Know the Pros and Cons of a Whole House Water Filter
A whole-house water filtration system is the most practical approach to cleaning all the water used in your home. Since it filters all the water that enters your house before it is dispersed to water outlets throughout your home, whole-house water filters are referred to as point-of-entry (POE) filters. You don't need to install different filters for your kitchen and bathroom because you can have the same high-quality filtered water in both places. What are whole house water filters' benefits and drawbacks, and should you purchase one for your house?
PROS
Following are a few of the most significant benefits of whole house water filters:
Convenience
Since water is cleansed as soon as it enters your home, you will always have access to filtered water for drinking. Whether making tea, showering, or washing your clothes, you may do it confidently, knowing that no harmful contaminants were present in the water you used.
Cost-Effectiveness:
If you don't have a whole-house water filter, you might need to install filters at all of your home's major water outlets. It can result in more expensive charges than whole-house filter installation. Additionally, more water filters require more upkeep. One system requires less maintenance than two or more, saving time and money.
Complexity:
Whole-house water filters often consist of multiple-stage filter systems. It relies on the combined filtration power of several different filter media and filtration techniques to remove a wide range of contaminants that point-of-use filters may not handle. Whole home water filter complexity also derives from the fact that these systems produce more filtered water than point-of-use filters.
CONS
Whole house filtration systems have a lot of benefits, but they also have some drawbacks:
- The water delivered to your home is filtered by whole-house filters, which cannot be "fine-tuned" in any way. Instead of having filtered water of drinking water grade at every water outlet, point-of-use filters, such as under-sink or shower filters, can enable you to adopt a more targeted approach to filtering and acquire filtered water of the desired quality.
- You might need to call a plumber to install a whole-house water filter because it takes more plumbing expertise than installing a specific counter-top or under-sink water filter.
ARE WHOLE HOUSE WATER FILTERS WORTH IT?
A whole house filter is an excellent fit if you have a larger home; installing POU filters will be difficult and expensive. POU filters may be preferable in this situation because a tiny apartment or home may not benefit from a whole house filter. For more information on water filtration systems, please read our article on choosing a full house water filter and contact us.
You will be aware of the value of a filter if you use well water.
If you're like most of us, your home gets water from the mains through your taps. Despite being professionally treated and subject to government health regulations, our tap water contains synthetic and organic pollutants.
Among them are the remnants of sediments, chemicals, heavy metals, rust, bacteria, cysts, fluoride, and chlorine. Herbicides and pesticides can also get into the water supply in rural regions. So using a filtration system is always a wise choice.
Are Whole House Water Filters Worth It? Yes, is the response. Thanks to a whole-house water filtration system, you can get clean drinking water from each tap outlet in your home. But what good is it for the laundry, shower, and bath faucets?
Are whole-house water filters worth the money when taking a shower or laundry? You may be shocked!
DO WE REQUIRE FILTERED WATER FOR BATHING OR SHOWERING?
You might be surprised to learn that taking a bath or shower with filtered water has many advantages. Here's why: The oils your skin naturally creates to protect it from harm and overexposure are stripped away by the chlorine in our tap water, leaving your skin and scalp feeling rough and irritable.
Removing chlorine and chloramine from the water with a whole-house water filtration system prevents dryness and irritation of your skin and scalp. For your body, that has to be good news.
WHAT QUALITIES SHOULD A WHOLE-HOUSE WATER FILTER HAVE?
It is advised to use a large filter. It's because it lengthens the servicing interval and boosts the water supply within your home.
To ensure the flow rate and water pressure into your home are suitable for your family and the water demand, you should also check the filter's port size.
WHOLE HOUSE WATER FILTER MISCONCEPTION ANSWERED
For various reasons related to their cost, effectiveness, and upkeep, whole-house water filters are frequently disregarded by consumers. While some brands or models of water filters may unintentionally reinforce some of these beliefs, most of them about whole home filtration systems are untrue.
All Filters Are The Same
This myth is well refuted by the variety of water filter systems and treatment options. To achieve a more thorough filtration, most whole-house water treatment units combine various types of filter media. Each filter system is specialised in relating to a particular range of contaminants (for example, UV water filters are great at eliminating bacteria, while carbon filters are known for their chemical removal properties). Different water filter manufacturers or models combine these filters in different ways and create whole-house water filters by considering the various requirements of various homes.
Expensive
Whole house water filters are the most affordable way to get filtered water in your home. While certain models may be pricey, this does not necessarily mean that they are more effective or of greater quality. Even though point-of-use purification process units like kitchen water filters or shower filters may permit you to personalise better the type of filtered water you need at each point of use, this potential comes at a higher price tag. The initial investment costs and maintenance expenses may be higher than in the case of a whole house filter.
Not Efficient for a Big House
There's a whole house water filter system that might work for you regardless of the size of your home. By considering your water usage, the number of bathrooms you have, and other criteria, specialised water filter shops may assist you in selecting the proper filter size. They can even help you in creating custom filters.
High Maintenance Costs
Water filter makers have produced models that are simple to maintain even by inexperienced people unless you're buying a commercial filtration device. Quick-change filter cartridges, for instance, make it simple to service your water filter without professional assistance. Therefore, almost anyone can perform whole-house water filter maintenance.
