Description
The Cascadian ICS-STPK is the Replacement Filter for ICS-STP Systems
Download and Print Specifications
The ICS-STPK filter is made specifically for the Cascadian ICS-STP system with the PolyHalt salt free ion bond softener and multimicron sediment filter. For more information on PolyHalt see What is a PolyHalt Salt Free Softener?
PolyHalt salt free ion bond softener with sediment and chlorine filter system details:
- Water Treatment for whole home or business
- Industry Leading Treatment Technology
- Long lasting multimicron sediment filter technology
- Cleaner clearer water with sediment and particles down to 5 micron removed
- Better tasting and smelling water
- Removes chlorine and other taste and odor problems (NOT for H2S hydrogen sulfide rotten egg odor, please see the ICS-H water treatment system).
- PolyHalt® salt free ion bond water softener:
- Easier cleaning and maintaining of home or business
- Brighter, whiter, softer laundry
- Soaps, shampoos, conditioners etc. will work better and you will use less
- No slippery or slimy feeling
- Low maintenance
- A legal replacement for conventional salt-based water softeners
- Approved for use where conventional salt-based softeners are banned
- Not subject to any regulations banning or restricting salt softeners including those in California
- Treatment for silica etching and pitting of glass
- Benefits compared to salt based softeners and backwashing filters
- Eco-friendly treatment
- Salt free softening
- Save 30± bags of salt per year
- Produces no waste water
- No backwash or regeneration cycles
- Save 10,000± gallons of wastewater per year
- No power required to operate
- Small size
- 20 times smaller than typical salt softeners and backwashing media filters
- Does not take up valuable floor space – system hangs on the wall
- Simple installation
- Simple annual maintenance
- Annual filter change
- Includes drain on filter housing for clean no spill easy filter changes
- Less expensive
- Lower cost to buy and maintain
- Less time spent to maintain
- Save $100’s and 2-3 days each year compared to traditional salt-based softeners
Warning in the State of California;
WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm – www.P65Warnings.ca.gov
Complete treatment with the ICS-STPK is a three step process.
Step 1: Water first passes through a multimicron sediment filter to reduce visible sediment and particles. This filter is specially designed for high sediment holding capacity, high flow rates and for longer life without a large reduction in your available water pressure.
Step 2. Water is filtered through a specially designed activated carbon filter improving water quality by filtering out objectionable chlorine taste and odor. Your water will be much more pleasant to drink and cook with and to bath in. This filter is not recommended as stand-alone treatment for hydrogen sulfide, rotten egg smell or for waters containing chloramine.
Step 3. Next, water flows through PolyHalt® media where it is softened, treated to prevent iron and manganese staining and silica etching and pitting. A small amount of PolyHalt® enters the water to protect your plumbing, fixtures and appliances from low pH or aggressive water conditions.
How PolyHalt® works;
PolyHalt® works because of differences in electrical charges between dissolved metals in the water and PolyHalt®. Technically PolyHalt® treats dissolved metals via a well known process is called Ionic-Bonding resulting in a new ionic complex. A more thorough description of how PolyHalt® works (see below) can be a little technical but simply put PolyHalt® works on the “Opposites Attract” principle.
PolyHalt®, is a negatively charged semi-solid material while metals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and manganese dissolved in water are positively charged. As positively charged metals flow through negatively charged PolyHalt® an amount of PolyHalt® equal to that required to form a new ionic-bond is automatically proportionally released to form new ionic complexes. These new complexes are very different than the original, they are chemically different with new behavior properties than before treatment.
What new properties do PolyHalt® complexes have?
Hardness Minerals – Calcium and Magnesium;
Cannot form hard scale or stick to surfaces. Cannot bind with soaps to form a curdy precipitate (soap scum). PolyHalt® complexed hardness minerals remain in the water and the water behaves as if they are not present, scale formation is prevented, water is easy to work with. Water is softened without salt
Evaporative water spots;
Water spots formed when water evaporates are much easy to clean up. Most often all that is required is to simply wipe the spots away without hard work or chemicals.
Removal of existing scale;
PolyHalt® treated water tends to solve existing hard water scale from surfaces cleaning them over time.
Prevention of curdy precipitate (soap scum);
PolyHalt® treated hardness minerals cannot bind with soaps. Use less soap cleaning and get cleaner easier.
