How to Choose Whole House Water Filters

One of our Dallas readers sent us this question about how to choose Whole House Water Filters.

“I want to install a whole house water filtration system but not crazy expensive. Are there one or two companies you could recommend? There are tons listed in the area and I’ve heard there are a lot of flaky companies out there.”

Our response – Here’s How to Choose Whole House Water Filters

We know what you mean about purchasing a whole house filter and not knowing who you can trust. Many companies make claims that just aren’t backed up with facts and third-party lab results. These are the steps we recommend to choose whole house water filters.

Do Some Background Reading

If you haven’t yet, please consider reading our article on Whole House Filters – Confused about Whole House Filters? This will give you a good start. In this article, you’ll discover three critical things you should know before purchasing a filter.

Know Your Water Department’s Chemical Disinfectants

You should start by understanding which chemical disinfectant your water department uses. Why? Because it will determine which type of whole house filter you need. You wouldn’t want to purchase a filter that is primarily geared to removing Chlorine if your water department uses Chloramines as a disinfectant.

Since you’re in the Dallas area, I think you probably get your water from Dallas County Park Cities Municipal Utility District and they use Chloramines and not Chlorine as a water disinfectant.

How do you find this information?

Simply google the name of your city including the term “water department” or “water quality”. You should easily be able to find your city’s water quality report. When you read the report, it will be obvious which disinfectant they are using.

We Recommend Austin Springs Whole House Filters

We recommend the Austin Springs Whole House Filter which is third-party tested and NSF certified (#42 & #53) to remove certain water contaminants. Aquasana, a well-known name in water filtration, makes the Austin Springs filters in the USA and supports them with a 3-year warranty.

Any licensed plumber can install this whole house filter. After installation, you can change the filters without tools or help from a plumber.

If you decide to go with a different system, we recommend only buying filters that are third-party tested and certified by NSF. You’ll want to look for NSF certification #42 & #53 for your whole house filter.

PLUS, you need to ask for the lab report.

Why? Because even certified filters perform at different levels. For instance, the Austin Springs Whole House Filter reduces 90% of chloramines and other filters may only remove 50% of chloramines.

Don’t Buy it without Third-Party Lab Report

We advise people to only buy water filters with a third-party lab report. Trustworthy water filter manufacturers hire a certified third-party lab to test their filters and they publish the results.

Period.

Want a Custom Whole House Filtration System?

If you want a custom system (perhaps with a reverse osmosis tank, etc.), then look for certified professionals:

Certified Water Specialist (CWS)
This designation is best suited for professionals who provide solutions to “problem water” issues and health-related contaminants.
Certified Installer (CI)
This designation is ideal for professionals who specialize in installing water quality improvement products.

Don’t settle for uncertified businesses because you only want to hire certified professionals.

Armed with the facts, you don’t have to feel overwhelmed when choosing a home water filtration system.