Can someone recommend a whole home water filtration system?

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Permalink Reply by Sean Lintow Sr on November 11, 2012 at 9:31am

I recomend you start here: http://blog.sls-construction.com/2012/going-off-grid-water-filtration

Just like many other aspects of our field - it is better to test & not guess - then go from there

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Permalink Reply by Kari Sauder on November 11, 2012 at 2:52pm

My recommendation is to read about it and talk to all the suppliers in your area until you get a thorough idea of what you need.  In my case our well water has iron and clay sediment in it and it's acidic and slightly hard.  We have always filtered our water with a couple of whole house units -- to help my laundry not be ruined but when the showers and sinks started getting green stains on them, my research (on the internet) started!  I found that there are a couple of kinds of iron (my water has the visible kind -- making the water cloudy from the tap) and that the green stains were from acidic water reacting to my copper supply lines.  I also found that you can soften water with potassium instead of salt but I wasn't sure I needed a softener after research. My goal was to buy equipment outright not rent monthly -- If you have the money this is the way to go (you still have to maintain the system but it pays for itself in just a few years) The second thing I did was talk to friends who had water issues.  From that I found out that some people paid A LOT and didn't totally have their problem solved.  The third thing I did was go to our area annual builders' show on a mission.  That year I talked to everybody there in the water treatment biz.  A lot will test water for free and I asked two of them to do that.  In the end I found a local guy who had been in business for years who builds his own systems from purchased components.  Our system has a "Big Boy" whole house particle filter 1st in line.  It takes the sediment and iron out with a filter the size of a roll of paper towels (which is changed about once every 3 months instead of monthly like our previous smaller ones).  Then the water passes through a neutralizer which takes the acid out (this process uses minerals so that makes my borderline hard water too hard).  The last step in my water treatment system is a softener.  I found (in my reading) that I could use potassium instead of salt (extra salt in the water can be bad for people who are prone to high blood pressure & other illnesses).  Potassium comes in the same kind of bags but is about 2x the price at around $20/ bag locally (Central PA).  Our system cost us about $2,200 three yrs. ago.  Of the other companies I talked to, no one told us we needed a neutralizer and a softener yet the 2 major national brands' cost was at least twice the price. One of them was more like $5500 as I recall.

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