Best Whole House Water Filter Reviews of 2024 | Guide

There are more than 1000 contaminants in your well water or municipal water, now what would you do to have healthy and purified water in every tap of your house? You get a whole house water filter system.

Not only does the system give you purified drinking water but with the installation of the whole house water filter system in your house, you will have purified water for each appliance and bathroom of your house. Imagine only having to consume and use water that is chemical-free and pure and the beneficial effect that will have on you in the long term.

People across the whole country are now investing in the whole house water filter system after becoming aware of pollutants in their daily use of water and the horrendous health hazards it has.

You can rest easy after you install a system in your house which gives your family purified water in every water outlet in your house knowing that your family is safe from so many contaminants, chemicals, and viruses.

Best Whole House Water Filters

1. Express Water 3 Stage Heavy Metal Whole House Water Filter

Here’s one of the topmost whole-house filters that do not produce any water waste at all. Express Water whole house water filter purifies water in 3 stages removing over 80 contaminants to purify the water.

Like all the whole house filters, this system is installed with the main water supply line to ensure purified water in all incoming water outlets. All the components used in the system are tested and verified to meet NSF/ANSI standards. Although, this system cannot be considered as the Reverse Osmosis System.

You might not know this but there are many types of water filters available including Undersink Filter, Countertop Filter, Faucet Filter, and Fluoride Filter.

With the pressure gauge included with the system, you will not have to worry about losing the pressure and flow of the water. The system removes up to 80 contaminants from your water.

The system’s unique design and manufacturing can supply up to 0.25 gallons per second. Installing this system saves you time and money all the while giving you purified water. On average this system is good to go until 1,00,000 gallons for almost up to 6-12 months.

Even changing the filters is quick and hassle-free. With its first stage of clear housing of the filter, it’s easy to monitor the need for filter changes. This durable whole-house filter provides you with purified water, which removes heavy metals, chlorine, and rust from your water.

Why give normal tap water to your plants and pets when you can give them way more pure and healthy water easily available on every tap of your house? Express Water gives a 1-year warranty on their whole house water filters with quality guaranteed.

2. Aquasure Whole House Water Filtration Bundle with Water Softener

If you have a big house with 4-6 family members and with 4-5 Bathrooms, Aquasure’s whole-house water filtration system is the correct choice for you. This system is rated to be the most durable, high-strength quality filter.

With this water softener, it can remove all skin-damaging minerals like magnesium, iron, etc. The system has a digital controller that helps you monitor the water softener, water flow rate, and remaining days until regeneration.

There are different models available from Aquasure to meet your exact needs. The system includes Reverse Osmosis filtration in the 3rd stage of the filtering process.

This system purifies water by removing large particles like sand and dust, then the water passes through a 64,000-grain full-house water softener to remove any hardness in water by eliminating chemicals like calcium and magnesium.

The system delivers you spa-quality water on your tap, which protects your skin from absorbing all the chemicals which were there on your regular unfiltered water.

Compared to other water filter systems, this system improves the taste of the water with its 3rd stage Reverse Osmosis filtering. Systems from Aquasure come with FLOWLOK and SHOKBLOK technology which ensures that there are no leaks in the system that gives you relief from continuously checking for the leaks.

The whole system is made from 5-micron sediment and carbon block filters, with the aim to give the consumer premium quality water filters that can remove up to 99.9% contaminants. Keep your bathroom water as pure as your drinking water with an Aquasure whole-house water filtration system.

3. iSpring WGB21B 2-Stage Whole House Water Filtration System

iSpring has prestige in providing consumers with efficient water filtration systems. iSpring’s WGB21B 2-Stage water filter system guarantees you pure water from all the water outlets in your house. This water filtration system is idle for a family of four. Pre-assembled parts make installation easy and quick.

The package includes wrenches that make routine filter-changing jobs frustration-free. iSpring also provides instructional videos, manual instructions, and technical support to help you in any case of need with the system.

