Are Shower/Tap filters really useful?

Ssreek

Ssreek

Herald
Came across these tap/shower filters from various brands.
Would like to know if these are really helpful, especially for hairfall issues related to using hard water for head bath.
They also come with cartridges which need to be replaced every few months.
Overall these are quite costly too.

If you are using any of those, do let me know how is the experience.
Want to know if it is worth purchasing these..
 
Ssreek said:
Would like to know if these are really helpful, especially for hairfall issues related to using hard water for head bath.
Click to expand...
I don't believe they are. I think they are gimmicks or offer marginal benefit
Ssreek said:
They also come with cartridges which need to be replaced every few months.
Overall these are quite costly too.
Click to expand...
Yes, good for minting money
Ssreek said:
Want to know if it is worth purchasing these..
Click to expand...
How hard is your water? Have you tested it.

TDS doesn't count
 
  • Like
Reactions: Emperor and Ssreek
blr_p said:
How hard is your water? Have you tested it.

TDS doesn't count
Click to expand...
Haven't tested with hardness kit, only tds I know.
Even these shower/tap filters don't reduce tds but they say they reduce flourine or chlorine, not sure.

90% of the water we get is from tankers.
No other economic way of knowing hardness other than ordering the test kit right?
 
blr_p said:
This means it will vary all year round with no pattern at all.

Correct
Click to expand...
Yes. Sometimes the water has sand or such particles blocking the tap filters too and I have to clean them regularly. Bathrooms too get the yellow scales somewhat faster. The other 10% is actually better than this but we don't get that in a separate tap, they mix it all.
 
Get an overhead tank filter and avoid individual filters . use a few resins every month at the filter stage at the tank .That would be the cheapest way apart from getting a full fledged kit which costs lakhs .
 
I dont think so these work, had used it previously brought from amazon, didn't seem to work, seems just a gimmick.
Borewell and Tanker water were used here.
 
prototype said:
I dont think so these work, had used it previously brought from amazon, didn't seem to work, seems just a gimmick.
Borewell and Tanker water were used here.
Click to expand...
Borewell and tanker watwr contain sediments ,rust etc . A water tank filter clears these and i never had to buy a washing machine filter or none of the taps in the house get clogged . I use a few resins in the tank every month to soften the water. As far as i know that is the cheapest route . Alternative and proper solution is in lakhs
 
yugaaa said:
Borewell and tanker watwr contain sediments ,rust etc . A water tank filter clears these and i never had to buy a washing machine filter or none of the taps in the house get clogged .
Click to expand...
A sediment filter at the tank outlet
yugaaa said:
I use a few resins in the tank every month to soften the water. As far as i know that is the cheapest route .
Click to expand...
Got any links to these resins,
yugaaa said:
Alternative and proper solution is in lakhs
Click to expand...
Not necessarily
 
Guys, I live in a flat..so overhead or water tank filters are not possible. If I was living in own individual house, I'd have already got those installed.
 
So based on this discussion, I am not convinced yet to buy shower filters yet.
Currently thinking of using RO water directly for head bath.
It's a task to fill 20L for every head bath, but will see how it goes.
 
Few years back in Chennai when I was in an area which had hard water, I had installed the below iron remover. It worked well to make the water soft but the disadvantage is it can be installed in only one pipeline and the flow of water should be slow so as the iron content in the water is regulated. Depending upon the water hardness the filter needs to be cleaned once or twice a week. I had installed 150 LPH (the same one as in the picture) which was sufficient to fill a 20 ltrs bucket in 3 to 4 minutes. It costs around Rs.1800/- couple of years back. It definitely works well unlike those tap fitted water filters which are just gimmicks. IMG-20250608-WA0001.jpg
 
technofast said:
Few years back in Chennai when I was in an area which had hard water, I had installed the below iron remover.
Click to expand...
All you installed is an iron filter. As it says in your photo


Yellowish / Reddish / Brownish Turbid Water with Iron smell indicates Iron (Ferrous/Ferric) presence in your water.
Click to expand...
^Unless his water looks like that out of the tap this isn't the product to use.
technofast said:
It worked well to make the water soft
Click to expand...
It doesn't soften water at all. For that you need a dedicated water softener

Water Softeners – Reggies Mega Water Purifier

reggiesmegawaterpurifier.com reggiesmegawaterpurifier.com

^Unless you installed something like that you did not soften any water. Just filtered it for specific elements.

