Like many homeowners, you may be familiar with Pelican as a green, environmentally conscious home filtration company. Pelican offers a line of water softening systems that produce minimal, or zero, environmental impact.
This reduction in environmental impact is typically achieved by forging the use of salt, as in Pelican's salt-free systems, and electricity, as is demonstrated by Pelican's salt-free and salt-based water softeners alike.
Pelican's salt-free water softeners claim to reduce the effects of hard water by reducing scaling, a direct consequence of hard water in your home's water supply. Scaling is seen in the form of mineral deposits around sinks, faucets, and shower drains.
More insidiously, scale buildup can grow inside of pipes, causing damage and increasing your monthly utility bills. It can ruin other items like your clothes. And it can make cleaning more of a chore.
Do Pelican's products live up to the hype?
It's helpful first to examine the claims made by Pelican regarding their water softeners in detail to answer this question. We've covered the research and review process to bring you the facts regarding performance, and help take the guesswork out of the science behind these popular water softening systems.
Read on for an in-depth analysis concerning the performance of Pelican water softeners, and learn how they stack up to the competition.
How Do Pelican Water Softeners Work?
To explain how Pelican's line of salt based and salt-free water softeners work, it's necessary to first have a basic understanding of the function of water softeners.
A water softener can be described as a device that softens hard water by removing minerals including calcium, magnesium, and other sediment materials. Traditionally, water softeners modified hard water by way of a salt based, ion exchange process.
Pelican water softeners utilize both salt based and salt-free technologies, with Pelican's salt-based systems operating by removing the mineral deposits that lead to hard water in exchange for "soft water" ions.
In contrast, Pelican salt-free systems neutralize hard water and prevent the scaling and buildup associated with mineral deposits.
What Makes Pelican Unique?
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Pelican is an industry leading manufacturer of home filtration systems.
Founded in 2007, Pelican strives to meet the standards of homeowners seeking environmentally friendly alternatives to older, traditional water softeners that negatively impact the environment and water supply.
Pelican's water softener systems are eco-friendly. They do not require the use of electricity or rely only on salt, like traditional water softeners.
In fact, Pelican's saltfree systems are the only saltfree water softeners that do not require electricity, thus decreasing energy bills and rendering a significant advantage over competitors. Most water softeners manufactured by Pelican require virtually no maintenance and no technician for the installation process.
What Are The Key Differences Between Pelican's Water Softener Systems?
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Pelican's top-selling water softening systems are available in both salt-based ion exchange technology or salt-free models, the most popular choice being Pelican's NaturSoft salt-free water softener.
As a comparatively new company, Pelican Water attracts environmentally conscious homeowners interested in the promise of eco-friendly water softener systems that are sustainable, and require little to no maintenance.
To be clear, Pelican's salt-free water softener systems minimize damage to the environment by forgoing the use of salt—the question that remains among industry experts regarding these systems concerns their ability to effectively soften hard water when compared to traditional salt-based water softeners.
Do I Need a Water Softening System For My Home?
To fully understand how contemporary water softeners work, it's helpful to review the basic science behind traditional water softening systems.
Fundamentally speaking, salt-based systems remove all traces of salt from your home's water supply through an ion exchange process, trading minerals that lead to the scaling and buildup associated with hard water, leaving a "soft ion" in its place.
By definition, this ion exchange process is the foundation of a water softening system.
If you have hard water, it's necessary to purchase a water softening system to minimize the effects of hard water and mineral deposits around your home.
Signs of hard water may include:
How Do Salt-Free Water Softeners Work?
Like most salt-free water softeners, Pelican's NaturSoft system replaces the ion exchange process of salt-based water softeners with a neutralization process, reducing the effect of the mineral components present in your home's water supply that ultimately lead to hard water.
At first glance, the differences between salt based systems and salt-free systems may appear insignificant, but industry experts agree when it comes to the greater performance and efficacy of salt-based water softeners.
Salt-free water softener systems differ so widely in their method and design that they are often not referred to as water softeners but instead referred to as water conditioners by industry experts.
When compared to salt-free water conditioners, Pelican's NaturSoft demonstrates the same action of neutralizing the mineral deposits that lead to hard water. You may be wondering, then, just why Pelican's salt-free water softener systems are referred to as water softeners instead of being described as water conditioning systems.
Fundamentally speaking, salt-free water softener systems are marketed as an eco-friendly alternative to salt-based water softeners, and water conditioners may be viewed as a less effective way to reduce hard water.
Also, most companies dub their salt-free alternatives water "softeners" to avoid confusion, although it can be said that salt-free water softeners and salt-free water conditioners perform the same primary functions.
Are Pelican Salt-Free Water Softeners Effective At Reducing The Effects of Hard Water?
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Along with the NaturSoft's unique no electricity required to design, Pelican's salt-free water softeners are certified as 99.6 percent effective.
However, it's essential to examine this claim to analyze its meaning further and to determine precisely what Pelican's salt-free systems are certified to do.
The short answer is that Pelican's salt-free systems are 99.6 percent effective at preventing the scaling associated with hard water buildup.
While preventing scaling is undoubtedly one of the most significant functions of your home's water softener, Pelican's NaturSoft does not claim to completely neutralize the presence of hard water in your home's water supply, an important distinction.
What Is The General Price Range of Pelican's Water Softening Systems?
Most Pelican water softeners range between the $1000-$3000+ price range. This range is largely dependent on the size of your home and number of restrooms, with Pelican's salt-free systems generally available at a lower price point.
When considering the initial investment of a Pelican water softener, it is relevant to note that you will save money when it comes to costs typically associated with maintenance, installation, and energy bills with other leading water softener systems.
Pelican products typically require no maintenance or technician to complete the installation process. Overall, Pelican systems carry a higher initial investment than many leading competitors.
As well as reduced energy bills and minimal maintenance fees associated with Pelican's systems, their reduced environmental impact is a strong selling point that is worthy of a higher price range for many homeowners.
Pelican's Reputation and Brand Story
Pelican is an industry leader, manufacturing salt-free water softener systems since 2007. Overall, Pelican Water is a highly rated company with excellent marks in customer service, responsive staff, and highly rated performance.
Pelican has quickly emerged as a considerable rival among competitors like Culligan, Whirlpool, and Kenmore. When purchasing a water softening system from Pelican, it's important to read and review the claims that the company makes regarding their products carefully.
In most cases, Pelican's products align with their claims and product descriptions, but product research and effective communication with customer service staff is a helpful way to ensure that you fully understand the actions your Pelican water softener is intended to perform.
Taking the time to do a little customer research is especially helpful if you're considering on one of Pelican's salt-free system.
How Does Pelican Compare to Competitors?
Our Final Vote
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Conclusively, Pelican's line of water softeners offer many unique features but fail to demonstrate the performance and efficacy of close competitors.
The appeal of Pelican's systems lie within their minimal environmental impact and low maintenance fees, but the advantages of low maintenance fees won't compensate for the lack of performance and potential damage to your home that may result from failure to control hard water and mineral deposits.
To keep your appliances, water heater, and faucets intact, it's essential to halt the buildup of corrosive limescale. Unfortunately, Pelican's salt-free water softening systems only neutralize calcium, magnesium, and other sediments resulting in hard water.
They also demonstrate poor results when it comes to reducing the buildup of mineral deposits associated with hard water around your home. We recommend alternatives like the Fleck 5600SXT, our top choice for salt-based water softener systems.
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