The Best Whole House Water Filters

We use water for so many essential things in our day to day lives, from drinking and cooking to showering and washing our dishes. Over recent years, there has been a myriad of negative press surrounding the purity of water in the US. Nobody wants to drink or use unsafe water if they can help it.

By investing in the best whole house water filter system you possibly can, you can remove any troublesome contaminants before they even enter your house pipeline.

What Should a Water Filter Remove?

  • Sediments with sizes up to 0.35 micron, chlorine, iron, and heavy metals.
  • Some systems will even contain UV light purifiers and other particular gadgets to make sure your water is as pure as possible.
  • Get your water tested, and if it’s already safe, merely purchasing a GAV cartridge will suffice.
  • Also, check the life cycle of your water filter before your purchase one, look for lab certifications if you are unsure.
Below we have provided the top ten whole house water filter systems on today’s market. We will offer unbiased insights so that you can choose the best whole water filter for your needs.


Whole House Water Filter Reviews

Top Pick

   Express Water Whole House Filter

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Express Water’s product is one of the leading whole house water filters available today. It uses a unique three-stage filtration process that purifies incoming water, making it healthy, safe, clean, and great for drinking.

You can now bathe without having to worry about chlorine contaminating your water. It helps to keep appliances safe and makes drinking water healthy from every faucet in your home.

The 3-stage high capacity filtration process includes Kinetic Degradation Filtration, Carbon Block Filtration, and Sediment filtration. These state of the art filters combine to remove all harmful contaminants from water. This includes lead, copper, aluminum, fungi, sand, dirt, turbidity, and much more.

This whole house water filter system is easy to set up, saving you plenty of time. It’s also maintenance and hassle-free, with a transparent first stage housing that indicates when it’s time to replace a filter. There are also easy pressure release buttons and pressure gauges. The filtration system will not waste any water and won’t lose pressure.

Pros

  • Quality Guaranteed - Relax with easy with an exclusive one year warranty on all Express Water Filter Systems and free lifetime support.
  • Get clean water from any tap or appliance. All these filters are specially designed to work together.
  • Never Waste Time on Maintenance - these products have quick and easy to understand design. Meaning you can swap out filters quick and easy as soon as they need replacing.

Cons

  • Well water users may need extra filtration assistance as there is occasional staining on appliances until the filtration systems are adapted.
  • The pressure drop across the KDF85 filter was massive. However, this was soon rectified by the manufacturer.

BUDGET PICK

DuPont WFPF13003B 

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This 15,000-gallon water filtration system is a perfect product for either the home or office. It comes with a universal 500 series poly block cartridge and a standard system that has ¾ in. Inlets and outlets. With a three year limited warranty, this system will improve both the clarity and taste of incoming water, even protecting at the kitchen tap from sediment build-up.

The price of this water filter is excellent, and the available filter selection is also great. Some buyers have opted to use a five-micron charcoal filter, and this has made their well water taste delicious. It’s also been noted by individual reviewers that this product can help to extend the life of toilets and appliances. This is due to the purity and lack of sediment that can make ceramic and electrical appliances deteriorate over time. 

Pros

  • The housings are cheap and perfect for modifications.
  • Gauges can be added to the top of the housing. Gauges are the only reasonable way to tell when the filters need replacing.
  • The water pressure coming out of faucets and showers shows NO decline in strength.

Cons

  • Occasionally the filters rupture, which is a point that DuPont is working to address.
  • Very occasionally, these systems have been known to leak over time, which can be rectified using Teflon paste and thread tape.

PREMIUM PICK

Aquasana Whole House Water Filter System

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For those looking for the holy grail of water filtration systems, the Aquasauna whole house water filter is the product you've been waiting for! Clean water for less than $0.01 a gallon. Therefore, upfront costs aside, this beautiful piece of equipment comes with a ten year warranty for all.

This product offers clean water that tastes great from every tap in your home or office. It takes away 97% of chlorine and 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. Harmful chemicals like herbicides, lead, and mercury can be a thing of the past.

The system boasts a high-performance water filter. It has a UV purifier and scale control media (SCM), using salt-free technology to maximize contaminant reduction. While doing so, it leaves all the healthy minerals within your water.

