[CFrance]

OP, I hope your question got answered somewhere up above. I believe we had our blue plug (that you put in when not using a fridge filter) in the Whirlpool French door for two years with no slowdown of ice maker. Enjoy your clean water.

[retiredguy123]

I think I would continue using a refrigerator filter. Most filters have a Home Depot brand that is about half the cost of the name brand. And, you can extend the time between changing filters to save money.

[CFrance]

I have been told that once the filter in the fridge starts to slow down, take it out and shake it vigorously, and it will keep going.

[queasy27]

Originally Posted by eremite06

I've had the Nova system for years. Lately there's been a black residue leaching into the toilet bowl. Not sure why.

This may not be the same issue you have, but I don't have a filtering system and get a dark mold build-up under the toilet rim. The cold water is warm in the summer while the hot tap is noticeably cooler when it first comes out of the tap. Anyway, the warmth seems to cause the mold. It's more specks of dirt than a color change when I wash it out, though.

[Carla B]

My main complaint has to do with the calcium or mineral buildup on the faucets and also the dark mold under the toilet rim. If these issues can't be eliminated by a whole-house water filter, then apparently the only benefit is the taste of the water? We have a dedicated faucet and filter at the kitchen sink and, of course, the refrigerator filter to take care of the taste issue.

What am I missing?

[JSR22]

Originally Posted by Carla B

My main complaint has to do with the calcium or mineral buildup on the faucets and also the dark mold under the toilet rim. If these issues can't be eliminated by a whole-house water filter, then apparently the only benefit is the taste of the water? We have a dedicated faucet and filter at the kitchen sink and, of course, the refrigerator filter to take care of the taste issue.

What am I missing?

Clothes coming out of the washer softer and showering and shampooing much better.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Carla B

My main complaint has to do with the calcium or mineral buildup on the faucets and also the dark mold under the toilet rim. If these issues can't be eliminated by a whole-house water filter, then apparently the only benefit is the taste of the water? We have a dedicated faucet and filter at the kitchen sink and, of course, the refrigerator filter to take care of the taste issue.

What am I missing?

It is the water softener that will take care of the calcium/mineral deposits. But it may not take care of the mold under the toilet rim (ours didn't).


As an earlier poster stated (debfromaine, I believe), just having the whole-house filter will not eliminate all calcium deposits unless you add a softener to it.


We added the whole-house filter to the softener system in order to get the resulting salt from the softener out of the water. We had excellent-tasting water and no water spots anywhere. But we did get mold under the toilet rims. That's a humidity issue, not a mineral issue.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by JSR22

Clothes coming out of the washer softer and showering and shampooing much better.

Also whiter whites and brighter colors.

[biker1]

To remove the sodium added by a water softener (it is actually sodium, not sodium chloride, the chloride is stripped off), you will need a reverse osmosis system, a distillation system, or some sort of ion exchange system that targets sodium. There are some small, single tap ion exchange systems that are in replaceable enclosures for individual taps that may target sodium - google is your friend. "Filters", which typically means sediment and/or carbon-based filters, will not remove sodium from your water. Regardless, the amount of sodium added by the ion exchange process (to remove calcium and magnesium ions which cause hardness) in a water softener is quite small, typically about 24 mgs per 8 ounces of water. This is less than a slice of bread or an egg. If even that amount is an issue because of dietary restrictions, you can use potassium chloride as a regenerate in your water softener, albeit at a higher cost than sodium chloride. In that case, small amounts of potassium will be added to your water from the ion exchange process in the water softener. Small reverse osmosis systems installed under a kitchen sink with a separate tap (next to the normal tap) are popular. You would choose the reverse osmosis tap for drinking and cooking water. Reverse osmosis systems pretty much remove everything.

Originally Posted by CFrance

It is the water softener that will take care of the calcium/mineral deposits. But it may not take care of the mold under the toilet rim (ours didn't).


