Soft Water Loops

Soft Water Loops

Cascadian Water is making the case that soft water loops are becoming a thing of the past, arguing that the dedicated plumbing lines once considered standard during new construction are now more of a headache than a help. Author Gabe Ergler points out that traditional loops often exclude key areas like kitchen cold taps and can be expensive to retrofit. He also notes that municipal salt bans in places like California and Texas are making loop-dependent ion-exchange systems legally questionable anyway. The loops were originally designed to save salt by keeping outdoor spigots and irrigation lines on hard water, but Ergler says this creates confusion when homeowners think they have "whole house" softening only to find out key fixtures are still getting hard water. The company is pushing their PolyHalt salt-free systems as the smart alternative, claiming they can connect directly to main water lines without needing special plumbing, don't waste water or create brine discharge, and sidestep environmental regulations that are tightening around traditional softeners.

US Water Systems Filter Review

Water Filter Guru put US Water Systems' Magna Cartridge Filter through the wringer, giving the $879 whole-house system an 8.58 out of 10 after installing it at a Colorado home with confirmed lead pipes. Brian Campbell, the guru himself, found the three-stage system mostly lived up to its promises with a solid 25 GPM flow rate that didn't mess with water pressure and easy yearly cartridge swaps. But he did find that the system stumbled on some contaminants during the first test, particularly failing to knock out disinfection byproducts like chloroform completely. US Water's explanation was pretty straightforward: cartridge filters just don't give chemicals enough hang time compared to big tank systems. The team got creative and added an extra carbon filter between the original stages which completely eliminated those chemicals. Campbell did ding the system for having zero NSF certifications, which might make some customers nervous.

PFAS in Beer

Kinetico is saying its commercial reverse osmosis systems as the answer to a big problem in beer making, pointing to a 2025 study that found bad chemicals called PFAS in almost every beer tested. The research looked at 23 beer samples and found that some popular beers had more forever chemicals than the EPA allows, with breweries in Michigan, California, and North Carolina showing the worst problems. Kinetico's team wrote about how water makes up over 90% of beer and how these PFAS chemicals don't go away during brewing, making water treatment the only way to fix the problem. The company is using worry about forever chemicals to teach breweries about both health risks and business benefits of cleaner water. Kinetico says their commercial systems can remove up to 99% of PFAS, and they want breweries to test their water regularly along with buying new equipment.

Leaks in Closed Loop Systems

ClearWater Industries makes the case that closed loop water systems face hidden leak problems that traditional visual inspections often miss, since these sealed systems don't show obvious signs like puddles or dripping when small breaches occur. The company explains that even tiny leaks create cascading problems by introducing oxygen and contaminants that accelerate corrosion, scale buildup, and microbial growth in systems designed to keep water isolated from outside contamination. They're highlighting newer detection methods like acoustic sensors that pick up sound waves from escaping water, tracer gas injection using helium or nitrogen to pinpoint exact leak locations, and automated pressure monitoring that can catch fluctuations before they become major issues. The article notes that Northeast facilities face extra challenges from freeze-thaw cycles and aging infrastructure, with older buildings in New York and Massachusetts having decades-old piping that's more vulnerable to failure. The team says that leak detection works best when combined with proper water treatment, since most leaks happen alongside corrosion and scaling problems that chemical treatment can prevent.

What else is happening:

• EPA rolls back water protections in Iowa after removing major drinking water supplies from the impaired waterways list despite nitrate levels exceeding federal standards

• Rowland Water District in California is using August’s National Water Quality Month to highlight its annual 1,000+ water tests and round-the-clock monitoring

• Rayne Water writes about dual tank water softeners, discussing the water softener process and regeneration

• Manufacturer Crystal Quest releases their RO buying guide for beginners saying “90% of first-time buyers should choose under-sink systems”