It’s long-lasting and cost-efficient. Customers can save twice as much compared to competitors' brands on purified water for one million gallons over ten years.

The maintenance of this system is a dream, with no backflushing or draining necessary. Replace filters every three months for the best flow rate and filtration.

Pros

  • One million gallons.
  • Balances the pH of your supply, getting as close as possible to soft water without applying a liquid softener.
  • Removes 97% of chlorine from your system.

Cons

  • Not ideal for people that like the soft water feel.
  • The weight of this unit will often require a plumber as it’s heavy on the floor.

4.

Home Master HMF2SMGCC Whole House 2-Stage (Best Whole House Water Filter for Well Water)

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The 2-Stage Home Master whole house water filter is considered one of the top units on the market because it effectively removes particles that are one micron or larger and eliminates them from the water source. As far as filtration goes, when compared to other models, this particular option excels because of its four gradient density filter. The filtration, when compared to other models, is top-of-the-line when judged by clarity and taste. You will definitely notice a positive difference in your water drinking experience.

This model is also incredibly efficient. It will prevent a wide range of sediments and chemicals from reaching the water source. And it eliminates a wide range of contaminants including chloramines, chlorine, and heavy metals to name a few.

This whole hose water filter system also contains a catalytic carbon filter with the capabilities of filtering 95,000 gallons of water. Specifically, the filter will last roughly for a year or even longer, depending on how much water you consume during this time.

A big advantage to this filtration system is the two-year warranty. The manufacturer obviously believes in their product, because they otherwise wouldn’t offer such a long warranty guaranteeing their product.

Pros

  • Easy to Install
  • Clear & easy to follow instructions
  • Durable and Long-Lasting

Cons

  • The water flow is not great. Only 10 gallons per minute.

5.

Culligan WH-S200-C 

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The WH-S200-C is a standard duty filter with ¾” ports for small to mid-sized homes. Therefore it’s ideally suited for smaller houses with one bathroom.
It will protect your plumbing and water-using appliances from sediment and scale, improving the lifetime of your water heater, for example, and also guaranteeing the peak performance of other essential devices.

It has a built-in bypass valve, allowing you to replace the filter without turning off the water supply to your entire house. There are also several different cartridges to choose from in accordance to your needs.

Some of these are perfect for trapping rust, scale, sediment, dirt, and coarse sand. Others will remove chlorine from your water supply. It’s your choice, as all the filters have varying capacities.

Pros

  • Protect plumbing and appliances from all sediment and scale.
  • Choose a variety of different cartridges following your specific needs.
  • Quick and easy installation and low maintenance costs.

Cons

  • Cheap plastic threads can be prone to leaking. ( so use plenty of Teflon tape where necessary)
  • The bypass valve can be hard to turn.

6.

3M Aqua-Pure W AP903

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This whole house water filter reduces sediment as well as odor and chlorine taste. Due to its Sanitary Quick Change design, it allows for smooth cartridge replacement. This means that you won’t have to contact the filter media or us a filter wrench.

Replacement cartridges have an activated carbon filter, which boasts a heavy-duty particulate reduction rating of five microns. It also has a 100,000 gallon capacity at high flow rates, even when flow rates are at their seasonal peak at 20gpm.

It’s corrosion-resistant and can be installed on existing copper pipes in your home, providing long life corrosion-resistant service. Finally, it’s NSF Standard 42 Certified, meaning it has been tested by one of the worlds leading independent certification organizations that protect the world's water, food, and consumer product environment.

Pros

  • Sanitary Quick Change design allows for fast and easy cartridge change-outs without the need for a filter wrench.
  • Up to 20 gallons per minute flow rate meets the water pressure requirements of many homes.
  • It is manufactured from FDA CFR-21 compliant materials that are food and drinking water safe.

Cons

  • Some people have pointed out that the filter only lasts a month. Then there can be a drop in water pressure, which can only be fixed by replacing the filter.
  • There have also been some minimal complaints that the product only lasted two months, all of which were sorted by the manufacturer in response to these reviews.

7. Home Master HMF3SDGFEC 3-Stage 

This option is incredibly popular. The price to value ratio makes it more than worth it. And unlike its 2-stage counterpart, this system has the ability to filter 15 gallons of water per minute, which is an additional 5 gallons compared to the other option.

