If you live in AZ you know how miserable our hard water is. Everyone here knows all about the importance of a water softener and I’m sure almost all businesses here who use water in their industry will have an industrial water sofener. Seriously, if you live in a place without hard water – count yourself lucky! One way that is has been wreaking havoc with us lately is our ice from our LG refrigerator. The water from the fridge is perfectly clear and fine. The ice, however, once melting, leaves gross calcium flakes in the glass {they said its because the ice freezes so fast there isn’t enough time to filter out the calcium} Keep in mind- this is a brand new fridge, with a brand new filter. We called the company and they said they will replace anything we think needed, but in reality, the fridge is doing nothing wrong… it’s our water. We still might call someone like this Dallas Water Filter & Softeners plumbing company to take a look at what’s going on, but we’re pretty much resigned to the fact that we can’t really do anything about it.
Home RO Systems
So, we have some options. We either stop using the ice maker in our fridge and just start buying bags of ice, OR, we get a Reverse Osmosis system for the house. We have zero experience or knowledge about these, so I would love any and all input from you. Do any of you have one? Or a water softener? We’ve been looking at water descaler reviews but we still want to do a lot more research into it before we buy one. We’re willing to pay a bit more for a descaler if it’s guaranteed to work! What has been your experience like with water softeners/descalers?
Darn you AZ and your stupid hard water!


We had a RO system when we first moved in, it was one just with the tap on the sink. When we remodeled our kitchen we removed that (I was sick of all the handles and faucets around the sink area) and put in a soft water system in. Its been great, no problem with the ice and my skin and hair feel great! ~Rosanne
We got an RO system from costco for about $200. It was wonderful. We don’t live there anymore and I miss my clean tasting ice! Super easy to set up, you can order replacement filters from amazon, and water and ice tastes so wonderful! It was a Watt’s Premier RO.
My dad SWEARS by RO systems. He won’t have water any other way. I personally don’t know too much about it, but he is an advocate, so I trust that it is a good idea.
Also, my old rental had a “Culligan” water system — amazing. Pricey, but amazing.
I’m in Tucson and have water “softening”, which works pretty well for the water situation, BUT it’s pretty much salting the earth all to he** and I don’t think that’s such a great idea. We’ve been thinking RO systems as well, but I don’t really know how they work?? I sure as heck wouldn’t want to have a brand new, beautiful frig and have to go buy ice… It’ll be interesting to see what you decide and how it works!
I live in Peoria, AZ and we have RO for drinking and hooked up to the fridge for cold water and ice. It works great and the fridge filter is just another backup to it. I still have hard water stains all over the drinking and ice area after 2 years and can’t get it removed. I’m learning this is to be expected with AZ water! Totally agree on the hard water!
Some appliance manufactures will not warranty a fridge that is connected to RO water. Because of the inconsistancy of the flow. Usually, RO is for Drinking water at sink and Soft water is for whole house.
Be aware that most RO systems waste a lot of water during the processing sometimes up to 10 gallons to the one that you get to use.
Good luck in your decision. I would ask a lot of questions to different professionals there are also inline filters available.
We have an RO system in our garage…that we put a pitcher under and run every few days, then store the pitcher in our fridge. I buy a bag of ice every couple weeks (we don’t go through a lot) and dump it in the ice maker. We were told that there was a water pressure issue with having it hooked to the fridge, but are currently looking into mounting it in the cabinet above the fridge to assist in the pressure. When we redo the kitchen, if that doesn’t work, we will put in the under-sink unit with storage tank. If you pay for your water, you won’t like the bill for the RO, because there is so much waste.
I have a reverse osmosis system for my home after realizing all of the contaminants and impurities in my water, and would never go without one ever again. The water tastes so good, and there is no better feeling that knowing your water is free from all harmful chemicals. However, I went with a company called Aquasafe Systems which comes with a de-ionization stage that makes the water alkaline, as most reverse osmosis systems provide sightly acidic water. I also purchased some extra hose to install into my refrigerator to ensure my ice is as pure as my water, and although it seemed a little confusing to hook up, the support staff from the company basically walked me through it. I have now had my system for a little over 2 years and recommend this system to everyone I know. The company website is http://www.aquasafecanada.com and the system I purchased was the Maximus II System and would suggest looking at this system as it was only $182 for a six stage system.
A Reverse Osmosis System can accommodate treat water with taste or discoloration issues. Assuming that you are agonizing over the nature of your home\’s drinking water, you might need to recognize establishing a Reverse Osmosis System.