The components of the system are independently tested and certified against NSF/ANSI standards with an aim to provide consumers with premium quality whole house water filters.

Even though this system only has 2-stage filtration, it removes 90% of the chlorine from the water. The system removes large particles like dust, rust, bacteria, and many more from the water ensuring the long life span of the carbon block filter.

The only drawback of this system is that it does not remove TDS from your water like the RO system. Although it purifies water from all contaminants. But if you are looking for a system that removes TDS efficiently from the water, this might not be the right system for you.

iSpring has designed this system in a way that avoids water clogs and pressure loss. The whole system after installation doesn’t need filter changes until after producing 50,000 gallons of water.

iSpring provides a 1-year manufacturer warranty with a 30-day money-back guarantee as well as a lifetime of satisfactory technical support.

4. iSpring WGB22B 2- Stage Whole House Water Filtration System

This system is idle for families looking for a system that removes chlorine and contaminants efficiently from the water with more capacity, approximately 1,00,000 gallons. iSprings’ this model comes with UV light, supplying you water that is free of microorganisms. Moreover, the system does not make any significant changes in your current water flow.

Even though this model comes with a 2-stage filtration system, it’s way more efficient than most of the models with 2-stage filtration. All the components of the system are certified against NSF/ANSI standards eliminating any worries regarding the quality of the system.

The filtration process of this system removes chlorine, taste, odors, chemicals, or any cloudiness from the water. The first stage filter of the system is made from high-quality polypropylene sediment, which removes all the impurities from the water larger than 5 microns. The second stage filter is made from a high coconut shell carbon filter to remove any odors or taste from the water.

Although, if you need a system with Reverse Osmosis filters, this might not be the ideal system for you. Whole house water filtration systems from iSpring are long-lasting and user-friendly.

This system does not come with a pre-installed water softener and it does not remove TDS from the water. The whole system process removes 95% of the sediments, which is tested by SGS in 2018.

iSpring ensures qualitative technical support along with its quality products. Their technical support is exceptional.

5. Culligan WH-HD200-C Whole House Heavy Duty Water Filtration System

Culligan’s this model of water filtration system is most idle for residential homes. This model is very easy to install by yourself and it works on battery.

This may be the smallest heavy-duty water filter system but it can reduce any large molecules like dust, sand, and buildup of plumbing lines from water, although the system does not have any advanced purification filters.

Despite the size of this system, it is one of the best water purification devices available. What you have to do to install this filter, is to connect it to your main water line and release the water pressure. Once you are done with the above steps your system is ready for regular use after flushing the lines for a few minutes.

A Cartridge’s outer case is transparent, making it easy for you to notice the need for a filter change. In general opinion, this kind of whole-house water filtration system is more efficient for small families. The system removes large molecules from water, it does not remove TDS or any other chemicals from the water.

The product packaging includes a built-in shut-off valve with a bypass and pressure relief valve. The whole system consists of a clear sump to monitor the filter, mounting bucket, housing wrench, filter life indicator, and above-mentioned valves.

The type of filter cartridge decides what will be eliminated from the water, there are certain Culligan cartridges you can choose from to mount on your system.

6. iSpring WSP-50 Reusable Whole House Sediment Water Filter

If you are looking for a budget-friendly water filter that removes large particles from your water, iSpring’s WSP50 reusable whole-house sediment water filter is the right choice for you.

Installation of this system is very easy and you can do it by yourself. This system increases the longevity of appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, and water heaters.

Before installing this system, it is necessary to figure out the sediment level of the water, if the water has higher sediment content larger than 50 microns the cartridges may be clogged sooner than usual.

You can protect your high-standard filter system by installing iSpring’s this model on the very first line of water supply. It will increase the lifespan of your high-end water filter cartridges.

The main benefit of installing this system is not only that it increases the lifespan of your standard filter system but regular daily or weekly flushing of this system will increase the performance of the WSP models.

These models offer easy maintenance too. You can just open the stainless steel cartridge and clean it with a brush or soak it in vinegar for cleaning.

