Shower Filter FAQs

A shower filter is primarily designed to reduce chlorine. Most shower filters include a KDF-55 media, and according to the KDF website the filter is designed to reduce chlorine, water-soluble heavy metals, and scale. KDF-85 media, which is not as common in most shower filters, will reduce water-soluble heavy metals, scale, iron and hydrogen sulfide (sulfur odor). KDF-85 media can be ideal for well water.

Not exactly. A softener removes only hard water minerals, like calcium and iron. A shower filter is designed to remove dangerous chemical contaminants and heavy metals. If you’ve used a softener before, you may have noticed that your skin feels slippery after showering. That is because a softener adds salt to your water as a part of the hard water reduction process, and it makes the soap harder to rinse off of your skin. The shower filter will not add any salt, so the soap will still rinse off easily and leave your skin feeling soft and clean.

The shower filter will not soften water in the way a traditional softener does, but it will remove chlorine and other chemical contaminants, making the water much less harsh and leaving your skin and hair feeling significantly softer.

The shower filter will work on well water and will reduce sulfur odor and scale, as well as moderately reducing excess sediment in the water. It will also reduce chlorine and other chemicals that may have been used to treat the well water.

Most shower filters on our site are certified to process water at 2.5 gallons per minute, which is the same flow regulation as most standard shower heads. We do carry a few models that process water at 2.0 gallons per minute (a very minimal pressure loss), so you may wish to verify the flow rate on the product page prior to ordering if you are concerned about pressure loss.

The Sprite shower filter utilizes chlorgon. Chlorgon is a proprietary and patented filtration media developed by Sprite Industries, and it works by converting chlorine into chloride. Chlorgon works in a very similar manner to KDF-55 but is much more efficient at removing chlorine in high temperatures, making it an ideal media for shower water filtration.

The Rainshow’r filter uses a combination of KDF-55 and Crystalline Quartz to treat showering water. The KDF-55 changes the chlorine ions in the water into a harmless, soluble chloride solution by causing them to bond to a prevalent metal in the water (typically calcium). The crystalline quartz reduces the water’s surface tension, making it feel lighter and softer and increasing the lathering power of soaps and shampoos.

The Culligan shower filter utilizes KDF-55 media. KDF-55 is a carbon based copper-zinc formula designed to remove chlorine and heavy metals. The copper and zinc in the media protect the carbon at high temperatures while the carbon is used to remove chlorine from the water. The compact design of the filtration media also prevents sediment from passing through the water supply, making the showering water feel much cleaner.