Nuvo Water Filter

[Bob D.]

My BIL just moved into a new (to him) house. House has well water and there is no water filter or water treatment system and the water is hard and tastes bad. He asked me about the Nuvo water filter. He say an infomercial on TV. I said I had never heard of them. He said it's a cartridge that gets installed inline and they claimed it takes the place of a salt water softening system. I haven't looked them up online yet but I'm about to do that.

But I'd rather hear from you guys and first hand experiences.

So wondering if anyone here can shed some light on these filters.

Snake oil or real?

[drainman scott]

My understanding of the " no salt " Nuvo water treatment is they use citric acid to prevent hard water from forming / scaling on fixtures or the inside of water lines but does not reduce the actual grains as hard water is measured in the water system as opposed to a traditional salt water softener that flushes them out in cycles.

Here's a blog that explains the pros and more cons about salt free water treatment systems.


https://www.cleanwaterstore.com/blog...pros-and-cons/

[Bob D.]

Thanks, I will review that site and let him know. He is not much for searching the web. I can't even get him to answer a text message. I think a water test should be his first step. He doesn't have thousands to pour into an expensive water treatment system.

[AverageHomeowner]

Agreed, start with a water test. That way he knows what he needs to filter for. Depending on what's lurking in his well water, the solution may be different.

[blue_can]

I don't have first hand experience but I would say snake oil. I believe the only proven technique for softening water are salt based systems using ion exchange.

If they are willing to offer money back then I would say maybe go for it, have it installed and then test water hardness using strips. If the water has not became soft then there's your answer.

Alternatively ask if they have a demo system where he can test water going in is hard and coming out is soft and he can test with his own hardness strips.

[Bob D.]

My BIL got his water tested and sent it to me, here is a snip from that report showing the three criteria that failed. It was tested by
a state certified lab. The lab does not install treatment systems, they only test. Results were pH is way low, nitrates are high, and
manganese is high. I asked and he said the well is about 30 years old and down 80 feet which is second water around here. He's
surrounded by mostly farmland, sod farms, and nurseries for miles in all directions with some small clusters of houses scattered here
and there. So the high nitrates doesn't surprise me. Most people in the area that have a well tell me their pH tests low.



He got two quotes which are Company A is $2900 and Company B is $4100. He said he gave both companies a copy of the test report.

He asked me about it and I said I know squat about water treatment systems. Company A did not come out to the property and their quote
says there may be additional charges based on conditions. I told him that's crazy, it's basically a blank check with a $2900 minimum.

Company B did visit the home and left him some information on the equipment they propose to install. A K5 reverse osmosis system and
the other equipment is made by Timerline. They told him they guarantee the water will pass the State test and the tanks have a 10 year
warranty and 5 years on the control valves.

I know prices vary widely in different areas but these two numbers aren't even close. I told him get another company to quote.

I also told him I would see what I could find out about the equipment the one company is using. Company A didn't tell him what make
equipment they are installing or provide him any information on it with their quote. I told him that's another reason not to go with them.

So I would like to know what you might think of the K5 RO system and the other equipment as far as quality and reliability.

Interested in your thoughts as I am trying to save him some money (or maybe I should say not spend more than he has to) as he is on
a fixed income and $4100 is a big chunk of cash.

[blue_can]

Did they do a water hardness test? This looks like they just did an impurity test. If he has hard water even removing the impurities will leave the water tasting bad. An RO system will not soften the water but does treat impurities.

I don't have any much knowledge of RO systems but since there is a model number I would check the specs and see if it is designed to clean up the failing impurities mentioned in the report.

[Bob D.]

There was a full analysis in the 8 page report, I just snipped the piece with the three that failed as I said in my post.
The RO system in only part of what they are installing, they will treat the pH and the nitrates too.

I did search for info on the Kinetico K5 RO System, it's pricey but gets good marks. Biggest con is you have to get the filters from your local Kinetico dealer, and it looks like company B has the whole southern half of NJ locked up. I searched on the Kinetico site for dealers near us and he is the only one listed in this state within 50 miles (my BIL place is only 4 miles from me), so you're not going to get it from someone else.

The Kinetico system can accommodate up to five filters. These can be tailored to your specific needs by installing various filters designed to remove different combinations of impurities.

Where I used to work they have a huge RO system making hundreds of gallons of water a minute that fills a 50 x 75 foot building, but I never was involved with the workings of the system or had reason to learn much about it. And if I did anything I learned I doubt much of it would apply to a small scale system like this.

[blue_can]

I took a quick look at the K5 RO system. Unfortunately there are no real specs about how it will exactly improve the failing items. It looks like it will help with the nitrates and Mn. From the little I know I think RO systems will not help with the pH value - in face it may make it more acidic by lowering the pH after the RO process. There are ways to restore the pH back to neutral values by injecting a alkaline solution but it does not seem like this unit can take care of that. The water seems pretty acidic with a pH of 4.4 - that's the acidity level of something like tomatoes.

Maybe he should ask further questions of both companies about how their proposed system is going to take care of the 3 failing items in the report.

[Bob D.]

The pH is being handled by the rest of the system. Why do you keep questioning the K5 and it neutralizing the pH.
gain, I read up on the Kinetico system. Do you have one? It doesn't sound like it, and that's what I was after,
someone who had first hand experience.

You're darn tooting the 4.4 is acidic, I said it was way low to begin with.

Thanks everyone for your help.

[blue_can]

I missed that you said the pH was being treated in another part of the system. No I don't have first hand knowledge of this system - hopefully someone else here can help.