The main purpose of this whole-house water filter is to increase the life of your standard filter. If you are planning to use this model as the only water filter for your home, it may not give you the purest water you desire.

7. Home Master 3-stage Whole House Water Filtration System

Home master is part of Perfect Water Technologies, manufactured in America, and they specialize in manufacturing high-quality Reverse Osmosis water filtration systems and whole house water softeners and filters for your business or home.

This 3-stage whole house water filtration system is highly ideal for well water or municipal water. It is specially designed to remove 95% of chemicals including iron and sediments from the water ensuring purified water from water outlets of the whole house. The 3-stage water filtration system is highly regarded for great water pressure, which can fill up to 15 gallons per minute.

The system removes contaminants that are larger than 1 micron. Compared to other whole-house filters, Home Master’s 3-stage water filtration system is more efficient and gives you highly purified water by removing any odors and improving the taste.

One of the filters of the 3-stage filtration system has a coconut shell carbon filter that purifies up to 95,000 gallons of water before needing any kind of maintenance for your family. The filters of this system are slightly bigger than any other average water filtration system, which decreases the need for frequent filter changes.

Home Master gives a 2-year warranty with the system. Although the company suggests consumers consult with technical support via phone, chat, or email before purchasing any filter system from them so that they can help you find out the most suitable system based on their requirements and the quality of their water.

What is a Whole House Water Filtration System?

It is a system that is attached to the main water line of the house or your business. The system installed in your main water line ensures purified water from every water outlet on your premises. No matter what your water source is, whether it’s city water or well water, the whole house system purifies water efficiently.

When the water has a high amount of chemicals, contaminants, and hard minerals in it, it destroys your pipes and taps in the long run along with your hair, skin, and health. So many Americans choose to have a whole house water filtration system for purified water on every outlet of their house.

It is very ideal for businesses like coffee shops and restaurants that wish to deliver their customer product, which did not use water that had chlorine, heavy metals, or any chemicals like that.

How Does the Whole House Water Filtration System Work?

There are different types of whole-house water filtration systems available for different types of needs. Some systems just have one of two stages of purification, while certain systems have more purification stages. Even though there are some smaller models available for this system, the most effective system requires larger space.

It is ideal to install a whole house water filtration system at the point of entry even if you have an advanced system already installed. Some systems remove large particles like dust, rust, etc. from the water ensuring the longevity of your advanced filter.

The first stage of the system, known as a pre-filter known as a sediment filter removes large particles from the water. These particles include dust, sand, rust, silt, or any other large impurities. If you have an advanced system already in your house, installing the sediment filter at the first point of water entry can increase the lifespan of your expensive system. There are systems available that only sediment filters.

The second stage of the filtration system is a carbon block filter. Once the water exits from the sediment filter, it directly enters into the carbon block filter. Although this filter is optional in some systems consisting of only one filter. The carbon block filter of the system removes any odor or taste from the water and it also removes all the contaminations and particles, which were too small, and got through the first sediment filter.

Some systems have a pre-installed water softener, which removes all the hard minerals from the water. These hard minerals include magnesium, calcium, and many more minerals like that. When you want water that is soft and healthy for your appliances and your skin, you will need to choose the system with a water softener.

In some systems, the Reverse Osmosis membrane removes contaminants more efficiently and gives the consumer 99.9% contaminants-free purified water. With the Reverse Osmosis filter, you will be using drinking quality water from every water outlet in your house.

Going further, there’s also an option for remineralization filters, which add necessary minerals to the water. These post-filters play a very significant role in delivering highly purified water.

These post-filters can be compatible to eliminate contaminants up to 0.35 microns. Some consumers prefer to install UV light instead of these filters. UV light eliminates all the microorganisms from the water before it reaches your water outlet. Although post-filters are considered optional, we cannot ignore the fact that they undoubtedly give purified water.

Why Do You Need a Whole Filter?