This is that resin business that @yugaaa was hinting at but never gave any source.

These are all custom jobs by various small companies around the country. This particular one is based in Chennai. You will have to find a local equivalent.

technofast said:
View attachment 239450
Click to expand...
^only filters iron, manganese & sulphur
 
Last edited:
blr_p said:
All you installed is an iron filter. As it says in your photo



^Unless his water looks like that out of the tap this isn't the product to use.

It doesn't soften water at all. For that you need a dedicated water softener

Water Softeners – Reggies Mega Water Purifier

reggiesmegawaterpurifier.com reggiesmegawaterpurifier.com

^Unless you installed something like that you did not soften any water. Just filtered it for specific elements.

This is that resin business that @yugaaa was hinting at but never gave any source.

These are all custom jobs by various small companies around the country. This particular one is based in Chennai. You will have to find a local equivalent.


^only filters iron, manganese & sulphur
Click to expand...
Sorry ! totally missed the post . I use these type of balls in the over head tank to protect the taps and all . https://www.amazon.in/Konvio-Antisc...409-9c43-fc274026be39&pd_rd_i=B09P126G9Z&th=1 . I buy them at a local store which sells filters and RO equipment . I know those balls do not convert hard water into soft water , but something is better than nothing . The real softener works with resin and it involves a huge tank and all which costs upwards a lakh .

The real softener resin looks like this . https://pearlwater.in/specials/water-softener-resin
 
yugaaa said:
I use these type of balls in the over head tank to protect the taps and all .
Click to expand...
Use how in the over head tank?
yugaaa said:
https://www.amazon.in/Konvio-Antiscalant-Solid-Purifiers-Convert/dp/B09P126G9Z/257-1058234-7552310 . I buy them at a local store which sells filters and RO equipment .
Click to expand...
According to this review, they are to be suspended inside the tank with a mesh bag.

And for how long does 50-100 balls work? Depends on the hardness which nobody is testing.

What is surprising is these balls are supposed to be put inside a sediment filter. I'm not sure for how long the effect will last if they are freely suspended in the tank.

yugaaa said:
I know those balls do not convert hard water into soft water , but something is better than nothing .
Click to expand...
That's the thing. It's not softening but conditioning. Hardness testing will show no difference. But the conditioning part means scale formation is sufficiently interfered with that it's like the water has been softened.

How often do you replace these balls?
 
blr_p said:
Use how in the over head tank?

According to this review, they are to be suspended inside the tank with a mesh bag.

And for how long does 50-100 balls work? Depends on the hardness which nobody is testing.

What is surprising is these balls are supposed to be put inside a sediment filter. I'm not sure for how long the effect will last if they are freely suspended in the tank.


That's the thing. It's not softening but conditioning. Hardness testing will show no difference. But the conditioning part means scale formation is sufficiently interfered with that it's like the water has been softened.

How often do you replace these balls?
Click to expand...
I have a tank filter . I put the balls inside the filter element . https://www.amazon.in/WaterLabs-Sta...lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A2C1PTGPB5DASB&th=1

I use around 5-6 balls every 2 weeks . The taps do not have scales and most important is that the RO filter has not clogged for over 2 years now . May be because I switched to an industrial 50LPH RO as I change the filters myself and I also have a huge cotton thread spun pre-filter .
Yes , I agree that it is conditioning and not softening . Like I have said earlier the actual softener is costly and I do not have much hair on my head to lose .
 
Top Bottom