There are various water filtration systems, such as Flow-Tech and carbon filters. You may be looking for a system to filter the water in your home, but how can you tell them apart?
At Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating & Air, we're well-versed in installing Flow-Tech and carbon filters and have installed them in thousands of homes. For over 15 years, we've helped families find the right water filtration system to enjoy better quality water for years to come.
We will highlight the differences between Flow-Tech and carbon filters in the following categories.
- Effectiveness
- Technology
- Environmental Impact
- Drinkability
- Warranty
- Costs
- Maintenance
By the end of this article, you'll better understand how these systems work. This will enable you to become better prepared to speak with a technician about these systems or compare them to other filtration options.
Let's get started!
What's the Difference Between Flow-Tech and a Carbon Filter?
There's one question you should ask yourself first as you start your journey to find the right water filter for your home. Do you want higher quality drinking water or improved drinking water that is also anti-scaling? Before we dive into differences, it's important to understand what scale is.
If you take the time to inspect your kitchen sink faucet, you'll notice a white-chalky residue on it. That substance is called limescale, or scale for short, and it's caused by hard water. Hard water flows throughout all of Los Angeles, and it contains minerals that stick to surfaces, which turns into scale.
Besides scale, hard water can also cause water stains on silver and kitchenware, dry skin and hair, and leave clothes feeling stiff. We recommend taking a hard water test if you want further confirmation that your home has hard water flowing through it.
Los Angeles water carries minerals that cause scale and small amounts of contaminants. The water is tested to meet strict standards, yet it can still have micro amounts of these contaminants flowing in it.
So Los Angeles water isn't exactly the highest quality, yet how effective are Flow-Tech and carbon filters when treating publicly-sourced water?
Effectiveness
Both Flow-Tech and carbon filters address specific minerals and contaminants found in water. Some contaminants in your home's tap water are naturally picked up as water travels from reservoirs to municipal areas. Some contaminants, like chlorine and fluoride, are added for health reasons.
Installing Flow-tech will reduce the scale in your plumbing and prevent it from building up and showing up on your fixtures. It's also highly effective in reducing biofilm, a type of bacteria, by up to 98%.
Flow-Tech does not address contaminants like chlorine and fluoride. Carbon filters, however, reduce these chemicals and other contaminants such as:
- Reduces fluoride
- Pesticides
- Herbicides
- Other organic compounds
On the other hand, carbon filters provide a 90 to 99% reduction in contaminants, depending on the size of the filtration system.
Whether it's scale or chlorine, Flow-Tech and carbon filters are highly effective in filtering water, but how can they do it? We'll look at the technology behind these systems in the next section.
Technology
Carbon filters and Flow-Tech were designed with simple yet effective techniques to filter water. Both of these systems' technology works differently, which we’ll highlight starting with Flow-Tech, then carbon filters.
Flow-Tech can combat scale buildup by using low-frequency electromagnetic signals. These signals force the minerals that cause scale, magnesium and calcium, to stick together and crystallize. The crystallized minerals do not stick to surfaces, therefore reducing scale buildup.
A technician will install the Flow-Tech system at or next to a house’s water heater and addresses the scale throughout the entire home.
Carbon filters use activated carbon to attract organic compounds and some chemicals, similar to a magnet with metal. As water enters the filter, it attracts contaminants. The contaminants remain behind while the water released is filtered.
Carbon filters' ability to filter water depends on their size. Some carbon filters are in pitchers or can be attached to faucets and showerheads.
Whole-house carbon filters help filter all the water entering the home, so you'll have filtered water when you shower or wash the dishes.
The technology outlined above is simple and effective, but are Flow-Tech and carbon filters environmentally friendly?
Environmental Impact
Luckily, Flow-Tech and carbon filters are environmentally friendly. Flow-tech helps reduce scale without relying on salt and producing salted wastewater, like water softeners. Carbon filters eliminate the need to buy and use bottled water.
Flow-Tech is a type of water conditioner seen as an alternative to water softeners since both systems combat hard water. Water softeners are banned in some areas, like Santa Clarita, due to the salted wastewater they produce, making Flow-Tech a popular choice.
Whole-house carbon filters produce wastewater, but most cities drain and reuse it for irrigation. We’ve covered how both systems work and impact the environment, but what about additional benefits like better-tasting water?
Drinkability
Carbon filters provide better-filtered water for drinking than Flow-Tech. Although Flow-Tech doesn’t filter water for drinking purposes as well as carbon filters, it still produces drinkable water. To make up for this, Flow-Tech can include a whole-house carbon filter that can be installed alongside it.
These systems may be different but can be installed together. This ensures that the water in the house will have anti-scaling properties and be filtered for improved quality and taste.
Better water quality is available with both of these systems, but what are the costs associated with each one?
Costs
Both Flow-Tech and whole-house carbon filters have different prices that vary with and without installation. Flow-Tech can only be purchased and installed by a licensed company, with a total price ranging between $2,800 to $3,200.
A point-of-use carbon filter can cost a few hundred dollars, whereas a whole-house carbon filtration system can cost $1,500 to $2,800 without installation and $4,800 to $7,200 with installation.
Warranty
The warranties for these systems are slightly different. Flow-Tech has a three-year warranty. Carbon filters typically have a 10-year warranty for whole-house systems; on average, smaller carbon filters have a 5-year warranty.
Always refer to the manufacturer's warranty terms after a technician installs one of these systems in your home. Once these systems are installed, you'll discover they only require a little maintenance.
Maintenance
Both Flow-Tech and carbon filters have minimal maintenance required. One of the major selling points of Flow-Tech is how it is maintenance-free. Carbon filters have different maintenance requirements depending on their size.
Whole-house carbon filters can last around 10 years before replacement. Small carbon filters, such as the ones used in pitchers, may need to be replaced every few months.
If there are any issues with either of these systems, such as a mechanical failure, it's recommended to contact a technician for further evaluation.
Is Flow-Tech or a Carbon Filter Right for Me?
Flow-Tech and carbon filters operate differently, but you'll have filtered water whether you decide to install one or both simultaneously. Now that you understand how they differ, you can feel more confident in whichever decision you make for your home or move on to explore other water filtration systems.
At Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating & Air, we're one of the leading experts in water filtration and have helped homeowners with their questions regarding these systems. Our technicians are certified Flow-Tech installers and are trained in whole-house carbon filtration, giving us the tools to help our customers achieve their filtration goals.
If you have questions regarding Flow-Tech, carbon filters, or any other water filtration systems, contact us using one of the buttons below. You can also book an appointment through our water filtration scheduler for further assistance.
Curious about these other types of water filtration we mentioned? Check out this article for other filtration systems and their associated costs.
