Editorial Policy

At Water System Wiki, our mission is simple and fiercely held: help homeowners make confident decisions about water softeners, water heaters, plumbing, and whole‑home water systems. Clear guidance. Accurate data. No fluff. No hidden agendas. As the digital landscape evolves, trust remains our most valuable asset—and the cornerstone of everything we publish.

We crawl into crawlspaces. We descale heat exchangers. We measure flow rates, regeneration cycles, and first‑hour ratings. Then we translate all of that into plain English so you can choose, install, maintain, and fix your water systems with confidence.

1. Independence and Integrity

Editorial Firewall

Our editorial team operates independently from advertising, sales, and affiliate partnerships. Advertisers, brands, and affiliate partners do not review, approve, or alter our content prior to publication—ever. Coverage is earned through performance, data, and relevance, not through relationships or ad spend.

Gift & Sample Policy

We do not accept cash gifts. When possible, we purchase products anonymously. If we accept a loaner unit or sample (for example, a water softener head, resin media, or a heater anode rod) to facilitate testing, it is returned, donated, or recycled after the review period. Receipt of a sample does not guarantee coverage or a positive review. No paid “placements.” No pay‑for‑praise.

Affiliate Transparency

Some articles include affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We disclose this relationship clearly at the top of the article (and via a site‑wide disclosure). Commissions never influence our recommendations, rankings, or test results. Performance, safety, efficiency, and long‑term reliability do.

How We Review Products

We evaluate products against real‑world criteria: hardness reduction (grains), flow and pressure drop (GPM/psi), regeneration efficiency (salt and water use), media quality and certifications (e.g., NSF/ANSI standards), heater efficiency (UEF), first‑hour rating, recovery rate, anode protection, venting and installation requirements, warranty strength, and serviceability. When applicable, we test with calibrated meters, hardness test kits, thermocouples, and data loggers. We document procedures, and we keep repeatable protocols so results can be verified.

2. Fact-Checking and Accuracy

Accuracy is non‑negotiable. We use a multi‑step verification process designed for technical topics where details matter.

  • Primary Sourcing: We prioritize primary sources (manufacturer documentation, installation manuals, spec sheets, official certifications, water quality reports, building and plumbing codes) over secondary summaries.
  • Expert Review: When appropriate, content is reviewed by licensed plumbers, water treatment specialists (e.g., WQA‑certified), or HVAC/water heater technicians to validate technical accuracy and safety guidance.
  • Verification: All statistical claims, dates, certifications, and technical specifications are cross‑referenced with manufacturer data, standards bodies (e.g., NSF/ANSI listings), or official documentation.
  • Field Reality Check: Where possible, we validate claims with hands‑on testing or real‑world installs to confirm pressure drop, regeneration intervals, scale buildup mitigation, and energy performance.
  • Clear Citations: We cite sources within the article or in a references section so readers can trace the facts back to the origin.
  • Update Cadence: We review high‑traffic and seasonal guides regularly (at least annually, often quarterly) to reflect new models, discontinued units, code changes, and pricing shifts.
  • Safety First: For topics involving gas, electricity, venting, scald risk, or cross‑connection control, we emphasize code compliance and recommend professional service when DIY would be unsafe.
  • Correction Policy: We do not “stealth edit.” If a substantive error is found, we correct the text and append a dated “Correction Log” at the bottom of the article detailing what changed and why. To report an issue, contact us at https://watersystemwiki.com/contact-us/.

3. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

Water systems affect health, comfort, and safety. That demands human judgment.

  1. Drafting & Writing: All final articles are written by human authors. We do not publish content that is entirely generated by AI (LLMs).
  2. Assistance: We may use AI tools for outlining, grammar, summarizing dense technical documents, or structuring data—but never as a substitute for human expertise, testing, or editorial judgment.
  3. Human Review: Every article is edited by a human editor and, when needed, fact‑checked by a subject‑matter expert prior to publication.
  4. Disclosure: If any component of a visual asset or data set was generated or enhanced via AI, we explicitly note it in the caption or methodology.
  5. Privacy & Security: We do not input confidential or personally identifiable reader information into AI tools.

4. Conflict of Interest

All contributors sign a conflict‑of‑interest statement. If a writer, editor, or reviewer has a financial interest in—or a personal relationship with—a company or product covered in an article, they must disclose it and recuse themselves from that assignment. We will add a disclosure note to any affected article where even a perceived conflict could exist.

We do not allow sponsored content that mimics editorial work without explicit labeling. Sponsored posts, if any, will be clearly marked as such and kept separate from our editorial recommendations.

Questions or Corrections?

Your feedback helps us serve homeowners better. If you spot an error, want to suggest a product to test, or need clarification on an installation step, reach us at https://watersystemwiki.com/contact-us/. We read every message.