One of the main reasons to use this whole house water filter is its quality. It can successfully filter sediments very efficiently. In fact, if a particle is larger than one micron, this filtration system will remove it from the water. And this will result in drinking very clean, very crisp, and very healthy water which passes through an activated carbon filter prior to coming out of your faucet.

As far as the activated carbon filter is concerned, it is designed to last for a long time which is certainly a good thing. It is capable of filtering 100,000 gallons of water, so depending on how much water you use each year, it’s capable of lasting for a year or two.

On the Positive Side

  • This whole house water filter has an excellent and efficient filtration system. Water has many contaminants within it before it reaches your faucet. But this filter will remove 95% of them including chemicals, manganese, sediment, iron, and more.

Less Flattering Items of Note

  • The filter doesn’t remove all iron from the water. If your water is contaminated heavily by iron, it’s possible that it will be too much for the system to handle and it won’t be able to remove all of it. On a brighter note, even if the water is heavily contaminated, it will remove about 90% of it which might be perfectly acceptable to many of you.
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8. iSpring WGB32B 3-Stage System

This whole house water filter is NSF certified and capable of removing 5-micron particles or larger quite effectively. On the whole, it can remove as much as 95% of the water contaminants including rust, herbicides, pesticides, sediment, chlorine, and other potentially harmful chemicals.

Positively speaking, this model uses an activated carbon filter to remove contaminants from 100,000 gallons of water. This filtering capacity is powerful and in line with many other similar whole house water filters. And based on water consumption habits, the filter should last for a year at the minimum, but it could definitely last longer if you use less than 100,000 gallons of water each year.

The next advantage comes in the form of one-inch input and output ports. The ports make it possible to filter 15 gallons of water each minute. So the water pressure should remain in line with the current pressure in your home before installing.

The Good Stuff

  • The water pressure is excellent. The port system is large so a healthy amount of water volume can pass through the filters on a permanent basis. Ultimately, this means you’ll continue to have great water pressure even after this new filter system has been installed.

The Bad Stuff

  • The iSpring is known to become leaky at the connection ports. But Teflon tape can clear up the leaks without needing to undergo expensive repairs.
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9. Watts WH-LD Premier

Out of the whole house water filters we’ve shared today, this option ranks the highest. This model has reached the height of popularity because it’s effective, it’s inexpensive, and it’s easy to use.

The inserts are stainless steel which is a big advantage. They protect against leaks and they are easy to install. A second advantage is the NSF certification and testing. The NSF uses the strictest standards when testing water filtration devices and this one passed with flying colors.

On the Positive Side

  • The price to value ratio is off the charts. This model costs very little compared to its water filtration efficiency.

Less Flattering Items of Note

  • This model doesn’t have a fixing bracket. Some people prefer them during installation, so you might be disappointed in this regard.
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Do You Need a Home Water Filter?

Whether you have a well in your backyard or you’re hooked up to the municipal water supply in your community, you could always have healthier and cleaner water.

The best way to determine your need for a whole house water filter is to test your water source. Pick up a home testing kit or closely examine your water and determine if it’s cloudy, filled with debris, has a chlorinated smell, or worse. 

You will also want to consider the following questions: 

What is in Your Water?

Your water treatment needs can be evaluated when you have found out precisely what is in your water. To find out precisely what is in your water, contact an ESP water specialist, or locate an ‘Annual Water Quality Report’ from your water suppliers website.

It is a requirement of the EPA for all community water systems to prepare and deliver water quality reports each year. This is also known as a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) for their customers. Visit this website for more information. Furthermore, here is a comprehensive list of certified water testing labs by each state.

Are You Using City Water or a Private Well?

Public water supply is relatively safe to drink and use. However, there are many boil water notices. Every day, there are approximately 658 of these alerts issued by water districts and cities due to ruptured pipes or contaminations. Also, 40% of private wells contain E.coli and other contaminants at any given time. Investing in a water filter can protect your entire home from these harmful microorganisms.

 How Many Bathrooms Do You Have in Your Property?

