Whole-House Water Filtration System
drpepper
| Posted in Green Products and Materials on
Can you recommend a whole-house water filtration system? Does it make sense to do.. and best way to implement? So far we just heard of Waterx.
Thank you! – Karen
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It depends
Before you go looking for a water treatment system you need to know what impurities you will need or want to remove from your water. It all starts with analysis of a water sample.
I've had one situation where we dramatically improved the quality of water from a bad well by using a carburetor-type device at the well head to add oxygen to the water to change the bacteriological activity of the water and reduce the benign sulfur emitting bacteria that is common in well water here in NC.
Where I grew up in Maine folks used to keep a trout in their wells.
We're on a city system that I'm sure that right now would not have any unusual impurities. The purpose of the system is to remove the chlorine if possible, anything that gets in through the city pipes or any contamination that might happen in the future.
People often have filters under their sinks, in their refrigerators and/or have filtered bottles, and we were wondering if it would make sense to have a single filtering system for the house so that all the water would be equally safe to drink and even better for washing, etc...
Hey, I've been doing research on whole house filters myself, and have come across the Rhino Whole House filter by Aquasana:
http://www.aquasana.com/product_detail.php?product_id=27&sessionargs=19lwgo34fds3df27tcnh
I've used their shower head filters for chlorine removal for years with good results.
Thanks! What other whole house filters are out there and how do they compare?
And what about removing biological contaminants? (for future security)
Yeah, that's the trick, isn't it... finding a system that also remove bio contaminants, and clearly states that fact. Aquasana is clear about the fact that they focus on chlorine. It appears that any other crud that 's big enough will get caught in the pre-filter.
I've been researching this subject since my wife and I will be moving into a house with a private well at the end of the month. From tests, the water is a little bit on the acidic side at 6.2 (the house already has an acid filter installed in line, so it's doing it's job, to a point). I've been trying to find a system that will be installed after the acid filter to get whatever other crud there is in the water out before it gets to us.
Along the way, other systems I've seen (ranging in price) are:
http://www.ecowater.com/wholehome.php
http://www.pelicanwater.com/water_filter_and_water_softener_combos.php
Since you're on public water, the Aquasana might be the one you want, and is the least expensive... if you have more specific questions, I'd email them to get clearer answers.
It's not so much the system as it is the filter types. You can purchase a basic whole house filter at your local home store or plumbing supply, I like the clear ones. Then you decide what type of filter to use depending on what others here have already said. If biological matter is a concern, UV is okay, but a good filter cartridge should filter out most. Using two or more of these allows you to filter out major sediment and smaller materials, depending on the micron, at the main first, then add additional ones on individual lines that you feel may need it, eg. carbon under the KS or reactive cartridges if think CL is a problem. A lot cheaper and more do it yourself.
I’m not sure why this thread got resurrected this morning. Looked like a phantom post earlier.
You CANNOT trust a filter CARTRIDGE to filter out biological organisms. You should NOT use pleated filters on non-chlorinated water since organisms may colonize these filters. Best is to use a spun polypropylene particulate filter, usually 5 micron or better, and then a UV filter after that. The particulate filter gets sediment out that would otherwise be clouding the water which would reduce the effectiveness of the UV sterilizer. I like a “25/1” micron filter which has a 25 micron outer layer that gradually reduces to 1 micron near the center, which helps to distribute the stuff it filters out so that it doesn’t get clogged as quickly.
Note that UV sterilizers depend on “contact time”, so higher flow rates require more powerful UV lamps. Note also that it is vital to keep up on lamp changes to maintain the effectiveness of any UV sterilizer. The lamps usually last around 6 months to a year or so, and the filter unit should have a monitor that will beep or light up when lamp replacement is needed. I recommend keeping a spare lamp on hand all the time, as well as at least one spare filter cartridge for the particulate filter.
