If you’ve ever worried about the potential contaminants in your water or noticed unpleasant smelling, tasting, or looking water coming from your home’s fixtures, a water filtration system might be the answer. For many homes, a whole house water filter is the most efficient and cost-effective way to purify all of your home’s water. In this article, we breakdown what you need to know about whole house water filtration, provide our whole house water filter recommendation, and discuss the benefits behind this system.
What is a Whole House Water Filter?
As the name implies, a whole house water filter is attached to your home’s main water supply line. These systems are also known as point-of-entry filters that purify your water as it enters your home, delivering filtered water to all of your fixtures—faucets, showers, washing machines, dishwashers, and your water heater.
Our Whole House Water Filter Recommendation
When it comes to whole house water filters, North East Air Conditioning, Heating, and Plumbing recommends an activated carbon filter. These filters are great at removing chlorine and chloramines from the water—which is ideal for our area, as San Antonio is notorious for its high chlorine levels, amongst other harmful contaminants.
How it works:
Activated carbon filters use a special carbon medium, such as charcoal or coconut shells, which, when activated by heat, open and expand the surface area of the medium, allowing it to “catch” more contaminants. Before going through the activated carbon filter, the water passes through a pre-filter which removes any initial large sediments from the water. Then, when water passes through the activated carbon filter, unwanted particles are attracted and stick to the surface of the expanded carbon medium, in a process known as adsorption. In doing so, these filters can remove compounds like chlorine, mercury, pesticides, herbicides, dioxin, and solvents.
Maintenance:
Over time, the filters in your whole house water filtration system sustain wear and tear, and you’ll need to replace the components occasionally to keep it in good operating condition. We recommend replacing the pre-filter every 6-12 months and the carbon filter every 6-10 years. At North East, part of our maintenance contract includes water testing—we can easily test your water to ensure that your carbon water filter is still working as designed, and repair or replace these components if it’s not.
Benefits of a Whole House Water Filter
Just a few benefits offered by a whole house water carbon filter include:
- Healthier water. Filtered water can remove contaminants that can cause health issues.
- Better tasting water. Carbon-filtered water removes substances such as chlorine, known for making your water taste and smell unpleasant.
- Less corrosion on your water-using appliances. A whole house water filter treats water before it enters your home, meaning harmful chemicals that can corrode your pipes and appliances are removed, reducing the negative impact on them.
If you’re ready to have healthier water, get in touch with North East Air Conditioning, Heating, and Plumbing. Our experienced technicians can work with you to assess your filtration needs and find the right system and setup for your home. Give us a call today at 210-658-0111 or visit our website for more information.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
