What it does
Scale from hard water builds on the tank floor of a water heater and insulates the burner from the water it is heating, which is why heaters here last 8 to 12 years rather than longer. It also closes up showerheads and wears out faucet cartridges years early.
Softening versus filtration
A softener removes hardness and is what stops scale. A filter targets taste, chlorine and sediment and does not remove hardness. Reverse osmosis handles how the water tastes at the tap. If scale is the complaint, the answer is a softener, and we will tell you which of the three your problem actually points to.
