Water Filtration Systems

What Whole House Water Filters Do

A whole house water filter is any filtration system that treats water at the point of entry (POE) to provide clean water throughout your home for plumbing, dishwashing, cooking, bathing, and laundering. There are several different whole house filtration systems that can be used. Each type of water filter is designed to remove specific contaminants or alter the characteristics of well water or city water. The best whole house filter for your home depends on your water’s quality. These include:  

Activated or catalytic carbon filter

• Removes chlorine and chloramine that cause bad taste and odor
• Reduces organic chemicals and some pesticides
• Helps improve the overall taste and smell of water

 Sediment filter

• Removes dirt, sand, rust, and silt
• Protects plumbing and other filters from clogging
• Improves water clarity

Acid neutralizer

• Raises low pH (acidic water)
• Reduces corrosion of pipes and fixtures
• Helps prevent leaching of metals like copper and lead

Water conditioner

• Reduces scale buildup in pipes and appliances
• Helps prevent mineral deposits without removing minerals
• Improves the efficiency of water-using appliances

Water softener

• Removes hardness minerals like calcium and magnesium
• Prevents scale buildup and soap scum
• Improves soap and detergent effectiveness

UV water purifier

• Inactivates bacteria, viruses, and parasites
• Provides disinfection without chemicals
• Does not change the taste, odor, or chemistry of water

How to Choose the Right Filtration System

Determining what’s wrong with your water is the first step in finding the right whole house water filter. A water test helps you discover what contaminants need to be removed from your water.  This will inform you on what the best water filtration system is for your home. The list of contaminents revealed in the test will point you to which type of filtration is needed to  the goal.

• Chlorine or unpleasant taste/odor: Activated or catalytic carbon filter
• Sediment, sand, or rust: Sediment filter
• Hard water and scale buildup: Water softener or water conditioner
• Acidic water (low pH): Acid neutralizer
• Bacteria, viruses, or microorganisms: UV water purifier

Learn more about how contaminants enter water or how to test your water at home.

City Water vs. Well Water Filtration

Whole house water filters for city water often include carbon to remove chemicals like chlorine or chloramine that leave your water with a bad taste or odor. A salt-free water conditioner or a water softener is the best solution in locations with hard water. In areas with hard water, additional treatment may be needed to protect plumbing and appliances.

• Carbon filters reduce chlorine, chloramine, and chemical tastes and odors
• Catalytic carbon is recommended where chloramine is used
• Water softeners or salt-free conditioners help manage hardness and scale
• Systems are often simple unless hardness or corrosion is also present

Well water filtration typically requires a combination of systems because water quality can vary widely by location. Unlike municipal water, well water is untreated and may contain sediment, bacteria, or mineral-related issues that affect safety and plumbing. A customized, multi-stage approach is often necessary to address these concerns effectively.

• Sediment filters remove sand, dirt, and debris
• UV water purifiers protect against bacteria and microorganisms
• Additional filters may be needed for iron, hardness, or pH issues
• Most well water systems are tailored based on water test results

Types of Whole House Water Filters

A carbon filter is the most effective way to remove chemicals like chlorine and nasty tastes and odors from water, which are often chemical byproducts from water treated with disinfectants by a municipal plant. Carbon media comes in two forms: activated or catalytic.

• Activated carbon absorbs contaminants to remove taste and odors from water.
• Catalytic activated carbon absorbs and breaks down a wider range of contaminants and chemicals

Browse carbon water filters for point-of-use systems, and learn more about how a carbon water filter works.

Whole House Sediment Filters

Sediment filters protect your plumbing and other filtration systems by removing visible particles from water. They’re often used as a first stage in a whole house setup.

• Removes dirt, sand, rust, and debris
• Helps extend the life of downstream filters and appliances
• Improves water clarity throughout the home

Browse sediment filters for point-of-use systems or Rusco spin-down filters.

Whole House Salt-Free Water Conditioners

Water conditioners help control scale buildup without removing hardness minerals. They’re best for homeowners who want low maintenance and no added salt. (These are recommended for city water applications only)

• Reduces scale in pipes and appliances
• No salt, no backwashing, and minimal maintenance
• Preserves existing minerals in water

Browse scale inhibitors for your water heater.

Whole House Acid Neutralizers

Pure water has a neutral pH, but contaminants that creep into the water supply have their own pH that increases the acidity of the water. Acidic water is not hazardous to drink, but it can be detrimental to pipes and appliances, causing corrosion, leaks, and greenish stains on surfaces when the house has copper pipes. If the house is plumbed with CPVC or PEX, the corrosive effect will be noticed in fixtures and the water heater.

• Calcite media dissolves calcium in water to neutralize the pH.
• Flomag is a blend of magnesium and calcium that’s stronger than calcite but can potentially over-correct acidic water.
• An acid neutralizer uses the high pH of the media to raise the pH of the water.

 
If your water has high levels of calcium and magnesium before treatment, adding more of these minerals may increase your water hardness. If this happens, you may want to consider a water softener or conditioner.

