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Water Softener and Whole House Filter Combo Systems
Whole house water filtration and softener systems sold as one package: a Clack, Fleck or Connected Series water softener paired with a whole-house carbon filter and a Big Blue sediment pre-filter, sized to your home and shipped free with no sales tax outside Minnesota. Who needs a combo system, filter order, and a Clack / Fleck / Connected Series comparison are below the products.
Water softener and whole house filter systems — do you need both?
A water softener removes hardness (calcium and magnesium) so you stop getting scale on fixtures, spotted glassware and shortened water-heater life. A whole house carbon filter removes chlorine, chloramine, taste and odor, and many organic contaminants. On municipal water most homes have both problems — hard water and a chlorine taste or smell — and a softener alone won't fix the second one, because softening resin doesn't absorb chlorine. A combo system treats both at the point of entry, so every tap, shower and appliance gets soft, filtered water.
Filter before or after the softener?
Carbon filter first, softener second. Chlorine slowly oxidizes softening resin; running water through the carbon tank first strips the chlorine out and can double the life of the resin bed. The Big Blue sediment filter goes ahead of both to keep grit out of the valves. Every combo system on this page is plumbed in that order: sediment → carbon → softener → house.
When you don't need the carbon stage
If you're on a private well, there's no chlorine to remove, so a carbon filter is usually the wrong second tank — iron, sulfur or manganese is the more common problem, and that calls for a softener sized for iron or an iron filter ahead of the softener instead. If you chlorinate your well, though, a combo system is exactly right: the carbon tank removes the chlorine you added.
Clack vs. Fleck vs. Connected Series combo systems
| Feature | Clack | Fleck | Connected Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| System | Clack WS1 Water Softener + Carbon Filter | Fleck 5600 SXT Water Softener + Backwashing Carbon Filter | Connected Series Water Softener Carbon Filter Combo With Bluetooth Control Valve |
| Softener sizes | 32K, 40K, 48K, 64K or 80K grains (9×48″ to 13×54″ tanks) | 48K (10×54″) or 64K (12×52″) grains | 64K grains (12×48″) |
| Carbon filter valve | Choice of WS1 backwashing or upflow (non-electric) head | 5600 SXT backwashing | Upflow, Connected Series Bluetooth valve |
| Carbon media | 7 options incl. coconut shell, catalytic (for chloramine / sulfur) and bituminous | Jacobi coconut shell GAC | Jacobi coconut shell GAC |
| Resin | 8% crosslink | 10% crosslink | 10% crosslink |
| Service flow | Up to 27 GPM valve rating; 10–20 GPM by tank size | Up to 20 GPM | 15 GPM |
| Connections | ¾″ to 1½″ (fittings of your choice) | ¾″ or 1″ stainless bypass | 1″ or ¾″ John Guest fittings |
| Included extras | Big Blue sediment filter, EZsalt smart salt sensor | Big Blue sediment filter, brine tank with safety float | Big Blue sediment filter, Bluetooth app control, weather tank sleeves |
| Warranty | 5 yr valve / 10 yr tanks; free replacement parts for life | 5 yr valves / 10 yr tanks; free replacement parts for life | 5 yr valves / 10 yr tanks |
| Price | From $2,199 | From $2,299 | $2,599 |
Want app control? The Connected Series Water Softener Carbon Filter Combo With Bluetooth Control Valve pairs a 64K softener and upflow carbon filter with Bluetooth valves you program and monitor from your phone.
Sizing a combo system
Size the softener first: hardness (grains per gallon) × people in the home × about 75 gallons per person per day gives you grains needed per day; pick the capacity that regenerates roughly once a week. The carbon tank is matched to the softener tank on every system above, so the flow rate stays balanced. Chloramine (used by many larger cities) needs catalytic carbon rather than standard coconut shell — choose a catalytic media option if your utility uses it, or send us your water report and we'll spec it.
Prefer separate tanks you can install at different times? See water softeners and carbon water filters sold individually, or call 800-374-2143.
