Water Dechlorinators - any experience?

Although we generally have good water quality, chlorine smell is a problem for us. If you fill bathtub, it almost smells like a hotel pool.

We're looking at a Kinetico water dechlorinator to put before our softener.




Anyone have any experience? Specifically hoping for thoughts on:

1. Does it effectively eliminate the chlorine smell?
2. Is there a water pressure reduction in the house?
3. Do they live up to the claimed lifespans?

Thanks!

 

@Rex Kramer is the forum water expert.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/if-...t-water-quality-improvement-i-can-help.60121/

 

The biggest bang for your buck is a filter that has the capability to be back-washed, manually or electronically. Coconut shell carbon is the filter media used to strip out chlorine, other chemicals, and most offensive tastes & odors. Water channels through the media (it takes the same path), periodic back-washing mixes up the media exposing new surface area for optimum performance. Carbon media also traps dirt & debris that enter via the main supply line, back-washing removes these particulates and preserves flow rates.

I like a Vortech tank with a valve that can be back-washed.

 

You either have a filter to adsorb the chlorine, or you are the filter that adsorbs chlorine or inhales the gas when showering.

Pour two clear glasses of unfiltered chlorinated tap water, put 3 drops of OTO in one glass and watch the water change color to yellow or orange indicating the presence of chlorine. Now stick two of your fingers as deep as you can in the other glass, keep them there for about a minute... remove your fingers and add 3 drops of OTO, there should not be any chlorine left to react with the OTO because it has been adsorbed into your skin.

 

Thanks @Rex Kramer - this helps a lot. I have only talked to a few people locally but it seems harder to find one up here that allows for a backwash. I need to do more digging! Thanks!

 

This is the non-electric valve I am talking about.

 

In my experience, medical/pharma, carbon tank exchanges due to "exhausted" carbon (chlorine breakthrough on the primary tank) happens most often not due to true exhaustion of the totality of carbon sites, but due to improper backflushing which leads to carbon fouling via dirt/fines and/or loss of carbon leading to an improper EBCT (empty bed contact time) because of high flow rates or too much tank headspace.

Question: For home application why is the carbon block/tank/media before the softener?

In hemodialysis/med device/pharma applications the redundant in-series carbon tanks are always post softener
(eg. Temperature blend valve → Booster Pump → Sediment filter → Softener → Primary Carbon Tank → Polisher Carbon Tank → RO System)

 

Most residential softeners use a resin that chlorine will dissolve over time... I have replaced Culligan softeners on city water that no longer had resin in them. Carbon ahead of the softener will protect the resin, and prevent most debris from entering the softener.