Nope, and here’s the cool part. A water softener uses salt to strip minerals away, which makes water feel “slimy” and adds sodium to your diet. An anti-scale filter keeps the minerals in, so your water tastes natural and your skin doesn’t feel like you’ve been licked by a goat.
Plus, softeners waste a ton of water during regeneration. An anti-scale filter is passive, uses no electricity, and produces zero waste. It’s the eco-friendly, lazy-person’s solution.
How to Install Your OFTWH-C, OneFlow Tankless Water Heater Salt-Free
Does It Work for Every Home?
Great question—and the answer is mostly yes, but there’s a catch. If your water is extremely hard (over 20 grains per gallon), you might still need a softener. But for the vast majority of homes (10–20 grains), an anti-scale filter is perfectly sufficient to keep your heater happy for decades.
Check your water hardness with a simple test strip from any hardware store. It’s like checking your cholesterol—better to know than to guess. If it’s moderate, you’re golden.
