Whole-Home Water Filtration: Atlas and Navien WEC Systems Compared

Whole-Home Water Filtration for Albuquerque's Hard Water

If you live in Albuquerque, you know about hard water. The white buildup on faucets, the spots on dishes, the dry skin after showers — it's all caused by the high mineral content in our water supply. Whether your water comes from the San Juan-Chama surface water or local groundwater wells, it picks up calcium, magnesium, and other minerals as it moves through New Mexico's mineral-rich soil.

The good news is that whole-home water filtration has come a long way. At MGP Mechanical, we install two excellent systems that take different approaches to solving Albuquerque's hard water problems: the Atlas Filtri system and the Navien WEC Series.

Atlas Filtri: Proven Multi-Stage Filtration

Atlas Filtri has been making water filtration products in Italy for over 40 years. Their whole-home filtration systems use a multi-stage approach to treat your water at the point of entry, so every tap, shower, and appliance in your home gets filtered water.

The Atlas system works through a series of filter cartridges that remove sediment, chlorine, heavy metals, and other contaminants. Different cartridge configurations can be customized based on your specific water quality concerns. For Albuquerque homes, we typically recommend a setup that addresses both sediment and scale reduction.

Benefits of Atlas systems:

Proven technology with decades of refinement. Customizable cartridge configurations for your specific water. Lower upfront cost compared to some electronic systems. Easy-to-replace cartridges on a regular maintenance schedule. Effective sediment and contaminant removal.

Atlas systems do require regular cartridge changes — typically every 3 to 6 months depending on your water quality and usage. But the cartridges are affordable and the process is straightforward.

Navien WEC Series: Salt-Free Electronic Treatment

The Navien WEC Series takes a completely different approach. Instead of traditional filtration, it uses electro-membrane technology — a process called capacitive deionization — to remove minerals and contaminants from your water.

Water flows through charged membranes that attract and hold dissolved solids. When the membranes are full, the system automatically reverses polarity to flush the captured contaminants away. No salt, no chemicals, no heavy bags to lug around.

Benefits of the Navien WEC:

Completely salt-free operation — no brine tanks or salt bags. Dual-module design means you never run out of treated water. Built-in Clean-In-Place technology for low maintenance. Wi-Fi monitoring through the NaviLink Lite app. Certified for 94 percent scale reduction. Award-winning compact design.

The WEC comes in two models: the WEC400 for water under 300 ppm total dissolved solids, and the WEC600 for harder water up to 500 ppm TDS.

Which System Is Right for You?

The best choice depends on your specific situation:

Choose Atlas if you want a lower upfront investment with proven technology, you don't mind regular cartridge changes, or you need targeted filtration for specific contaminants beyond just hardness.

Choose Navien WEC if you want a salt-free, low-maintenance solution, you're tired of dealing with traditional water softener salt bags, you want smart monitoring from your phone, or you want the most advanced technology available.

Both systems protect your plumbing, appliances, and water heater from scale buildup — which is especially important here in Albuquerque where hard water can significantly shorten the life of your water heater and other appliances.

Protect Your Investment

Regardless of which system you choose, whole-home water filtration is one of the smartest investments you can make for your Albuquerque home. It protects your water heater, extends the life of your plumbing fixtures, reduces soap and detergent usage, and gives your family better-tasting, cleaner water from every tap.

Call MGP Mechanical at (505) 878-5788 to schedule a consultation. We'll test your water, discuss your needs, and recommend the right filtration solution for your home.