Browse all filter media.

Whole House Water Softeners

Water softeners are designed to remove hardness minerals that cause scale, soap scum, and reduced appliance efficiency. They’re ideal for homes with hard water issues.

• Removes calcium and magnesium
• Prevents scale buildup and spotting
• Improves soap performance and appliance longevity

Browse all water softeners, and learn more about how a water softener works.

Whole House UV

UV systems are used when bacteria or viruses are present in the water supply. They’re often paired with other filters for complete treatment.

• Inactivates bacteria and viruses without chemicals
• Maintains water taste and chemistry
• Effective for microbiological safety when paired with pre-filtration

Browse all UV systems, and learn more about how a UV water purifier works.

What Whole House Water Filters Remove

Whole house filtration systems can address a wide range of contaminants, but what’s removed depends on the specific filters. Different filters target different water quality issues, so systems are often combined to treat chemical, physical, microbial, and mineral-related problems throughout the home.

Chemical contaminants (taste, odor, and metals):

• Tastes and odors: Carbon filter
• Chlorine: Carbon filter
• Chloramine: Catalytic carbon filter
• Heavy metals: Reverse Osmosis, filtration with KDF85, or distillation
• Lead: Reverse osmosis, or specifically blended carbon

Physical contaminants:

• Sediment (sand, dirt, rust): Sediment filter

Microbial contaminants:

• Cysts and bacteria: GAC filter rated for cyst reduction or a UV water treatment system
• Bacteria: UV water treatment system
• Mold and algae: Spa filter designed with Micro-Pure technology

Scale and mineral-related issues:

• Scale buildup: Water softener, scale prevetion system like a salt-free water conditioner, or scale control system such as Hydroblend.

Benefits of Whole House Filtration

A whole house water filter is certainly worth the time and investment. They help guarantee that the water you use for drinking, cooking, washing laundry, brushing teeth, bathing, making ice clean, safe, and delicious. Here’s how a whole house water filter benefits your entire home.

• Showers: A whole house filtration system reduces chlorine or chloramine as well as hardwater, all of which can impact your skin, hair, and make washing more difficult.
• Refrigerators & Ice Makers: Installing a whole house filtration system removes hard water deposits that make your ice taste terrible and clog your ice maker, so you can save time, frustration, and money on replacements and repairs.
• Faucets & Sinks: Investing in a whole house filter system brings clean water to your tap for drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene.
• Washer & Dryer: A whole house filtration system removes water hardness in your laundry machines, so clothes look brighter and feel softer, while reducing the amount of detergent and soap needed, saving you money.

Whole House vs. Under Sink Filters

Whole house filters treat all the water entering your home at the point-of-entry, improving water quality for drinking, bathing, laundry, and appliances. In contrast, under-sink filters treat water at the point-of-use (POU), typically at a kitchen faucet, and are designed specifically for clean drinking and cooking water. Under-sink filtration is often the better choice when incoming water quality is acceptable for showers, laundry, and dishwashers but needs additional treatment for taste, odor, or drinking safety. Both system types offer multiple filtration approaches, and homeowners can learn more through our internal resources on drinking water systems to determine the best fit.

Comparison at a glance:

• Whole house filters: Best when contaminants affect water throughout the home; improves overall water quality at every tap
• Under-sink filters: Ideal when only drinking water needs additional treatment; provides targeted filtration at one faucet
• Choosing the right option: Use whole house systems for widespread issues, and under-sink systems for drinking-water-specific concerns

When a Whole House Water Filter is Necessary

A whole house water filter may be necessary depending on your water quality. If your water contains harmful contaminants like lead and arsenic or living organisms like bacteria and viruses, then you should install a whole house filter to keep your home safe. A whole house filter is beneficial in removing hardness or taste, and odor in your water. Water treatment also removes nontoxic contaminants that make cooking and cleaning a nuisance and drinking water unpleasant.

Whole house filtration is often necessary when:

• Sediment, rust, or debris affects multiple fixtures
• Bacteria or microorganisms are present in the water supply
• Acidic water is corroding pipes or leaching metals
• High chlorine levels impact skin, hair, and plumbing

Whole house filtration is often optional when:

• Hardness causes scale buildup but does not affect safety
• Taste or odor issues are limited to drinking water
• Point-of-use filters can adequately address specific concerns

Whole House Water Filter Customer Reviews

Here’s what our guests had to say about the quality, installation, and service of their whole house filters from Fresh Water Systems:

Great for Chlorine Removal

As a licensed plumber, I install many different types of water filtration systems. I've found this one the best for municipal water supplies to remove the chlorine from the water as well as many other things. -- Kevin H.

Great product - we love it.

Received product in great condition and good time. Had Master Plumber install, although brother-in-law could have done it. Money well spent. We love the change in our water quality. -- Clifford A.

Browse water softeners by brand: Watts | 3M | Pentek

Shop Water Filtration Systems

Shop water filtration systems for your home today.