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Many whole house water filters offer water softening as a byproduct of filtering. Water softening passes your home’s water through a synthetic medium to remove minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium and others. Removing these minerals “softens” the water and reduces scale and mineral buildup on plumbing fixtures.
What to Look for in a Whole-House Water Filter
You'll also need ample space around the unit for proper operation and servicing. Beware of obstructions, such as tight plumbing and piping behind walls, that could impair access and serviceability. When choosing a residential water filtration system, it's important to review the specifications and confirm the available sizes and capacity.
Our Top Picks for Best Whole House Water Filter Systems
Leaf Home Predicts 2024 Trend in Home Water Filtration Systems - Men's Journal
Leaf Home Predicts 2024 Trend in Home Water Filtration Systems.
Posted: Tue, 19 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
However, this cost is usually offset by bottled water savings and the tremendous peace of mind for those who are worried about the quality of their water. When you buy a whole-house water filter, you’re launching a relationship with the company that can last a decade or more. We don’t want you to get stuck in a bad relationship, so we make sure to vet all the companies we review to ensure they have not just good but great customer service. If you need more guidance on this, read my review of the best sediment filters for well water. In that review, I discuss different types of sediment filters and the advantages and disadvantages of each. The advantage of this filter is that it has larger pores so it won’t get clogged as often, and it also uses a mesh screen you can remove and clean.
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The Express Water whole-house water filter comes with three filter cartridges that last for 6 months to a year before needing to be replaced. Replacement filters and other regular maintenance increase the lifetime costs of these products. We do our best to calculate what these are going to be so you know what you’re getting into before you buy. This means that if you have both hard water and high levels of sulfur, iron, and/or manganese, you don’t need to sacrifice quality by mixing and matching softeners and filters.
We recommend the 3M Aqua-Pure AP904 as the best overall whole-house water filter. It features a high flow rate that’s suitable for large homes and families, filters up to 100,000 gallons before the tank needs to be replaced, and provides three stage filtration that includes scale reduction. The unit comes set to automatically flush for 15 seconds every 15 days, but you can use the touchscreen to adjust the frequency and duration of the auto-flush if your water has more or less sediment than average. It also has semi-automatic and manual options if you prefer to check the unit regularly and take more direct control over flushing. It does take up a lot of space, especially with the large brine discharge tank, but the results are well worth it if you have enough room.
Filters using activated carbon and KDF media are especially effective against many of the most common city water contaminants. Depending on which (if any) heavy metals are in your water, you may need special filters designed to remove them. This design makes the CF1 much more effective than traditional two- and three-stage filters because chlorine can consume activated carbon’s filter surface area and limit its ability to remove other chemicals. Using KDF media in stage two removes the majority of chlorine before water reaches activated carbon, which allows it to remove the many other chemicals in your water.
First, the water is pre-filtered to remove sediments and chlorine, and may even go through another carbon filtration. If it’s just sand and sediment or chlorine and fluoride, then a carbon filter could do the trick. If it’s bacteria, viruses, or heavy metals you’re worried about, then the more filtration steps the better. The Aquasure Whole House Filtration System has multiple steps, including a final, under the sink reverse osmosis filter, which work together to remove Chlorine, bacteria, and sediment. Since this is a single cartridge system, the lifespan of the cartridges will depend on how much filtration they need to do.
I Paid a Little More for This Brita Water Filter Pitcher, and It Was Worth It
Some of the contaminants that are targeted by KDF are iron, hydrogen sulfide, chlorine, lead, and other heavy metals. Some are designed to be paired with other filters, like carbon-based media, to improve their performance and remove more contaminants. Others can be used as standalone filters to remove a high concentration of specific impurities. Sediment filtration is often used as a pre-filtration stage, but you can buy standalone sediment filters if you need targeted sediment removal.
Best for Carbon Filtration: SoftPro Water Systems Upflow Carbon Filter
Additionally, there is a sediment granulated active carbon (or GAC) pre-filter. This means this system not only guarantees softer water, it also filters out sediment and debris and reduces chlorine, copper, fluoride, and iron. The water softener system also eliminates iron and magnesium from your water supply. This whole house water filter removes rust, chlorine, herbicides, industrial solvents, sediment, and more thanks to its three-stage filtration system. The first stage is a polypropylene sediment filter that traps debris, and this particular filter is designed to allow for fewer clogs and minimal water pressure loss.
It’s true that it adds a small amount of sodium to your water, but this is not really a concern for 95%–99% of you. And the fact it has a lifetime warranty sets it apart from the competition. As a salt-based softener, the SpringWell SS1 does add a small amount of sodium into your water. The SpringWell SS1 earned the #1 spot on my ranking for a hard water solution because it delivers on its promise and softens water no matter how hard it is.
The APEC Whole House Water Filtration System is a three-stage system designed for water with odor, light sediment and staining concerns. It can filter up to 80,000 gallons of water before needing a cartridge change. As for the sediment filter itself, you should replace it every six to 12 months depending on how much sediment is in your water. To change the filters, all you have to do is drain the water in the system and twist off the housings. This product comes with a limited lifetime warranty on the control valve. It also has an extensive warranty for all parts except for filtration media and accessories such as spacers and seals.
If you have limited DIY experience, it might be best to call a plumber can help you install the system. Made with high-quality food-grade materials, this system is built to last. All of the components are covered by an Express Water Promise, and the three housings are made from food-grade PCE and ABS plastic. The Water Quality Association (WQA) is the leading accredited agency for testing and certifying water to NSF/ANSI standards. Typical NSF/ANSI certification standards include NSF/ANSI 42, 44, 53, 55, 58, 401, 244, and 231. If you’ve already tested your water, or know which filter is best for you, read about my top choices.
The only regular maintenance required is swapping out the sediment filter, which you should do every six to nine months. The size of the carbon-filter bed gives it a total capacity of one million gallons, which means most people can use the CF1 for around 10 years before having to replace the media inside it. The SpringWell CF1 is the best whole-house water filter on the market because of its effectiveness against the most harmful and common contaminants in city water as well as its lifetime warranty. For this story, she spent several hours researching the best whole house water filters by comparing product reviews, customer recommendations, and product specifications. She also spoke with Rachel Kourey, the Pumps and Water Treatment Merchant for The Home Depot, for more information about whole house water filters. Finally, the water will be filtered once more, sometimes with reverse osmosis, so that the water is clean.
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