REPLACEMENT WHOLE HOUSE WATER FILTERS
Your entire household will have clean water thanks to a whole-house water filter. It is affixed to the primary supply pipe and provides clean water to all faucets. Although installing a whole house water filter is more expensive, you won't need to worry about the water quality in any area of your house.
Every three to six months, you must replace a whole-house water filter.
LITTLE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW WHEN BUYING A WHOLE HOUSE FILTER
#1 If you decide to utilise a carbon-based whole-house filter, you must know whether your water department disinfects it using chlorine or chloramines.
Why?
Most whole-house carbon filters are made to remove chlorine but not chloramines. You will require a filter made specifically to remove chloramines if your water provider utilises them.
How, therefore, can you determine whether your water department uses chlorine or chloramines as the main disinfection?
It's simple. Search for the water quality report on Google. You should search for a whole-house filter that removes chlorine if chlorine is included in the report. On the other side, you need to locate a whole-house system that eliminates chloramines if you see them listed.
If you buy a different filter, it won't help you, and 20% of water districts use chloramines as disinfection. Don't skip this step!
#2 You must study the report and determine if the whole-house filter has been tested.
Ensure the Whole House filter you are thinking about has been certified by NSF or a qualified third-party lab.
You must also read the results of the water quality test. It would be best if you didn't presume that all carbon-based whole-house systems eliminate the same contaminants because not all filters—even those built with the same media—are equally effective at removing contaminants.
The report will indicate whether the filter removes 99 percent or, let's say, 50 percent of each water contaminant. The better, the higher the removal rate.
#3 Finally, if you choose a whole-house carbon filter, you should know that it isn't the ideal option for assuring the purest drinking water. Consequently, a second drinking water filter is required.
Although it may appear weird to you, this makes logic. Here's why.
The flow of water and filtration are the key factors. The amount of filtering available with a carbon-based filter decreases with increasing water flow. The drinking water filter can remove considerably more impurities (in some cases 10 times more contaminants) compared to a carbon whole house water filter in terms of the number of pollutants eliminated.
There is one significant distinction between drinking water and whole-house filters, even though both use a carbon/activated carbon filter as their main component. The flow rate of whole house filters is normally at least 6-7 GPM, and they must treat all the water entering your home without drastically reducing water flow.
Compare that to a high-quality drinking filtration system approved to eliminate lead, mercury, MTBE, chlorine, and chloramines. The flow rate of that drinking water filter will be less than 1 GPM.
CARBON-BASED WHOLE HOUSE WATER FILTERS
- Provides fresh water free of chlorine and chloramines for your household's needs, including drinking, cooking, showering, baths, and cleaning.
- Minimizes exposure to hazardous airborne water disinfection chemicals
- Long lifespan (3+ years) filters make them comparatively worry-free.
- They are a very affordable option to offer filtered water throughout your home because of the long filter life and lower purchase price.
- It's the best way to get rid of chlorine and chloramines from your shower and bath, and it does so without the use of additional shower filters.
RO WHOLE HOUSE WATER FILTERS
- It dispenses clean water for drinking, cooking, bathing and showering, cleaning, and all other home needs.
- Minimises exposure to hazardous airborne water disinfection chemicals
- It reduces the need for tap water filters for drinking.
NEXT GENERATION WHOLE HOUSE WATER FILTERS
- Dispenses clean water for drinking, cooking, bathing and showering, cleaning, and all other home needs.
- Minimises exposure to hazardous airborne water disinfection chemicals
- Helps reduce the need for tap water filters for drinking.
- It doesn't remove water's valuable minerals.
- It doesn't produce a lot of wastewater.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What to watch out for when purchasing a whole-house water filter?
It's critical to be knowledgeable about the various aspects influencing a whole-house water filter's efficiency before making a purchase. The quality of the water is among the most crucial. A whole-house filter might not be able to get rid of everything if the water entering your home contains a lot of sediment or chlorine. The filter could also not function effectively if the water flow rate was very low. It's also critical to understand the types of impurities the filter can and can't eliminate. While some filters are successful at removing heavy metals like lead, others are not.
When selecting a whole-house water filter, portability is something else to consider. Ensure the filter you choose is portable if you intend to move shortly. Finally, consider the filter's price and whether it fits your budget.
How to clean and maintain a whole house water filter?
Here is a guide with five simple methods for cleaning your whole-house water filter:
- Cut off the filter's water supply.
- Take the filter housing out of the cabinet or the wall.
- Remove the filter cartridge from the housing using step three.
- Cleanse the cartridge thoroughly under running water to eliminate all the sediment.
- Immerse the cartridge for 30 minutes in a bleach and water mixture.
To clean any debris, you can also reinstall the filtration and run the water for a short while. You can use your filter to strain paint or other liquids if you're seeking ways to reuse them.
AWESOME WATER FILTERS AUSTRALIA
If you're looking for whole-house water filters and replacement cartridges in Australia, check out our collection here at Awesome Water Filters. We also offer different water filters for your other filtering needs like reverse osmosis systems, under-sink water filters, water coolers, and more!