Whole house water filtration system

Chameleon - July 28, 2021

Tried looking at previous posts, but most just deal with portable filtration or Berkeys, which is great but not big enough. Looking to service the whole house. We are on creek water. So besides sediment, we also have to deal with diseases and other natural unwanted chemicals. The previous owner installed a filter and then a UV filter as well, and that system works just fine, but the system is getting old and would like to update it so we’re safe for the next 20 years. I’ve seen things like Aquasana, and that’s more what I’m going for, but wanted to see if anyone here had any recommendations. Thanks

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I have a Culligan HF-360A whole house water filter that is mostly there for sediment collection I believe. Lived here for almost two years and haven’t gotten sick from the water yet!

I just let my landlord take care of replacing the filters and doing maintenance so I don’t have too much more info on that particular model. Looking at their Amazon listing, they have this handy chart showing that you can get different filters for different levels of filtration. Some are good for just sand and dirt while others can filter down to 1 micron.

I also commented on your previous forum thread of the same topic back in March and had recommended the PristineHyrdo. Did you ever look into that one? What did you not like about it?

 

Hi Robert, thanks for responding again. The Culligan looks more like what I’m thinking. Will look more into those. Have heard that name thrown around a little for these types of systems. The Pristine Hydro looks like they have some quality stuff, just not as a whole house system, just under the kitchen sink or on the counter (like a Big Berkey), which isn’t quite what I’m looking for. Thanks again

 

Hello Chameleon,

Not sure if you’ve seen it, but The Prepared has an article titled Best home water filters that has a few options towards the bottom that might meet your needs. And yes, there are some Berkey options at the top, we love the Berkey. It will at least give you some guidance on things to look for in a filtration system. 

The Aquasana OptimH2O is one of the under sink recommendations on that article if you like the Aquasana brand. Aquasana seems to be a good company and their website is very helpful. Their whole house filters are much more expensive than under the sink options so that may be something to consider if you really need drinking water in the shower or if you can just put an under the sink unit in the kitchen and bathroom sink.

Is there any maintenance involved with UV whole house filters? I haven’t heard of those before and would like to know more about them.

The other day I was listening to the Stuff You Should Know podcast on Reverse Osmosis and while they don’t talk too much about it for a house setting, it was interesting to learn about the technology and how it works. You probably will be set with any reverse osmosis system you find with decent ratings from a good company.

 

Thanks Gideon, yes got some great under the sink options in that link, thanks. We thought about things like a Big Berkey etc, but not what we’re going for here. Our current UV filter is supposed to be replaced every 6 months. Some systems I’m currently looking at sound like they are about the same replacement time. Our creek water gets pumped into the filtration system (1 generic filter and 1 UV filter) and then into the house. It is currently in it’s own little shed the previous owner built. Works just fine, but looking to move the whole system inside of garage (where it’ll be a lot easier to replace the filters instead of crawling into the shed at our age + medical issues. Also need to get rid of the shed so maintainence bobcats and vehicles can access certain areas, which the shed is somewhat blocking). I think if we were on well water or bad city water I would consider the under the sink options more. Again, I’m probably being over cautious, but would rather spend the extra cash and have no worries. Thanks

 

I’d like to direct you to a good review site that I looked up for you. I was going to research it and then give you some recommendations but it is very long and the review does it much better justice than I would be able to. 

The first half of the page is just a few of his top pick recommendations and then the second half goes into detail of all the different types out there, things too look out for, and things like maintenance and installation. 

Out of curiosity I did some math and calculated the dollar amount per gallon for each of his top picks.

Springwell – $0.00078219/gallon

Softpro – $0.001111667/gallon

Aquasana – $0.000899/gallon

Aquaox – $0.00175/gallon

Bodyguard – $0.0011655/gallon

So just from pure price point, I would go with the Springwell or Aquasana. Both of these look like you will have to change out pre filters on a regular basis but the main units will last for a million gallons. The Aquasana looks to be a bit more complicated and have more filters to be changing out, but does also soften the water if that is something you are looking for. Hope this can help lead you down the right path.

 

Sorry for the delay. We’ve had some other major house projects going on. We had 2 different water companies out here. 1st guy wanted about $18k. 2nd guy, who seemed more knowledgable, sounds like they may be able to a similar system (Aquasana, Springwell, etc)to what you posted for about $5k. It’s funny how much we take for granted living in the city in previous years, just how complex certain water filtration systems matter. Thanks again for the help

 

Hi, know I’m late to this, but good place to start is https://www.nsf.org/knowledge-library/standards-water-treatment-systems to determine what level of treatment you would like to achieve.

And then make sure you select a system that meets the NSF/ANSI standard you are looking to achieve. https://www.nsf.org/knowledge-library/home-water-treatment-system-selection

No offense meant, but I’d be wary of the guru’s out there that are making a commission.

 

Thanks AZ, there are very few companies willing to make the trek to our area to install much of anything. Will make sure whoever we end up that they have the approved standards. Thanks again

 

Have you looked into RO systems, they are popular here in the UK, many home owners who are aquarists  often install whole house RO filters directly into the water feed into the house, primsaily because the aquarists need large amount of totally pure water.

https://www.freedrinkingwater.com/

All American 5 Stage Reverse Osmosis System

 

Will look into it for sure. Thanks Bill

 

A whole-house system will generally cost at least $1,000, while an individual unit could be as little as $150. The best whole-house water filters treat water as soon as it enters a home and are usually larger in size. They can cost from $1,000 to $4,200 or even more

 

Thanks AZ, there are very few companies willing to make the trek to our area to install much of anything. Will make sure whoever we end up that they have the approved standards. Thanks again

 

For whole-house filtration on creek water with sediment, diseases, and unwanted chemicals, consider upgrading to a reliable system that can last for the next 20 years. Look into options like Aquasana or other reputable brands known for effective filtration and UV treatment. Make sure the chosen system can handle your water quality needs and flow rate for the entire household. Prioritize a system that offers comprehensive filtration and meets your water safety requirements.