There are several choices available for consumers when they start looking for a suitable whole-house water filter system. Now before making that choice, the big question is why you need a whole house filter system.

To answer that question, let’s figure out what kind of chemicals, contaminants, and harmful bacteria are there in municipal or well water.

• Dust, rust, slit, and many more large particles
• Chlorine, nitrogen, bleach, pesticides, and many other contaminants and toxins
• Bad odor, color from bacteria, and toxins.

Now, having the whole house water filter system installed at the entry point of the waterline will purify the water from all the above-mentioned impurities.

Even if you have a Reverse Osmosis system installed in your house, without the whole house filter you will be using the same impure water for bathing and appliances like dishwashers, washing machines, and refrigerators.

Besides that, you will be using highly impure water for a shower not knowing the effect it has on your skin.

When you install the whole house water filter in your house you get purified water in all the water outlets of your house. In long term filtered water without chemicals increases the longevity of your appliances and pre-installed filter systems. Not only purified water gives you healthy skin and so many health benefits.

You never know what kind of germs and contaminants are there in your water and how it’s gradually affecting your health. We take so many precautions about other health hazards so why not install a whole-house water filter system which guarantees purified water for your better health?

What to Look for When Buying a Whole House Water Filter?

Before deciding on any whole-house water filter system, it is necessary to take notice of certain factors. Usually, factors like water usage, family size, and appliances that use water are taken into consideration.

Don’t take advice from someone who is selling their product, they may help you get an efficient water filter for your house, but it still might not match your requirements completely.

Who can evaluate your needs better than yourself right?

Here are the factors we have researched and evaluated for you to help you get the most suitable whole-house water filter for your home.

The capacity of the filter

The foremost step in choosing the most suitable whole-house water filter system for your house is finding out your usage of water, based on that you can choose an appropriate filter with a capacity that meets your water usage. If you install a system that has a lower capacity than your usage, it can lessen the life of the filter and with that, the system will not give you the required results.

Checking if the filter meets NSF standards

Before you purchase any water filter system, it is imperative to know if the system is certified or meets NSF standards or not. Why? Because the systems which are certified and meet the National Sanitation Foundation’s standard is a guaranteed supreme system than the ones which do not meet NSF standards.

• NSF/ANSI 42 – Certified for guaranteed removal of chlorine, odor, taste, or other aesthetic impurities.
• NSF/ANSI 53 – Certified for removal of TDS from the water.
• NSF/ANSI 44 – Certified for the system which uses water softeners.
• NSF/ANSI 55 – Certified for Systems with UV light.
• NSF/ANSI 58 – Certified for System with Reverse Osmosis.
• NSF/ANSI 177 – Certified for systems that reduce chlorine from water directly from a pipe.
• NSF/ANSI 244- Certified for the system which uses public water supply and removes microorganisms from the water.
• NSF/ANSI 401 – Certified for the system which removes contamination twice, first at the point of entry and second, at the point of use.
• NSF/ANSI P477- Certified for the system which reduces microcystin, like algae from the water.

You can learn in detail about these certifications on their site. Based on your need for the system, you can check if the system has any certification or meets the standards of NSF or not.

Stages of Filtration

There are so many systems available in the market, but the perfect system for your home can only be identified after knowing the contaminations and chemicals in your water.

There are systems available based on their type and stages of filtration. If you already have an expensive Reverse Osmosis system installed in your house then you can opt for a system installation of filtration, which removes large particles from the water, guaranteeing the longer lifespan of your expensive system as well their not-so-cheap filter cartridges.

You can easily find out how efficiently the system purifies the water by the system’s filtration stages. With each extra stage the water’s purification increases. 1-stage or 2-stage filtration systems are basic systems that remove large particles from your water and sometimes odor and taste. Whereas the system with 6 to 7 stages gives you highly purified water.

Contaminants in your water

If your water has high levels of contaminants, a system with more stages that is suitable to remove the exact contamination from your water will be more suitable for you. For example, if your water is hard with minerals like magnesium then you will also need a system with a salt-free water softener.

