The difference between the WATERBOY System and a salt-based system is that the WATERBOY system does not require any salt or chemicals. The disadvantage of a salt or potassium water softening system is that it addresses only one problem, and that is the hardness of the water. It does not filter the water. Salt based systems remove calcium and magnesium minerals and exchange them for sodium chloride or potassium chloride. The result is that there is salt throughout the house, which you have to shower or bathe in, as well as the additives the city puts in the water. Drinking the salt water is not recommended, so a reverse osmosis unit is usually installed to remove the salt. A salt system requires lugging bags of salt or potassium and/or having an exchange unit that requires service people to enter your property on a regular basis.

Another disadvantage that we hear from our customers, who have had salt systems, is that they have to replace their hot water tank every 3-5 years, due to corrosion. In addition, most softeners are being banned throughout California due to environmental issues. A water softener has to use salt to “regenerate” or flush out the built-up minerals in the resin tank sending high content sodium levels down the drain.

There is no maintenance, no salt to add, and no media filters to change for about 10-12 years.

The control valve automatically puts the unit into a back-wash mode once a week, about 10-15 minutes, which repositions all filtration media, washes out all of the filters, regrades the beds and goes out a ½ inch PVC line to a lawn, garden or drain.

For most homes, not necessarily.

A WaterBoy whole-house filtration and conditioning system is designed to improve the water throughout your home by reducing chlorine, sediment, odors, and scaling. However, it is not the same as a reverse osmosis (RO) system, which removes a much broader range of dissolved contaminants.

Whether you need an RO system at the kitchen sink depends on your goals:

• You may not need RO if:
  • Your water supply already meets drinking water standards.
  • Your main goal is better-tasting water, reduced chlorine and specific contaminants that you want reduced. 
  • You’re satisfied with the quality of your tap water after the whole-house treatment.
    
• You may want RO if:
  • You want the highest level of purification for drinking and cooking.
  • You want to reduce contaminants such as arsenic, nitrates, higher levels of PFAS ,  fluoride, sodium, or other dissolved minerals that whole-house carbon and conditioning systems generally do not remove.
  • You have a private well with contaminants that require Reverse Osmosis. 
  •  KDF media , activated carbon and catalytic carbon,  are excellent for reducing chlorine some PFA’s and some heavy metals, but they do not remove everything that a reverse osmosis membrane can.

If you’re on municipal water in San Diego County and your Waterboy system is functioning properly, many homeowners are perfectly happy drinking the water without an RO.

• No salt or potassium to purchase.
• No maintenance costs.
• No reverse osmosis unit, which requires annual, costly filter changes. ($150-$200)
• Longer life for all appliances. (dishwasher, washing machine, hot water heater, etc.)
• Extended life of plumbing, no replacing of calcified pipes or faucets.
• No water loss from reverse osmosis unit. (they waste from 2 to 5 gallons for every gallon they make).
• No media filter changes for 10-15 years.
• No monthly rental charges.
• No bottled water purchases.

A WATERBOY system takes 1-3 hours for a standard installation. Water and heater are turned off during installation.

The industry standard is that one cubic foot of media will effectively filter 1 million gallons of water. 
For example, the Waterboy 2000 has 1.5 ft of media, including granular activated, carbon, catalytic carbon,  KDF and silica sand filtration media.
So based on that size of each system will determine water usage, based on number of people in the house , media could last up to 12 years on the small units and 12 to 15 on the larger sizes.

Superior water tastes like mountain spring water, because the minerals are left in the water, which gives it a very clean and flavorful taste. Many bottled water companies are adding minerals to their water to make it taste better. And for more vitality.

The WATERBOY does not remove essential minerals from the water, so the PH remains the same. Most municipal water comes in at 7.0 PH neutral alkalinity.

When water goes up the multi reversing module, it will produce a more soluble mineral when it comes out of the tank into the home. It will be easier to clean, and less hard spotting occurs. The WATERBOY will also reverse hard water build up in pipes and appliances.

The patented control valve automatically puts the unit into a back-wash mode once a week, for about 10-15 minutes, washes out all of the filters, regrades the beds and goes out a 1/2-inch PVC line to a lawn, garden or drain. This process extends the life of the WATERBOY system.

Most units are installed on the main water line, after the PRV (pressure regulator valve) which is usually in the garage, or on the side of the house. The plumber will work with the customer to assess the best place for installation and where the backflush line will empty to.

The WATERBOY tank is made of a structural high-performance vessel which is guaranteed to provide years of dependable service. The exterior jacket is made of durable stainless steel.