Protection of plumbing and appliances from Low pH or aggressive water that can soften and dissolve metals causing plumbing leaks and appliance failure;
A very thin coating of PolyHalt® forms a protective insulating layer on the metallic surfaces of metals exposed to Low pH or aggressive water.
Silica etching and pitting;
Though we are not sure of the chemical reason we know PolyHalt® somehow prevents etching and pitting of glass from silica.
Iron and Manganese treatment;
Dissolved iron and manganese in water are clear. Treatment with PolyHalt® keeps them clear, it prevents them from reacting with oxygen and changing to their colored form. PolyHalt® treated iron and manganese remain in the water unable to cause typical orange / red and brown / black form staining.
Blue and Green Staining;
Blue / green staining happens when copper leached from plumbing by water that is low pH or low TDS (total dissolved solids). Blue / green stains are prevented with PolyHalt® treatment because PolyHalt® forms a very thin protective insulating layer on the metallic surfaces of metals exposed to Low pH or aggressive water
Notes:
PolyHalt® is a unique polyphosphate formula derived from naturally occurring phosphorous bearing rock. Levels of polyphosphate allowed in drinking water are regulated by the USEPA. Automatic proportional control and safety of PolyHalt® is tested and certified by NSF, an independent third-party testing agency. PolyHalt® has no color, taste or odor so it will not change these features of treated water.
Testing Hardness, Iron and Manganese:
Because PolyHalt® softens water by forming complexes with rather than removing hardness minerals through ion exchange and replacement with salt as with a conventional salt-based softener your water will test the same for calcium and magnesium before and after treatment.
A water hardness test shows how much calcium and magnesium are in the water, it does not show how the treated water behaves. Though there are differences in PolyHalt® and conventional salt-based softened water, they both essentially behave the same, they make untreated hard water with calcium and magnesium minerals easier to work with. One leaves the hardness minerals in the water, the other replaces them with salt.
This same principle holds true for iron and manganese in the water. PolyHalt® form a new complex with iron and manganese through ionic bonding. Without removing these metals they are rendered harmless unable to convert to their colored form. Because the new harmless complex remains in the water after treatment testing will show the same concentration before and after treatment.
PolyHalt® is consumed during the treatment process and so it must be replaced to prevent water problems from recurring. Maximum filter life is 1 year for whole home systems and 6 months for smaller Point of Use systems. Most often PolyHalt® will last a full year but water quality and volume treated may affect shorten filter life. Spots that are hard to clean after treatment indicate it is time to replace your filter. So you never end up with bad water problems again consider our “Filter Reminder Service” or “Autoship” options.
One difference between conventional salt-based softeners and PolyHalt® saltless softeners you need to be aware of is how the water “feels”. Unlike salt softened water, PolyHalt® treated water does not feel “slippery” so if you like and want to have the slippery feeling created when salt is added to your water a PolyHalt® saltless softener may not be for you.
Just as with salt-based softeners your water may still produce spots as it evaporates. Water spots after treatment with PolyHalt® will be much easier to clean, usually only requiring a simple wiping. Spots that are hard to clean after treatment indicate it is time to replace your filter.
Your water may be worse after treatment. This is a normal effect of using PolyHalt® as it begins to loosen and clean away existing scale buildup in plumbing pipes and fixtures. This is a temporary condition that usually stops after 30 to 60 days ending when existing buildup is cleaned up.
The new complex made by the binding of PolyHalt® with minerals is strong and stable at temperatures less than 140° F. and will not break down or revert over many months or even years.
“People come in and say “I got rid of my softener” and “this is so nice”. In the city it’s a perfect product because of the hardness levels we’re dealing with and the taste and odor. The STP is an awesome product for getting rid of the odor in the water, the chlorine, or whatever it is, and then dealing with having issues with water spots.”
~ Tony Dahl – Wholesale Distributor Yakima, WA.
“I’ve never gotten one back, I’ve never had a complaint. When they go to install one, I say now, if you have a salt system you probably won’t be happy just because the waters not going to be that slimy feeling, if you’re used to one thing it’s not going to be that way.”
~ Kelsey – Wholesale Distributor, Walla Walla, WA.
“I can tell you when I do my water sample and I get my suggested things they will almost always go to the ICS series…they’re easy to put in…they like them, the plumbers do, they really do.”
