Whole House Water Filter
Reviews and Recommendations
by Nancy Hearn, CNC

The whole house water filter system (or point-of-entry-filter) is the most convenient of all the water filter systems because it is installed directly into the main water line. Thus, it filters all the water in the house, including laundry room, bathrooms, and kitchen.

If you are primarily interested in a whole house water softener system without whole house filtration, go directly to our Water Softener Reviews. 

There are also a number of whole house water filter systems on the market that basically only filter for rust and sediment. Most of these systems are in the $200 to $500 price range.

I don’t see any point in buying a whole house system that only filters for sediment and rust because you would still need a drinking water filter and a shower filter.

Thus, I highly recommend whole house water filters that will not only filter rust and sediment, but will also filter enough contaminants to provide water that is healthy for drinking, cooking, and showering.

Even though reverse osmosis whole house filter systems are popular, I do NOT recommend them for a number of reasons, including the health disadvantages of drinking de-mineralized water for more than a few days or weeks. You can read more on the advantages and disadvantages of drinking reverse osmosis water here.

Advantages of a Whole House Water Filter

• Clean water is available for all household uses, including bathing showering, cooking, and drinking
• These filter systems typically have a long lifetime (5-10 years)
• Due to the long filter life, they are a relatively inexpensive way to have clean household water
• The higher quality whole house systems use multiple stages of filtration to remove 30 plus dangerous water contaminants.

Disadvantages of a Whole House Water Filter

• Whole house systems usually require professional installation
• They tend to be a bit more expensive than most faucet, countertop, and under sink filters
• Many brands do not filter nearly as many contaminants from tap water as do the drinking water filters (such as the countertop and under sink filters).

Our Top Picks for a Whole House Water Filter

The whole house systems I am recommending are based on their quality filtration media, product certifications, customer reviews, overall value, and the fact that they do not remove minerals.

Using a high degree of filtration, these systems do provide water that is suitable for all household uses, including drinking and showering. Thus, they are exceptional in the whole house water filter market.

Aquasana's Whole House Water Systems
for Tap and Well Water

Aquasana’s whole-house water filter systems can be customized for your source water (either city water or well water). 

What I like best about the Aquasana system is that they are NSF certified to reduce 97 percent of the chlorine from your water for less than 50 cents a day!

By reducing most of the chlorine from the point where it enters your home, risky disinfection by-products (DBPs) and volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) are significantly reduced or eliminated.

Since these systems use selective filtration (removing chlorine and other contaminants without removing minerals), the enhanced pH balance of the water may improve the texture of your skin and hair.

I also like the fact that these systems require no electricity and no manual back flushing. In addition, they are easy to maintain.

NOTE: Any of these systems can be upgraded to include a Sterilite UV filter for total protection against bacteria and viruses. OR you can add on a salt-free water softener if you have hard water.

These systems are best installed by a plumber unless you are handy with tools and household plumbing and can do it yourself.

600,000 Gallon Rhino® Whole House System comes with a 90-day satisfaction guarantee and a 6-year warranty on the tanks. The filter for the EQ-600 Rhino whole house system lasts for 600,000 gallons (about 6 years on average). A great value for the price.

1,000,000 Gallon Premium Rhino® Whole House System has a 90-day satisfaction guarantee and a full 10-year warranty on the tanks. And the EQ-1000 filter lasts for 1,000,000 gallons (or about 10 years!) 

500,000 Gallon Well Water Rhino® Whole House System has a 90-day satisfaction guarantee and a 5-year warranty. The multi-stage filtration system includes the Sterilite UV filter to protect your water supply from bacteria and viruses.

Note about Hard Water:  If you have very hard water, check out Aquasana's combo Rhino whole house filter + salt-free water softener systems for both city and well water. 

Aquasana Rhino® Whole House Filter & Salt-Free Water Softener for City Water or Well Water

Crystal Quest Whole House Water Systems

Crystal Quest offers several whole house systems under three main categories: compact, mid-size, and full-size. They range in price from about $200 to $3,600. 

In addition, Crystal Quest has the following four unique series of whole house systems to choose from:

SMART whole house water system is their flagship series for whole house protection. These systems use a highly effective filtration media known as SMART multimedia. These systems are customizable and come with pre and post filters. They can also be used with a water softener to manage hard water issues.

EAGLE whole house water systems are an upgrade on the SMART series and reduce additional harmful contaminants and they also create higher alkalinity in water. These systems also have an Ultrafiltration membrame to remove micro-organisms. These systems can be paired with a salt-free water conditioner to reduce the buildup of scale in your home. These are my personal favorite systems. I highly recommend  the Eagle 1,000 and Eagle 2,000 whole house water filter plus alkalizer.

GUARDIAN whole house water systems are the most affordable series for home whole house water filtration. These systems still provide a high level of filtration and they use a variety of filtration media including Premium coconut shell GAC, catalytic GAC, and Crystal Quest's ERA 6500 media, along with a carbon block post filter.

HIGH FLOW whole house water systems are for much larger homes requiring higher flow rates. These systems can also be paired with a water softener for home protection.

Professional installation is recommended on all whole house systems. Filter changes are fairly easy and the systems have varying capacity and duration of use.

The Crystal Quest systems are customizable to specific filtration needs, they are easy to maintain, have a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 1-year warranty. 

Further reading . . .

Chloramine Removal with a Whole House Water System

Water Softener Reviews and Recommendations

Salt-Based Water Softeners -- Advantages and Disadvantages

Drinking Soft Water -- The Health Disadvantages

Drinking Water Filter Reviews and Recommendations

Whole House Water Filter Comparisons

Best Whole House Water Filter Under $300

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