Often, water treatment systems are based on the maximum water flow rate throughout your home. For instance, if you have the dishwasher running, the shower running, and the washing machine on in the morning, this could help you to determine the size of the water treatment system needed to provide your home with a safe amount of purified water.

How Many People Live in Your Home?

In a typical 24-hour period, how much water do you think your home uses? This can often be determined by the number of people living in your household! Consider this before you decide on which whole house water filtration system to purchase.

Is your water cleansed with chlorine like most municipal water supplies? 

While it’s certainly a decent disinfectant, chlorine doesn’t necessarily get the entire job done. Plus, ingesting large amounts of chlorine is potentially hazardous to your health.

Chlorine isn’t necessarily great for your skin either and your hair could suffer too. Washing with chlorinated water means dry skin and dull hair. Home water filters cut down on unnecessary chlorine, which will lead to healthier hair and skin.

Drinking-Water Filtration or Whole House Protection?

There are two different types of whole house water filter that you can have installed in your home.

Point of Use (POU) systems: These are installed beneath your sink and act as reverse osmosis systems.

Point of Entry (POE) systems: These will filter all of the water that enters your home.

You'll have to decide if you want to treat only the drinking water from your kitchen faucet, or all the water that enters the building. The best whole house water filters will be able to do both for you. 

Depending on your answers to the above questions, you may seriously benefit from installing a whole house water filter.


Whole House Water Filtration Systems Explained

Also known as a Point of Entry (POE) system, it can effectively do its job because the filter is installed prior to reaching the water heater, which means it can successfully filter warm and cold water.

Every household is obviously different. Some houses will need a different system for their whole house water filtration than others. Each of these models certainly works in a similar way, but the absence or presence of certain filters is important. Certain chemicals or types of debris will contaminate some water supplies and a particular filter will be needed. On the flipside, some brands might not be good because they do not filter for specific problem areas.

Things to Look for When Choosing Your Model

  • Water flow is definitely important. The best whole house water filter will have a much stronger water flow per minute than others. So if you need strong water capacity, you may need to buy a more powerful filter to handle all of your toilets, appliances, showers, and faucets. As an example, a 10 gallon per minute water filter might be perfect for a smaller house. On the other hand, if you live in a much larger house with many people you might need to use a system that filters 15 gallons per minute or more. It all depends on your household, the volumes of water being used every day, and other considerations.
  • It’s also necessary to consider different filters. Some whole house water filters will only block certain contaminants and they might not block others. So it’s best to perform water testing ahead of time to find out the type of unit that will effectively filter the right contaminants in your water supply. As an example, if you’re looking to filter heavy metals from the water, a typical unit with a copper zinc mineral filter should meet your needs. On the other hand, if the water is contaminated by high levels of bacteria, a UV filter is a much better option to get the job done.

Factors to Consider Before Purchasing a Whole House Water Filter

Taking into consideration how much water is consumed in your household and the results of your water tests, you have to keep the following things in mind before purchasing :

  • Microns are the first thing to consider. This all comes down to your water test results. Based on those results, you need to choose the ideal filter based on your micron rating. The most expensive whole house water filters block particles that are one micron or larger. If your water source isn’t too contaminated, a filter for 0.35 microns is more than adequate.
  • Water consumption is next on the list. If your household uses lots and lots of water, you’ll need to change your filter more often so you may want to avoid choosing a cheaper water filter at this juncture. Having to constantly change your filters every month or so can get very expensive. A better whole house water fiter means you’ll have to change the filter less, which could certainly save you money. On the flipside, if your home only uses a small amount of water, you’ll buy less filters and they could last much longer – five years isn’t beyond the realm of possibility. So consider your water consumption habits and use this information as a guide to choose the perfect filtration system for you and your family.
  • Longevity is last on our list, but certainly not least. Since the wide majority require little maintenance, one of the few things you’ll have to do is change out water filters from time to time. Some whole house water filters are going to decontaminate 100,000 gallons of water, while other filters can decontaminate 1 million gallons of water. Your best bet is to find one with longevity that isn’t necessarily overly expensive.

How a Whole House Water Filter Works

These products can vary depending upon certain factors. Some will remove certain contaminants while others will remove different contaminants from the water. But the overall principle stays the same no matter which whole house water filter you happen to use.