~ Pam – Wholesale Distributor, Sequim, WA.
“In all honesty my customers love it, that’s why they keep coming back and getting more and why they keep recommending it to their new customers. If I could just deal with this kind of stuff all day it’d be great days.”
~ Charles – Wholesale Distributor, Port Orchard, WA.
“Great assistance from the company and very glad to see these products available. It seems expensive (and it is) but the fact that we don’t have to buy and hassle with salt and we don’t have to change them every couple months justifies the cost. The performance of these filters far exceed the previous salt filters I once used. We had this filtering system going on 2 years now and not one problem. A little piece mind goes a long way when you are a new homeowner.”
~ Vanessa Will – An ICS User
“My ICS product is great, it's very effective fixing my hardness problems. My water tastes great too. The system is small, salt-less and doesn't require a drain.”
~ Richard Dievendorff – An ICS User, Oak Harbor, WA.
“I will continue to recommend Cascadian to anyone, they stand behind their product.”
~ Stephanie Wall – An ICS User, Entiat, WA.
“After using a salt-based water softener for over 30 years, I prefer the Cascadian system because it does not leave a slimy feel after showering, improves the taste of the water, and I no longer have to haul heavy bags of salt. The product does all that, and takes about 1/4 of the space, and half the cost of the Culligan System that it replaced“.
~ Suzette Thompson – An ICS User, Richland, WA.
“I was having problems with iron and manganese staining…The folks at Ace Hardware recommended a plumber who told me about the ICS treatment systems. I really think the ICS is the best technology available. I really like that the treatment is salt-less, doesn't require a drain and is low maintenance. My ICS system removes a great volume of iron. I love the fact the product is American Made. I give this product a rating of 10, I recommend the ICS product.”
~ Kenneth Cadwallader – An ICS User, Ellensburg, WA.
“…I was having problems with iron and manganese staining, it had a bad taste and it didn't smell very good. My ICS system is "extremely effective and is well designed". I would highly recommend this water treatment system for both water quality as well the prevention of mineral buildup in your plumbing and fixtures".
~ Matt Newell – An ICS User, Wauconda, WA.
“After doing some research I began installing your product line and got very good responses. I have been installing NuvoH2O for years and no longer do so, your system does so much more than just removing hard water.
I bought a home this summer and installed one of your cartridge style systems in it. My wife has very long hair that drops below her waistline and has always used tons of conditioner. I told her she should not need to use as much now. She didn't cut back until she was almost ran out of it and to her surprise found she cut it back by at least 70 percent the same held true for other soaps in the kitchen and laundry room .
~ Keith McClure – Evans Plumbing, Sun Valley, ID
“I have used a lot of filtration company’s products over the last 15 years, some were terrible, some were not so bad however; none of them have as complete of a package of products like Cascadian Water does. They can recommend EXACTLY what it will take to fix the customer’s water problems right from the start, not just throwing equipment at the problem till it is satisfactory. No matter what water I come up against I know (Cascadian Water) has a solution for it. Example ‐ SuperTrap‐UF, nobody else has anything even close to what it can do for that price range, I hope to sell many more of them.”
~ Brady Denlinger ‐ Excel Plumbing, Ellensburg, WA.
“I have had the Cascadian water treatment system installed in my home for about 6 months now…our entire family feels that the (water) taste is significantly improved…My husband also feels like the hardness of the water has improved how his eyes feel after taking a shower…previously found that his eyes were bloodshot and bothered by the hardness.”
~ Sherry Erickson – An ICS User, WA
“…the water system you installed for us is working very well…Our water is very clear and soft, tastes good and the dishes and clothes are clean and white."
~ Pat and Aileen – An ICS User
~ Alan Hanna – Safe Water Technologies West, Spokane, WA.
“I drink more water because it tastes so good now.” "I noticed that my dishes aren’t I noticed that my dishes aren’t as spotted before” “I noticed right away that when I noticed right away that when I take a shower that I don’t get the slippery feeling I had before.
Read Nadine and Lewis' full story here.~ Nadine and Lewis – ICS End Users, Kennewick, WA.

Jeric56 (verified owner) –
This is a great product and great customer service.
These filters remove all the odor and smell from my tap water. I wouldn’t be able to drink the water from my local water system if I didn’t have this system.
I would recommend Cascadian’s water filter to anyone considering adding a filtration system to their home.