Based on contaminants in your water, you can find a system that efficiently removes those particular contaminants.

Types of filter Cartridges in the system

Some systems have more stages of purification whereas some systems have fewer stages of purification. At that time it is necessary to understand and examine what kind of filter cartridges are installed in your system, Even if you invest in a system that has more filters and it is necessary to notice the microns of the filter cartridges. The best filter is the one that removes any contamination larger than 0.001 microns.

After checking on the microns, you will have to check the lifespan of the filters to know how often your system will require filter change.

The lifespan of the system/filters

While purchasing a Whole House Water Filtration System, you have to check if the price of the system gives satisfactory durability or not. This includes the duration of filter changes too. If the system you wish to install costs you less but requires consistent filter changes in a short period, then it would be as equal to a system that costs higher but requires filter changes after a year or so.

Despite that, the quality filters and systems will be more efficient, although so many times some filters with less cost turn out to be the ideal system for some families. Make sure to compare different systems and their filter durability before deciding on one.

Installation process

The installation of some whole-house filtration systems is complex, you might require hiring a plumbing service to get it fixed in your water line, whereas some systems are very easy do-it-yourself installations.

However, the installation process may not be an important part of the purchase decision for some people but if you are one of those consumers who enjoys doing easy installation upgrades in your home, choose a system you can easily install by yourself.

Types of Whole House Water Filter Systems

There are several types of Whole House Water Filter Systems in the market, based on the contaminant levels of the water you can choose a system for your home. Let us see the different types of water filtration systems for your house.

Sediment Whole House Water Filter system

This is the most basic water filter system. It is most suitable for people who have an advanced system already installed or have the least amount of contaminants in their main water supply.

The sediment filter system only removes the large particles from the water, it does not remove TDS, chloride, or any similar chemicals from the water. This kind of filter system usually has only one stage of purification.

2-Stage Whole House Water filter System

First is the sediment filter, it removes large particles from water, the 2nd stage filter is an activated carbon block filter, which removes chlorine, and any odor or taste from the water. It also removes contaminants like lead or volatile organic compounds. This filter has pores on its surface, which block the contaminants larger than its pore from following through with the water.

3- Stage Whole House Water filter system

The first two stages of this system are as same as it’s in a 2-stage filtration system. The 3rd stage of filtration can be different in different models. In some systems the 3rd stage of the system can be remineralization, which adds necessary minerals to the water and these minerals can be magnesium, calcium, etc. in some systems, 3rd stage filters can be of Reverse Osmosis membrane to make your water highly purified.

Reverse Osmosis Whole House Water filter system

This may give you the most highly purified water for your house. The Reverse Osmosis system eliminates up to 99.9% of the contaminants from water along with any chemicals, TDS, bacteria, and viruses. Although this system might cost you more than any regular whole-house filter system. Another drawback of this system is that it produces a lot of water waste.

Whole House Filter Vs Reverse Osmosis System

Difference	Whole House Filtration System	Reverse Osmosis System
Water Purification	Purification of the water is based on the type and stages of the system.	Extremely purified water without any doubts.
Water Flow Rate	Water flow rate is maintained and sometimes increased if the flow pump is installed with the system.	Water flow can be reduced because of the slow filtration process of an RO system.
Water Waste	Zero waste as only the large particles and contaminants are removed by the filter cartridges. Whole House Filtration system produces zero water waste.	Some RO systems have higher water waste to purified water ratio. Minimum water waste ratio in most advanced systems is 1:1.
Capability to eliminate contaminants	Eliminates up to 95% of the contaminants from the water along with large particles.	Eliminates up to 99.9% of the contaminants from the water along with odor, tests, chemicals, and microorganisms.
Filtration capacity	Has a high capacity to meet the requirement of the whole family including all the appliances which function with water. E.g. Dishwasher, Washing-machine.	Even the most advanced RO system cannot produce purified water to fulfill the necessity of a big family because of its low flow rate and purification process.
Costs	Whole House Filtration systems are affordable and environmentally friendly. Because of no water waste, it does not make any changes to your water bill. There are several different products available with different affordable costs.	Reverse Osmosis Systems will probably take out the big chunk of money from your wallet. Even though this system is very ideal for delivering highly purified water, it will also increase your water bill by a significant amount. The filter cartridges, particularly RO membrane, costs you a good amount of money every 1-2 years.