I recommend against whole house chlorine filters since those remove the benefit of chlorinated water in your house. Without the chlorination, stuff can grow in the water in pipes, water heaters, toilet tanks, etc. it’s much better to use point of use filters to remove any chlorine in places like shower heads or where you draw drinking water. If you want really good drinking water, an RO (reverse osmosis) system is the way to go, and those systems are readily available for under counter installation. RO systems can also save you money on replacing filter cartridges in your fridge if you have an ice maker, as you’ll get much better ice cubes too!
I wouldn’t waste money on “acid filters”. Water is only pH 7 in laboratory-pure water (RO/DI water, usually). Most people won’t want to drink this water, it tastes nasty. Stuff can’t live in this water, either. As soon as there is anything in the water, which includes dissolved minerals which are often desirable, the pH will be something other than 7. Water in a stream or lake will NOT be pH 7. In my planted aquariums, with live plants and fish that spawn occasionally, I maintain a slightly acidic pH in the mid 6 range because it’s beneficial to the fish and plants that live in the aquarium water. I think a lot of people get hung up on pH because it’s easy to measure and gives a simple numeric result, but in many ways pH is actually one of the less important water parameters.
Bill
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We installed the AquaOx and it is more than fantastic. With most water filtration systems, you don't know what you're getting because the insides are hidden by the tank. Pelican has 3 types of filtration media, I think Aquasana has 3 as well Springwell only has 2 types of filtration media inside. Springwell is counting the tank as a filtration stage. That's misleading. The AquaOx goes above and beyond with 6 different types of media and a presediment filter so it's a 7 stage filtration system. Our water has never been so good and it tastes amazing. Here's a link to check it out https://www.aquaoxwaterfilters.com/whole-house-water-filter/
Hope this helps!
We are on city water. We’ve had a whole house filter by Express Water for about a year (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LFLQTOI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_6cSNFbF6Z59NE?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1).
It’s relatively inexpensive and modular (can mix and match which filters are installed). Water tastes great and the quantitative results using one of those water quality kits you can buy on Amazon have been good too.
You can save some money building that up yourself form Pentek parts. Their “big blue” filter housings and the appropriate cartridges.
City water usually doesn’t need any treatment. If you want to put a sediment filter, I like the 2501 type which is a variable filter with a corset exterior and 1 micron interior. It lasts longer between changes because it essentially works in three dimensions. An activated carbon filter will get tastes and also chlorine, but I recommend against filtering out chlorine with a whole house filter since that removes its value keeping things sterile downstream. If your concern is chlorine in drinking water, use a point of use filter or one of the pitcher-type filters instead. This way the chlorination still protects you from things growing in your pipes.
Remember that chlorine is your friend for keeping fixtures clean. I’ve been on a well for the past 4 years and there is a lot more cleaning I have to do now since stuff can grow in the non-chlorinated well water. The chlorine in city water is only really an issue for drinking (and a minimal issue even there), so it’s not really necessary to filter it out where your water service comes in.
Bill
>> I recommend against filtering out chlorine with a whole house filter since that removes its value keeping things sterile downstream.
Bill, how do you think things may go awry? In my mind: chlorinated water enters the house —> goes through the filter where chlorine is removed —> chlorine-free water enters the otherwise sealed off plumbing system. How do you think any bacteria growth can occur in an otherwise closed water pipes if the water that enters those pipes has been previously chlorinated?
Basically for the same reason you are required to install backflow preventers on things like sprinkling systems. Stuff can sometimes sneak in.
The more common problem is in things like toilet tanks and aerators. Without chlorine in the water, you will eventually have stuff growing in your toilet tank, for example.
It’s really just a precaution. The chances of you getting sick from something in your pipes is pretty low even if you do filter out the chlorine where your water service comes in. I just think it’s safer to use point of use filters so that the chlorine can protect you everywhere else. Filter the water you drink since that’s really the only place it really matters.
Bull
Thanks, makes sense.