Water Education - Air and Health

Most Affordable Whole House Water Filters

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Why Do We Need a Whole House Water Filter?

In this day and age all sources of our drinking water including municipal water systems, wells, lakes, and rivers contain some level of contamination. Contaminants range from naturally occurring minerals to man-made chemicals and by-products. Though our bodies are designed to remove these toxins, long term exposure to harmful chemicals can eventually affect the health of anyone. The main chemical used to disinfect tap water is chlorine. Chlorine is commonly used to disinfect water because it is inexpensive and effective at killing bacteria and viruses to prevent waterborne diseases. Despite all of this, chlorination forms byproducts that can be harmful to our health from daily long term exposure. In addition to chlorine, many other harmful contaminants fill our water such as arsenic, fluoride, chromium, lead and many more. Lead can come from corrosion of plumbing and pipes going into your home or through erosion of natural deposits. The health effects of excessive exposure to heavy metals can be serious, especially for young children and babies. In order for these contaminants to be removed from our home, it is imperative to use a whole house water filter to do so.

2 Most Popular Types of Whole House Water Filters

standard filter

To determine which whole-house water filter system will be the most effective, you should first test your water to see which contaminants need to be removed. This will tell you more specifically the type of filter you will need for your home. Some commonly used filters are sediment, carbon, iron, fluoride, arsenic, and many more.

There are two main types of whole house systems that differ mostly between the maintenance and capacity. Let us first choose a contaminant as an example to better explain the different applications and performances of the two types of systems. If you are experiencing orange and brown iron staining, you will need a system to remove iron contaminants. The first type of system is a heavy duty filtration system. This is the highest performing contaminant removal system because of the large amounts of filter media used. The media is placed in a tank about 50” tall and provides iron protection for 5-10 years before the media is to be replaced. Compact single tank system connects to the main water supply line of the house. The second type of system is a standard capacity water cartridge. These water filter cartridges are placed inside durable filter housings to treat the contaminated water throughout the entire home. The filters are typically 4.5”D by 10” or 20”H and are placed at the main water line. These standard capacity systems are more affordable, but do require a bit more maintenance because the replacement filters are recommended to change annually.

heavy duty filter

For the highest performing contaminant removal, look for heavy duty filtration systems and for standard capacity filtration, look for affordable whole house filter housing systems.

Benefits of a Whole House Water Filter

  • Clean, filtered water emerges from every water source in the house.
  • Healthier showers & baths
  • Extends the life of water using appliances
  • Healthier skin and hair, free of contaminants

If your water source does not have any specific contamination issues then a whole house carbon filtration system is recommended for general multi-purpose whole house purification. However, if you have specific water problems then you would need a whole house system dedicated to treat that problem. For example well water users may have more particular contaminant issues such as sediment, iron or bacteria concerns. There are a variety of affordable whole house filters available that are catered to take care of all sorts of contaminants.

The positive impact of clean water in our lives is immeasurable, so take care of your water and take care of your body!

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