of arsenic in well water. Most treatment, RO included, works better on arsenic V; a standard lab panel reports the total, not the form. The University of Arizona says most Arizona aquifers contain arsenic V, so arsenic III is normally not a concern for Arizona well owners.

Reverse osmosis (RO)

Water pushed through a very fine membrane that holds back most dissolved solids; part of the water carries them to the drain.

Recovery

The share of the water going into an RO that comes out as purified water. At 50% recovery, a gallon goes to the drain for every gallon made.

SP3, NAC and TAC

Salt-free scale media. SP3 is Watch-Water’s product; its maker calls the process NAC. TAC media sold by other brands rest on a similar crystal-forming idea. None of them softens.

Contact time

How long water stays in a media tank. Carbon and arsenic media work better with more of it, so the flow through a tank is limited.

Flow restrictor

A small fitting that caps how fast water can pass through a tank, so the media gets the contact time it needs.

Upflow

Water entering a tank at the bottom and rising through the media. Charger runs its salt-free media this way only.

Pre-oxidation

A step ahead of an arsenic or iron system that changes what is in the water so the next stage can catch it: arsenic III into arsenic V, usually with chlorine, since air does little to arsenic III (EPA); or dissolved iron into particles, with air or chlorine.

pH

How acidic or alkaline water is, on a scale of 0 to 14: 7 is neutral, lower is acidic, higher is alkaline. Several makers’ limits on these sheets include a pH range.

Coliform and E. coli

Bacteria a lab tests for. Coliform bacteria are a sign that germs could be getting into the water; E. coli, one kind, comes from human or animal waste (CDC). A lab report lists them separately: “Total coliform: present” means coliform was found, even when E. coli is absent. Some reports write it as A (absent: none found, a pass) or P (present). A positive test means the source is found and fixed first.

MPN

Most probable number: a lab’s estimate of how many coliform bacteria are in 100 mL of water. On a well, coliform should be zero, so 0, “<1” or “absent” is a pass.

Mixed-bed

Charger’s name for a softener tank that holds more than one layer: on the Tigers, softening resin with a carbon layer in the same tank.

Steady (service) flow and peak flow

Steady flow is the rate a tank can treat water continuously and still do its job; a peak flow is a higher rate for a short time. The steady figures are the ones to plan on.

In/out head

A simple fitting on top of a tank with no timer or drain: water goes in and comes out, and the tank never backwashes.

Anti-siphon device

A fitting on a drain line that stops dirty water being pulled back into the equipment; codes call for it or an air gap.

Tannins

Natural matter from decaying plants that can tint water yellow or tea-colored. UV and arsenic media need water with little or none.

Dissolved oxygen

Oxygen carried in the water. Catalytic carbon needs enough of it to take out iron; Penn State says at least 4 ppm.

Reject water (concentrate)

The water an RO system sends to the drain, carrying what the membrane held back.

Back pressure

The push of a filling RO storage tank against the membrane. EPA says it makes a system less efficient than its rating: less water made, more to the drain.

Leaching test (TCLP)

EPA’s test of whether a used material would release contaminants in a landfill. Used-up arsenic media that passes it goes out as ordinary, non-hazardous waste.

ppt (parts per trillion)

A thousandth of a part per billion. PFAS limits are set in parts per trillion.

UV dose (mJ/cm²)

How much ultraviolet light the water receives. NSF/ANSI 55 Class A calls for 40.

ADEQ

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

Commissioning

Starting up a new system and checking that it runs as its maker intends before it is handed over.

Startup sample

A water sample taken when a new system first runs, to check the result from the start.

POE and POU

Point of entry: treatment where the water comes into the house, so every tap gets it, as with the Jaguar’s AdEdge Medallion POE tanks. Point of use: treatment at one tap, as with an under-sink RO such as the Kitten.

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