FAQ

As part of our concern for our quality of life, we want to have good water quality in our home. When choosing a water filter, we need to think about what is important to us; Are we looking for something that will remove everything from the water such as a reverse osmosis system? Do we want to treat the water from just one tap in the house or from all the taps? Is it important that there be less limescale buildup in our water appliances and pipes? Is the unit we are using reliable? The NG4 and NG4L are manufactured in by Amiad, a company well known for its advances in the technology of water filtration. The NG4/NG4L both filter and condition your water. Both reduce limescale buildup while still leaving in the necessary and beneficial minerals. No salt needed.

Hard water is water that contains a high concentration of minerals, mostly calcium and magnesium. Although these minerals are actually healthy to drink, they cause limescale to build up in your pipes and water appliances, which reduces their efficiency. The soap scum created by hard water leaves a film on bathtubs and shower tiles, and that same film is left on your hair causing it to be dull and making your skin feel dry. You may also see water spots on your dishes, and washed clothes tend to feel hard and look dingy.

Unlike water softeners, which use salt to remove the minerals and replace those minerals with salt ions, the Hardless NG4/NG4L modifies the crystalline structure of the minerals (mostly calcium and magnesium) in order to reduce the problems that are caused by hard water but leaves the minerals in the water because they are healthy to drink.

Hardness tests (GPG or TDS) test for minerals in the water. Since the Hardless NG4/NG4L works by changing the structure of the minerals and does not remove them, you will NOT see a change in numbers when doing a hardness test. The best test will be the results that you see in your home.

There are three main components to the unit. The Slow Phos crystals change the structure of the minerals in order to reduce limescale buildup. The KDF media inside the disks uses an electrochemical reaction to remove/reduce chlorine, lead, mercury, iron, hydrogen sulfide, and controls bacteria and scale buildup. The 50-micron mesh filter is designed to prevent dirt and particles (sand,small stones and rust) that reach the domestic water infrastructure.

Water softeners remove the minerals and replace them with salt ions. This requires buying bags of salt on a regular basis and the water softener will need to regenerate every few days, which uses gallons of water that are wasted. Water conditioners, like the Hardless NG4/NG4L use a type of media, usually siliphos beads or slow phos beads that change the structure of the minerals in order to reduce the limescale buildup but leave the minerals in the water because they are healthy to drink. No regeneration is necessary so there is no water waste and no electricity is needed.

The NG4/NG4L will extend the life of your water appliances, such as your water heater, washing machine, dishwasher, coffee machine, pipes, faucets, shower heads, gaskets in toilets or anywhere where water passes and limescale can settle.

When the scale sticks to a heating element it forms an insulating layer. Heating time increases and as a result, so do your electricity costs. Additional damage is caused to your pipes, which become clogged to the point where not as much water can pass through and can eventually crack causing a major leak in your home. By installing a Hardless NG filter, you will extend the life of any heating elements and of your pipes.

Yes, you will still need to squeegee down a glass shower door. When water is left sitting, especially water that has been heated, the minerals will want to return back to their original structure and so you will see water spots. There will be less and they will be more easily removable, but by squeegeeing down your door you will get better results. Unfortunately, nothing is 100%.

Yes, we have heard from many customers that there water no longer smells like rotten eggs.

The NG4 and NG4L are made up of the same components but the NG4L has a larger water conditioning cartridge and larger mesh filter. The larger cartridge allows for more contact time with the water so better conditioning and the larger mesh filter is better for areas with more sediment or debris in the water. We recommend the NG4L if there is enough space and for people on well water. It is important to note that neither the NG4 or the NG4L disinfects the water and they are designed for use with municipal water or water that is potable.

Yes. Please call the company at 1-888-855-1802 and you can purchase the NG4L filter bottom, cartridge and mesh filter. The filter top is the same for the NG4 and the NG4L so no need to reinstall.

The best place to install the filter is at the main water entrance to the house so the filter can cover all of the faucets and water appliances. Some people do install it right before their hot water heater or on a cold-water line. Some homes may have 2 water entrances, so if only installed at one water entrance, only that water will be covered.

The filter can be installed at a slight angle if needed but where possible we recommend installing it vertically as seen in the image on the website.

Yes, the filter can be installed outside. If the filter is in direct sun light for many hours a day, we recommend putting a plant or something for shade. Please see the manual for temperature minimums and maximums.

Yes. No need to worry about using the filter for your plants.

The filter works great for RVs. We also suggest our under the sink filter, the HardlessUTS to ensure better drinking water depending on where you are hooked up.

All that is needed is to replace the water conditioning cartridge about every 6-8 months (depending on your water) and at that time to wash the mesh filter. This can all be done by you. In areas that have high amounts of debris or sediment in the water, you may need to clean the stainless-steel mesh filter more often. Please see our videos or the instructions in the manual under support.

The Hardless NG4/NG4L should be used with municipal water only. It is not meant for water that is microbiologically unsafe to drink. It can only be used with well water if it is potable or if the water has been through a chlorination process.

Yes! There is no wasted water and no salt. Reverse osmosis systems use 2-5 gallons of water for every clean gallon of drinking water while many other filtration or water softener systems need to do a backwash every 10-14 days. This backwash can take anywhere from 25-40 gallons of water that get wasted.

The slow phos crystals are certified under NSF/ANSI 42 and NSF/ANSI 60. https://pacificstandard.com/pss-slow-phos-exclusive-manufacturer.html