AO Smith Whole House Salt Free Descaler System - Works with City & Well Water Filters - 6yr, 600,000 Gl - Water Softener Alternative for Home - AO-WH-DSCLR

Making sure the water coming into my home faucets, showers, hoses, and sprinklers is as pure as possible is very important to me. All city and well water has either chemicals for treatment and/or minerals that can reduce the life of appliances like dishwashers, water heaters, washing machines, and these chemicals and minerals are not good for your skin, hair, sinks, showers, and clothes.I originally called 5 different plumbers to quote me to install a whole house system that could address these issues. Prices ranged from $3000 to $10,000 installed. I did EXTENSIVE research including talking to my city water department to determine exactly which chemicals were added to treat my water. I also had the water tested to determine the amount of chemicals, minerals, and sediment that I was trying to remove from the water.After a week of research I found this product on Amazon that would filter most of my concerns for only $329. Because I have brand new appliances including two tankless water heaters, I wanted extra purification features. For this I bought separately the GOLDEN ICEPURE 3 Stage Whole House Water Filter System for $299.I'm fairly handy but was not comfortable installing on my own. I hired a plumber, and for $600 and they installed both units for me in about 4 hours. So, out the door I only spent $1200 for a great system!My family immediately noticed a difference in the shower. Everybody noticed their skin was softer and not irritated, soap and shampoo washed off easier, and clothes came out cleaner and softer. I like to wash/detail my cars at home and I noticed the water spotting was much less and easier to clean than before I had the system installed.PROS:1. MUCH CHEAPER than a whole house water filtration system even when adding on additional filtration system.2. Low profile for space saving installation3. Works great and water tested showing chloramine, sediment, and water hardness removed4. Saves money up front and long term by extending life of appliances that use water and are normally damaged due to mineral deposits5. Skin feels better and not irritated6. No salt to refill7. If the power fails the system will still function as apposed to electric descalers8. My wife is happy!CONS:1. I would not attempt to install this on my own. Its not really supposed to be a DIY for the average home owner. My plumber said it was easy to install and I'm happy with that.This has been installed for 9 months without any issues. I will update the review if something changes.

I finally got around to having this installed by a plumber in my water softener loop. I had one that was 8 years old (another MFR) that I recently removed and decided that I NEEDED a chlorine filter. My old one was about 4 feet high and I wasn't sure if I needed to replace it or not, but I felt after 8 years, it must be due. I flushed this with the garden hose and the water was running clear in less than 10 minutes, so that was easy. What took me so long to install this was actually the plumber I was using. He had been to my home for a water softener and then again to remove the old chlorine filter. After BOTH visits, my water tasted and smelled like acetone for about 3 days even after flushing for over an hour. Well, I will tell you WHY this happened. The original plumber was in a rush and did not let the pvc primers/glue cure and completely dry enough before turning the water back on! I got a new plumber who waited about 45 minutes for it to cure and dry.....no smell or taste in the water! If you are doing this yourself or hiring someone, make sure you/they wait more than enough time for it to cure and dry COMPLETELY. If your water smells or tastes like acetone, there was not enough time given to dry/cure. And in my case 15-20 minutes was not enough time but 45 minutes worked well. If you get the smell/taste of acetone after turning the water on, the only thing you can do is wait it out, about 2-3 full days.The thing I noticed about this filter is that it is made by the same manufacturer that makes Aquasana filters. How do I know this? It was on the shipping label from the MFR to Amazon, then Amazon to me (there were 2 labels on the box) These exact filters are sold in lowes too for the same price here, but you don't have to lug it around and you may save on sales tax ordering online. I thought they were much heavier than they actually are which is why I ordered here.It works well, I smell no chlorine on any tap in the house. I also installed a pre-filter, (AO smith as well) that I picked up locally and installed that BEFORE this charcoal filter to get any sediment and rust particles from the city water. Yes, city water does have it and after one day, you can see the prefilter is no longer pristine white. After 3 days the prefilter is a light orange and I NEVER had a visible rust problem in my home. Now I know why my salt softener filter was slightly orange after a month! rust in the water. AFTER the charcoal filter is my salt water softener. I will absolutely buy this filter again in 6 years when it comes time to replace it. Great filter, great price, Amazon convenience and customer service if you need it.

Overall, great product. Easy to install, and well made. Comes with the mounting bracket, bolts, and filter wrench. Does not come with a filter, so ensure to order that separate (I think it says this anyway). I like the stainless steel inserts on the plastic housing. Years ago, I split a housing during install (my fault for sure)...so the inserts all but eliminate this problem. Well made, thick plastic housing. I actually installed two of these in series...the first is the basic sediment filter and the second is the carbon filter. Hoping this can extend the life of the carbon filter so I can replace every 6 months instead of three...and replace the less expensive sediment filter more regularly. Water pressure not an issue where I live, so if some reduction, that's fine. So...why only four stars instead of five? Well, I know it's kind of petty, but there is one thing that just really rubbed me the wrong way. The housings are clear...so you can see through them, right??...but they go and slap a giant bright orange sticker on it that takes up 2/3 of one side...warning you to ensure that if you have metal pipe to install a grounding jumper. It also states this big and bold about 4 separate times in the instructions. I get it...someone probably got zapped somehow because of this, so now they have to put a warning label...but does it have to be giant...and the type that does not peel off without a ton of goo-gone? Just seems silly...let's have a clear housing and then stuff a giant orange sticker over it.