First and foremost, the water filter will get attached to the main water line prior to connecting the line to the water heater. By connecting it this way, you are guaranteed to filter every ounce of water that comes into your home.

As the water passes through the water filter, it immediately encounters a sediment pre-filter. It’s designed to get rid of the largest contaminated particles including sediment, debris, sand, rust, and silt.

It has another role too. This pre-filter helps keep the other filters in solid working order for long stretches of time. You’d have to change them more frequently if this pre-filter didn’t exist.

After leaving the sediment pre-filter, your water will reach the activated carbon filter next. This one is crucial, because it removes a wide range of unwanted contaminants.

Activated Carbon has a porous surface. It has many nooks and crannies –the pores – that attract these unwanted contaminants naturally through adsorption. This filter is really effective and can get rid of any additional sediment, the bulk of the chlorine, funny smells and tastes, and volatile organic compounds also known as VOCs. For additional antibacterial capacity, the manufacturer can inject the activated carbon with silver to make it even more effective.

As the water passes through the activated carbon filter, it then reaches a mineral and carbon zinc filter. At this stage, the remaining contaminants will be cleaned from the water. Because this filter removes heavy metals, even more chlorine, and microorganisms like bacteria and other unwanted options. And it can even lower the amount of scale in your water.

Some whole house water filters have an additional option of passing the water through a descaler or water softener, but not every unit will have this feature. Others use ion exchange filters that remove calcium and magnesium particles to make the water softer, although it will also make the water saltier unless you choose a salt-free option.

The next optional step is the post-filter. At this stage, you’re looking to filter the smallest particles possible to clear the water of contaminants completely. Not every model will have a post-filter, so keep this in mind if it’s important to you.

Lastly, some water filtration systems also come equipped with a UV filter. It’s known to kill microorganisms, viruses, and bacteria. This is good in case contaminants managed to slip through.

Whole House Water Filter Installation & Maintenance

It may seem complicated at first, but you’ll find out quickly that this whole house water filter system isn’t too tough to install. But if you aren’t into self-sufficiency and DIY projects, then getting professional help might be best in your case. On the other hand, if you’re willing to try it here are a few steps to take:

  1. Shut off your water main and drain the system.
  2. Pick the right location for installation. It should be a location you can get to comfortably since you’ll need to change the filters when needed.
  3. Use a pipe cutter to cut the pipe.
  4. Use the manufacturer’s instructions to install the plastic or brass fittings and the compression nut. The fittings should be taped on using Teflon tape.
  5. Install the water filter and make sure the “in” and “out” ports face the correct direction.
  6. Turn off the inlet valve and turn the water main back on. If your system isn’t leaking, you can turn the inlet valve on next. Check for additional leaks at this point.
  7. You’ve completed the installation successfully. When it comes time to change your filters, make sure the inlet valve is turned off and use the wrench given to you when you bought the filter to remove and replace the cartridge filter.

How to Change Your Filter

Changing your water filter might seem like a difficult task but nothing could be further from the truth. Each whole house filtration system may have its own specific ways of changing filters, but mostly they will all be the same. So use the following steps:

  1. Turn off the inlet valve once it’s time to change your water filter.
  2. Remove the filter by unscrewing it with the wrench provided by the manufacturer. Water may drip out of the housing area, so have a bucket handy to collect any water that drips so it doesn’t get all over the floor.
  3. Use a dry, clean cloth to completely clean out the inside of the housing area.
  4. Next, it’s time to insert the new filter and screw it in. Remember to use the wrench provided by the manufacturer to tighten it up nicely.
  5. It’s safe to turn the inlet valve back on at this point.
  6. Run your water for around 10 minutes. By doing so, your filter will have a chance to activate. Try not to drink your water prior to running it for 10 minutes because it isn’t going to be properly filtered yet.


Final Thoughts

To conclude, if you are looking for the best whole house water filter, we recommend choosing the Express Water model. It’s a viable and affordable product that will guarantee the safety of your and your family concerning drinking water and protection from a myriad of harmful contaminants. It removes all pollutants from your home. It’s quick and easy to replace filters and will guarantee safety for your water supply for years to come.