Table Of Content

Equally as important was filter longevity, since no one wants to be replacing filters every month. As such, our top picks all use high-quality filters that last anywhere from 3 months, up to an entire year. The Claryum Direct Connect has the same exceptional ANSI/NSF certifications as our other picks from Aquasana and A.O. The Aquasana AQ-5200 has a lower maximum flow rate relative to some competitors (0.5 gpm versus 0.72 or more) and lower capacity (500 gallons versus 750 or more). On balance, we think these minor drawbacks are outweighed by its compactness. I’ve also spoken with representatives of multiple water-filter manufacturers, including Aquasana/A.O.
Installation & Maintenance
In addition to the filter or cartridge, many systems also contain a sediment pre-filter to reduce larger particles in the incoming water. Hands down, the Aquasana EQ-1000 takes the crown as the best whole house water filter. It's not just about filtration; it's a game-changer for your home's water quality. With advanced technology, it removes contaminants and chlorine, ensuring every drop is clean and safe.
#1. SpringWell Whole House Water Filter System – Best Buy In 2024
In that review, I discuss different types of sediment filters and the advantages and disadvantages of each. It uses dual filtration to remove up to 8 ppm of iron, 7 ppm of sulfur, and 2 ppm of manganese. If you get a SpringWell SS1 today, it’s going to be the one and only water softener you ever buy, which will save you money in the long run and give you the peace of mind these products are meant to provide. Many of the other options I looked at don’t even come close to this kind of warranty.
Water Tastes Bad
Getting these two units at once is cheaper than buying them separately, and since they come from the same manufacturer, they are backed by the same warranty and there are no compatibility issues. The inclusion of a greensand filter bed also allows the WS1 to catch already-oxidized particles in your water. When you have these, your water looks brown right out of the tap and is also called “rusty water.” Because of this design, the WS1 is also the best whole-house water filter for rust. The WS1 is so effective because it combines two filtration methods that are usually used on their own. The first is air induction oxidation (AIO), which works by spraying water over an air pocket to allow sulfur, iron, and manganese to become solid particles that can then be filtered out.
When the water passes over the resin, the positively charged calcium particles are bound to the resin, releasing some of the sodium particles. The effect then, is harsher chemicals are trapped while less obtrusive ones are added. The last thing you want it to purchase a new filter system only to find out the model you want doesn’t work with your plumbing. There are certain aspects to whole house filters that you should consider before you pull out your wallet and tap that buy button. The best part of this system, unlike the Whirlpool version, is that there is no salt needed. This not only helps reduce maintenance to virtually zero hours but maintains the filters and piping throughout the system.
How we picked and tested
The 8 Best Faucet Water Filters of 2024 for the Best Tasting Tap - Better Homes & Gardens
The 8 Best Faucet Water Filters of 2024 for the Best Tasting Tap.
Posted: Thu, 15 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The size of the carbon-filter bed gives it a total capacity of one million gallons, which means most people can use the CF1 for around 10 years before having to replace the media inside it. The SpringWell CF1 is the best whole-house water filter on the market because of its effectiveness against the most harmful and common contaminants in city water as well as its lifetime warranty. Pre-sediment filters trap sand, dust and large metal contaminants from water, typically down to around 50 microns. Finer filters that remove and trap 20-micron particles eliminate those elements down to a size in which you’ll begin to see cloudiness disappearing. Five-micron filtering will remove any particles visible to the naked eye and eliminate many bacterias, cysts and some organics, while one-micron and smaller purification methods create very pure water.

That’s why flow rate was another metric that we used to rank the systems in this guide. Wondering how we selected the water filtration systems that are featured in this guide? Below, we’ve discussed our methodology, including the factors we considered when deciding. The market for point of entry water filters is growing, and we now have more choices than ever before. That’s great – but it does complicate the buying process, especially since not all filters are right for every home or situation. Plus, these are those that simply aren’t worth your money due to poor design or performance.

It’s expensive enough owning a home, and there’s always something on the to-do list. The last thing you want or need is to spend extra money and time replacing or repairing things you bought just a few years back. This is why the biggest selling point for me on the SpringWell WS1 is SpringWell’s lifetime warranty. As a salt-based softener, the SpringWell SS1 does add a small amount of sodium into your water. City water users can get the CSS-1, which combines the CF1, the highest-rated whole-house filter on the market, with the SS1 in a single unit that takes up little space and will filter and soften your water. Another major benefit of the SpringWell SS1 is that it is easily combined with SpringWell’s whole-house filters to make a packaged system that can filter and soften your water.
What filter can be installed outside the house?
A significant number of filters have a lifespan of about six to even twelve months, and if you get a longer lifespan, the better it is for you. Alternatively, you can also place a point of use unit in one of the faucets at home such as the kitchen sink. In this case, to ensure you get clean water for drinking and cooking, opt for an under sink water filter or a countertop water filter with a faucet. Different households require different types of water filters according to a number of factors. As much as almost all the types of water filters work in the same way, the presence or lack of any additional water filters will ultimately determine if all the contaminants will be eliminated.
Some filtration systems have an installation kit to make installation easier. Other systems will recommend that a professional install the filtration system if you’re not familiar with plumbing. This plastic faucet is also lightweight at just 1.15 pounds, which makes it portable enough to bring when traveling or RVing.
It just means that those filters will reduce impurities like chlorine and taste/odor problems. This system is not recommended for water that’s contaminated with iron or sulfur, as both of these contaminants prevent the UV light from properly destroying bacteria. However, the system is NSF-certified (see the discussion on NSF Certification below).
NSF certification ensures that your water filtration system meets rigorous safety and construction standards. An NSF-approved system has been tested to ensure that it removes the contaminants it claims to, and won’t allow specific pollutants to pass through. The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) tests and rates water filters and has developed requirements for safety and performance. The number signifies that the order, requirement or protocol was established, and not focused on the rating. As a general rule, the finer the filter media, the more often you’ll need to swap filters for a fresh one.
We aim to offer unbeatable value by providing high-quality residential water filtration, ensuring a remarkable upgrade to your household’s water supply. The Culligan Whole House Filtration System offers an efficient and inexpensive option for high-quality water filtration to provide a consistent supply of safe drinking water. Even though this system costs only a fraction of its competitors' prices, it provides similar performance levels, making it a prime choice for budget-focused consumers. This water filtration system effectively rids your water of rust, sediment, scale, dirt, coarse sand, fine sand, silt, and chlorine taste and odor, ensuring that your household has purified water around the clock. The iSpring Whole House Water Filtration System provides exceptional filtration and is backed by an excellent warranty and outstanding customer support, making it a reliable investment for your home. This model comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, a one-year warranty, an extended warranty upon registration, and lifetime technical support.
In the following article, we take a closer look at how whole house water filters work, at the advantages and disadvantages of using them. We also present the best whole house water filter reviews and explain why each of them made it to the top of the list. Whole house water filter systems are some of the most popular filtering solutions currently used throughout the country. These systems are so popular because they’re effective, and because they produce high-quality water. With a whole house water filtration system, you can also avoid the costs of bottled water, which are thousands of times more than tap water. For example, in Minnesota, tap water costs $0.0058 per gallon, while the average wholesale price of domestic bottled water is approximately $1.18 per gallon.