As an earlier poster stated (debfromaine, I believe), just having the whole-house filter will not eliminate all calcium deposits unless you add a softener to it.


We added the whole-house filter to the softener system in order to get the resulting salt from the softener out of the water. We had excellent-tasting water and no water spots anywhere. But we did get mold under the toilet rims. That's a humidity issue, not a mineral issue.

[photo1902]

Originally Posted by Carla B

My main complaint has to do with the calcium or mineral buildup on the faucets and also the dark mold under the toilet rim. If these issues can't be eliminated by a whole-house water filter, then apparently the only benefit is the taste of the water? We have a dedicated faucet and filter at the kitchen sink and, of course, the refrigerator filter to take care of the taste issue.

What am I missing?

In my opinion, you're not missing anything.

[Kerry Azz]

Originally Posted by mixsonci

I tried taking my fridge filter out, but when I did, the ice maker wouldn''t work. I tried to get a "Plug" for in place of the filter, but was told by Whirlpool that my particular model does not need a plug so there is none to buy. However, the ice maker doesn't work without. So at present I have a filter in, but really don't want to buy another filter if I don't have to, they're expensive.

Reading some of these post on the little confused, If you’re not worried about the filter system on the refrigerator and your refrigerator requires a filter to be used for your icemaker to work then just reset the thing it’s really that simple.

[HiHoSteveO]

Originally Posted by Kerry Azz

Reading some of these post on the little confused, If you’re not worried about the filter system on the refrigerator and your refrigerator requires a filter to be used for your icemaker to work then just reset the thing it’s really that simple.

Actually I don't think it's that simple.

Wouldn't bacteria continue to collect in the carbon filter in the refrigerator?

Bacteria stew with every glass of water or ice cube.

Does the Nova system remove chlorine too? (disinfectant) Wouldn't that make the refrigerator filter even more of a bacteria collector?

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by HiHoSteveO

Actually I don't think it's that simple.

Wouldn't bacteria continue to collect in the carbon filter in the refrigerator?

Bacteria stew with every glass of water or ice cube.

Does the Nova system remove chlorine too? (disinfectant) Wouldn't that make the refrigerator filter even more of a bacteria collector?

Yes, I think the filter system will remove chlorine. That is why I am skeptical of these filter systems. The water that comes to your house has chlorine to protect you against harmful bacteria. So, if you leave the water sitting on your pipes after it leaves the filter, isn't there the possibility of that water becoming contaminated? With regard to the refrigerator, I would continue to use the filter as designed. It really doesn't cost that much, and will provide additional filtering.

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I think I would continue using a refrigerator filter. Most filters have a Home Depot brand that is about half the cost of the name brand. And, you can extend the time between changing filters to save money.

Fridge filter have a very poor filtering capacity at most 25 to 30 microns and they use a low quality charcoal carbon.

The Nova is not using charcoal and is a 5 micron filter.

For comparison, the Nova carbon weighs iin at 6.3 pounds of pure carbon. The expensive fridge are a few ounces.

they will have zero effect and may harbor bacteria, therefore I recommend their removal.

All fridge manufacturers must have a way to use them without.

.

[jimbo2012]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

Yes, I think the filter system will remove chlorine. That is why I am skeptical of these filter systems. The water that comes to your house has chlorine to protect you against harmful bacteria. So, if you leave the water sitting on your pipes after it leaves the filter, isn't there the possibility of that water becoming contaminated?

The chlorine did it's job killing bacteria from the pumping plant to your home.
After that any chlorine in the pipes is completely dissipated in 24 hours, that is the total life.

It is difficult to harbor bacteria after that because of lack of air in the pipes

Also understand the chlorination process has two carcinogens that remain in the water, they are stated right on your annual bill.

TTHM and Haloacetic acid, just google them

I'm not trying to alarm anyone just know they are there but at safe Federal guidelines.

More importantly our system removes them.

------

there are also microplastics in the water not only here but world wide, again they will be removed

See http://www.novafiltration.com/whats-in-your-water/