Whole House Filtration System Installation

Installing a Whole House Filtration System can be a DIY job for some, but most of the time it is suggested to hire a plumber to install your system because it will eliminate the chances of any mistakes in fittings, which can help in avoiding leaks. You can still install it by yourself easily by following the below-mentioned installation process.

• For a start, you will have to Turn off your main water supply valve so that the area where your main water line is located doesn’t get flooded.
• Before you start installing all the components of the system, Prep every component of the system, so that all the steps are followed properly.
• Once everything is prepped and you have turned off the valve of your main water supply, leave open a faucet in your house until the water remaining in your water lines is drained.
• Meanwhile find a suitable place for the installation of the filter system, which is appropriate and easily accessible when you need to change the filter cartridges.
• After finding the position to install, measure everything properly for all the valves like the shut-off valve or hot water line valve if any. After measuring start cutting off the pipe where you want your system installed.
• Lift up your system and mount it where you want your system to be and set it there properly.
• Now one by one fasten the filters in the correct order into their place, a wrench usually comes with the system to help you with it
• Fit the pipelines and valve with the system and your main water line.
• In the last step follow the instructions, which came with your specific filter system. Usually, almost every system provider suggests flushing the water for some time and your filter is ready to deliver you purified water.

Some of the steps of the installation may vary depending on the system and its components.

Whole House Filter Maintenance

Whole House Filter systems don’t need high maintenance, although there are certain maintenance points if followed, increase the longevity of your system

• Filter change– Taking note of when to change your filter is necessary to avoid getting contaminated water. With each different model and filter, there will be different filter change processes and duration. Never avoid the time to change the filters or filter cartridges.
• Water Testing– System’s durability is entirely dependent on the quality of the water. Hence, it is necessary to test the water to know if any filter needs changes earlier than usual. It helps you avoid the consumption of unhealthy water.

If your system has any customized addition like UV light or water softener, always make sure to change the needed part on time before it leaks or breaks down.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q. Which is the Best Whole House Water Filter System?

There’s no definite answer to that. Usually, the best water system for you is determined after checking the quality of water from your main water line. Also, the factors like, your needs, your family size, appliances in your house that need water, and the quality of your water are the main factors to decide the most suitable Whole House Water Filter System for you.
Some companies have technical support teams to help you determine the most suitable system for you.

Q. Do I really need a Whole House Water Filter System?

Okay, so now the main question is, are you seriously ready to risk drinking and using water daily that has more than 1000s of contaminants and hard chemicals?

The water that comes from municipal or well has so many contaminants including chlorine, other viruses, bacteria, cysts, and a list of many other particles and chemicals, which are hazardous to your health and your appliances. If your water has a bad taste or a weird smell, it’s because of the contaminants in the water. The whole house water filter system reduces all these contaminants and chemicals from the water and gives you purified water to use and drink.

Q. How much does the Whole House Water System cost?

The Whole House Water System has different costs based on the filters or modifications included or excluded. On average this system costs you something between $300 to $3000.

Q. What are the types of Whole House Water Systems?

There are two most popular types of Whole House Water Systems

1. Activated Carbon-based
2. Reverse Osmosis system based

Activated carbon-based systems are more efficient when you don’t want changes in water flow and don’t mind the minerals in your water, whereas if you want extremely pure water, you will only get that from Reverse Osmosis systems. The first type does not produce any water waste while the RO system produces water waste. Based on your needs and your usage you can install any one of the systems in your house.

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