The whole house water filter is a water treatment system that is connected to the main water supply. The system makes sure all the water coming into your house is treated. You will get purified water in the bathroom, toilet, kitchen, and laundry. Having said that, picking the right system for your whole house is not an easy task. In this article, you’ll find out how to choose a whole house water filter system.
Tips on how to choose a whole house water filter system
- Capacity
When purchasing a whole house water filter, it is important to know how many gallons of water the system can filter.
The more gallons of filtered water, the better, meaning you will enjoy an uninterrupted water supply.
Also, capacity depends on the number of people living in the household. The larger the family, the more demand for filtered water is required, and requires you to have a whole house system that has high capacity.
- Filtering Technology
An effective water filter is one that involves different stages or technologies of filtering water.
The more stages, the higher the number of contaminants to be removed and the higher the guarantee of quality water for drinking.
- Cost
Remember, when buying a whole house water filter, the price is only for the system, but there are other expenses you will incur along the way, such as follows:
- Installation fee (in case you require a plumber to install)
- Maintenance fee: This includes the cost of filters and cartridges that need to be replaced yearly or twice a year.
- The amount of impurities filter can remove
All water sources have different impurities and require a different method to remove contaminants.
If you are getting water from a well understand this is untreated water you need a system that is capable of removing contaminants such as iron, bacteria, and viruses. Also, not all whole house water filters are meant for well water they are systems that are designed specifically for well water.
Water supplied by municipalities has contaminants such as chlorine and might have fewer because it is already treated. Most standard whole-house systems can be used to filter municipal water supplies. You can request water reports from local municipalities to learn of possible contaminants’ presence in the water.
Make sure your system can remove any and all contaminants present in your water source.
- Installation
The whole house water filter is installed to the main pipe and requires plumbing work.
Choose a filter that doesn’t involve complicated plumbing work and is easy to install.
Also, when replacing a cartridge or filter, you need a system that is easy to change.
- Flow rate
A flow rate is the amount of water the system is able to provide. It is measured in gallons per minute (GPM).
You will need a system that meets or exceeds your needs. Your demand rating depends on the appliances you are using.
Showers require a flow rate of 2.5 to 5 GPM, dishwashers 3 GPM, and toilets 5 GPM. The flow rate of the appliances is printed on the unit or you can check it in the manual.
An average household has a flow rate of between 15 and 40 GPM, but this depends on the number of people living in the house and the appliances they are using.
A good water filter should not reduce the flow rate of water regardless of the filtering process.
During the filtering process, the water from your faucet or shower won’t reduce its pressure.
To enjoy an uninterrupted water supply, you need a whole house system that meets or exceeds your demand.
- Filter life
The whole house water filter system uses a combination of cartridges such as carbon blocks, sediment filters, and more. All these filters do not last forever. After some time, they require replacement.
When buying the system, you must know how many gallons of water the filter will treat and after what period you should replace it.
Choose the right whole house replacement filter for your system here.
- Certification
For better quality and a guarantee of safety, you need a system that is tested and certified by independent bodies such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), FDA, water quality association (WQA), and NSF (National Sanitation Foundation).
- Additional features
There are water filters that come with extra accessories such as a reverse osmosis membrane, water softeners to soften hard water, or UV light that kills viruses.
You can consider buying a system that has an extra accessory as long as it filters all the contaminants in your water.
- Types of whole house water filters
There are two types of whole-house water filters: cartridge filters and back-washing filters. The backwashing filter is a large water filter that is used when you need filtered water fast in the house.
Backwashing includes a tank that contains media. Water flows in the tank and contaminants get stuck in the media, allowing clean and filtered water to pass through.
The best backwashing whole-house water filters include:
AO Smith Whole House Water Filter System
- Carbon Filtration that reduces chlorine
- NSF Certified –
- Lasts for 6yr/600,000 Gallons
I am hoping the above tips will help you choose a whole-house water filter system that is right for your home. You know that you have learned how to choose a whole-house water filter, so it is time to shop for the best system for your house.
| Name | Image | Filter | Contaminants | Where to buy | |
| 1 | 3M Aqua AP903 |  | Replacement cartridge AP917HD | sediments, scale, chlorine, rusts, silts, taste and odor | Buy from Amazon |
| 2 | Aquasana |  | Sediment Pre-filters, EQ-PFC.35 post-filter, and a replacement tank | chlorine, rust and dirt | Buy from Amazon |
| 3 | iSpring WGB32B |  | chlorine, herbicides, pesticides, sediments, rust, industrial solvents, VOCs | Buy from Amazon | |
| 4 | DuPont WFPF38001C |  | DuPont WFPFC4002 | sediments, chlorine, silt and rust. | Buy from Amazon |
| 5 | Culligan HF-360A |  | CW-F, S1A, CW-MF | sediments, sand, chlorine, silt, and rust | Buy from Amazon |
| 6 | Home Master HMF3SDGFEC |  | CFDGD2501 sediment, CFRFGAC20-20BB GAC | chemical, tastes and odor, sediment, dirt, silt,iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide | Buy from Amazon |
| 7 | EcoPure EPWHE No Mess |  | EcoPure EPWHEF filter | chlorine taste & odor, sediment, sand & silt | Buy from Amazon |
| 8 | GE GXWH20S |  | GE FXUSC | sediment, scale, dirt, and rust | Buy from Amazon |
| 9 | Whirlpool WHELJ1 |  | sediment, chlorine | Buy from Amazon | |
| 10 | Reverse osmosis revolution-3stage |  | Reverse Osmosis Revolution 4 Years Supply (24 pcs) | Dust, dirt, silt, sand, rust, scale particles, chlorine, radon, VOCs | Buy from Amazon |
| 11 | APEC 2-Stage (CB2-SED-CAB20-BB) |  | APEC Water Systems Filter-SET-CB2-20BB 20" | dirt, sand, silt & rust, chlorine, taste, odor & organic compounds (VOCs) | Buy from Amazon |
| 12 | Express Water 3 Stage Home Water Filtration System |  | Express Water FLTWH2045CGS1 | Chlorine, Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOC), Herbicides, Industrial Solvents, Insecticides, Chemicals, Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Pharmaceuticals, Turbidity, Pesticides | Buy from Amazon |
| 14 | AO Smith Whole House Water Filter System |  | No replacement filter | Chlorine | Buy from Amazon |
