Summary
Side-by-Side Comparison
Quick Decision Summary (For Buyers)
Choose CARBON Filtration if:
- Your water is soft (0–3 gpg)
- You only need taste, odor, and chlorine removal
- You have low to moderate ice production
- You are in a non-critical environment
- You will consistently change cartridges on schedule
Choose RO + BLENDING if:
- Your water is hard to very hard (8+ gpg)
- You’ve had repeat scale or evaporator failures
- You’re using nugget or flake ice
- You operate in healthcare, VA, corrections, or mission-critical spaces
- You need maximum warranty protection & equipment lifespan
Warranty Protection Reality
Scale damage is one of the most common reasons manufacturers deny ice machine warranty claims.
If filtration is undersized, missing, or improperly maintained, repairs caused by water quality are usually not covered.
Real-World Failure Examples: What Actually Happens Without Proper Filtration
These are not theoretical risks. These are the most common, documented failure patterns Aldevra sees when filtration is undersized, ignored, or misapplied.
Carbon Filtration Used Where RO Was Required
(Hard or Very Hard Water Environments)
Failure #1 — Evaporator Plate Replacement in 18–24 Months
What happened:
A facility in a hard-water region installed only standard carbon filtration on a 900 lb/day nugget ice machine.
Result:
- Scale formed rapidly on evaporator plates
- Ice production dropped by over 30%
- Compressor ran nearly nonstop
- Machine failed in under 2 years
Financial Impact:
- Evaporator replacement: $7,000–$12,000
- Warranty denied due to documented scale damage
- Lost ice during outage required emergency bagged ice purchases
What would have prevented it:
- RO + blending or heavy-duty scale-reduction filtration sized to production
Failure #2 — Repeated Float Valve & Sensor Failures
What happened:
Moderate-to-hard water treated with carbon filtration only.
Result:
- Mineral scale jammed float valves
- Water level sensors failed repeatedly
- Machine cycled erratically
- Overflow leaks damaged nearby flooring
Financial Impact:
- Multiple repeat service calls
- Flood cleanup and flooring replacement
- Ongoing downtime during peak service
What would have prevented it:
- Scale-inhibitor filtration or RO
No Filtration or Poorly Maintained Carbon Filtration
(Soft to Moderate Water Still at Risk)
Failure #3 — Biofilm & Mold Shutdown After Health Inspection
What happened:
A facility skipped filter changes for over a year on a dispenser in a public hydration area.
Result:
- Biofilm formed inside dispensing chute
- Black mold residue visible
- Failed health inspection
- Immediate equipment shutdown ordered
Financial & Operational Impact:
- Forced emergency sanitation
- Lost hydration station for multiple days
- Documentation and reinspection delays
What would have prevented it:
- Proper carbon filtration + documented sanitation schedule
Failure #4 — Persistent “Bad Ice Taste” Complaints
What happened:
Carbon filters left unchanged beyond service life.
Result:
- Chlorine and sediment passed through
- Ice tasted metallic or sour
- Staff avoided machine
- Water bottle refills dropped sharply
Financial Impact:
- Unused equipment investment
- Declining satisfaction scores
- Eventually full filtration replacement
What would have prevented it:
- Proper cartridge change intervals
RO Installed Without Proper Blending
(Less Common, But Still Costly)
Failure #5 — Machine Starvation & Low Ice Production
What happened:
RO installed without blending valve on a high-capacity cube machine.
Result:
- Water flow rate dropped
- Machine could not maintain freeze cycles
- Production fell far below rated capacity
Financial Impact:
- Underperforming machine
- Customer assumed equipment was defective
- Replumbing and blending retrofits required
What would have prevented it:
- Proper RO system design with blending matched to production rate
Well Water Without RO
(Highest-Risk Scenario Overall)
Failure #6 — Iron & Sulfur Contamination Destroyed Internal Components
What happened:
Ice machine fed directly from untreated well water with carbon filter only.
Result:
- Orange/brown staining inside bin
- Sulfur odor in ice
- Severe corrosion on internal components
- No warranty coverage
Financial Impact:
- Multiple major part replacements
- Full system replacement required
- Lost confidence in hydration station by end users
What would have prevented it:
- RO with proper pretreatment
What These Failures All Have in Common
- Filtration was treated as an accessory, not a system
- Water was not properly tested or matched
- Maintenance schedules were not enforced
- Warranty clauses were missed during purchasing
- The true cost showed up after the first year
The Real Cost of Choosing the Wrong Filtration Path
If you want, I can also:
- strip this into HTML-ready markup without emojis, or
- convert it into a sales one-pager or pillar-page section without changing copy.
Proper filtration almost always costs less than a single major failure.
Check Your Water & Filtration Match
